Snail eggs making holes in my DW?
- Thread starter emerald76
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Fishfur
Aquarium Advice Addict
That's new to me. I've had several types of wood and many, many nerites and never have I seen damage to the woods where the eggs were.
Any chance you can take the wood out and take a scrubbie to it ? I sometimes did that if there were a lot of eggs showing, they're not too hard to scrub off. Or a razor or knife or putty blade would scrape them off easily enough too.
Just curious, what kind of wood is it ?
Any chance you can take the wood out and take a scrubbie to it ? I sometimes did that if there were a lot of eggs showing, they're not too hard to scrub off. Or a razor or knife or putty blade would scrape them off easily enough too.
Just curious, what kind of wood is it ?
Fishfur
Aquarium Advice Addict
If you bought it at a fish store, chances are good it is either Malaysian DW or Mopani wood. Both are very heavy, very hard. but most Mopani tends to be two tone, having both very dark brown and much lighter tan areas on the majority of pieces. If you found it somewhere, no way to know what it might be.
Grape vine is the only wood I've used that seems to be very prone to damage and now I've tried it once I'd never use it again. Takes ages to sink, then rots very, very quickly compared to most other woods, even though it seems very dense and hard when it's dry. More than half of my grapevine piece has gone now, in less than two years, including any snail eggs laid on it. But I don't think the eggs had anything to do with it, it's just because it's grape vine. The part that rotted fastest was the middle, or heartwood, and it never had eggs.
I guess moving the snails is one way to deal with the problem but it's darn odd, I've seen literally thousands of nerite eggs on wood and not one has ever made a hole.
Grape vine is the only wood I've used that seems to be very prone to damage and now I've tried it once I'd never use it again. Takes ages to sink, then rots very, very quickly compared to most other woods, even though it seems very dense and hard when it's dry. More than half of my grapevine piece has gone now, in less than two years, including any snail eggs laid on it. But I don't think the eggs had anything to do with it, it's just because it's grape vine. The part that rotted fastest was the middle, or heartwood, and it never had eggs.
I guess moving the snails is one way to deal with the problem but it's darn odd, I've seen literally thousands of nerite eggs on wood and not one has ever made a hole.
Fishfur
Aquarium Advice Addict
I have never seen anything like that before.. and I keep dozens of Nerites, with lots of wood both Mopani and Malay driftwood.
If the appearance of their eggs bugs you that much, I'd suggest not having Nerites again. I don't much mind how they look, but some do, and that's ok. Might consider a mystery snail, they are very good algae eaters and glass cleaners, and while females do lay eggs, they have to do it out of water. So the egg clutch is easy to remove if you don't want baby snails hatching.
I'd suggest Rabbit snails, which, if you have both sexes, have live births, and no eggs, but they often eat plants and like to really disturb substrate, so that might not be so hot.
MTS snails don't lay eggs either, and are quite small, and though not as good for glass cleaning as most snails, they do love algae. Also reproduce in large numbers, but most of them will stay in the substrate where you don't see too much of them. They will come to the surface at night or early morning to let their babies go, they are so tiny they float on the water tension.
If the appearance of their eggs bugs you that much, I'd suggest not having Nerites again. I don't much mind how they look, but some do, and that's ok. Might consider a mystery snail, they are very good algae eaters and glass cleaners, and while females do lay eggs, they have to do it out of water. So the egg clutch is easy to remove if you don't want baby snails hatching.
I'd suggest Rabbit snails, which, if you have both sexes, have live births, and no eggs, but they often eat plants and like to really disturb substrate, so that might not be so hot.
MTS snails don't lay eggs either, and are quite small, and though not as good for glass cleaning as most snails, they do love algae. Also reproduce in large numbers, but most of them will stay in the substrate where you don't see too much of them. They will come to the surface at night or early morning to let their babies go, they are so tiny they float on the water tension.
fish jihad
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2014
- Messages
- 19
My nerites did the same thing.
Over a period of 6 months they have put hundreds of eggs on my driftwood. Over time the eggs settle into the wood and create deep dents in the wood. The wood is juniper, a fairly hard wood. I havnt seen eggs anywhere else in the tank.
I agree it looks awful once the eggs settle into the wood. I tried using a razor blade to pry it out of the wood. It was too time consuming so i gave up. The eggs will decompose over time, but it takes a LONG time.
Like you i have no idea why the eggs would burrow into the wood.
Over a period of 6 months they have put hundreds of eggs on my driftwood. Over time the eggs settle into the wood and create deep dents in the wood. The wood is juniper, a fairly hard wood. I havnt seen eggs anywhere else in the tank.
I agree it looks awful once the eggs settle into the wood. I tried using a razor blade to pry it out of the wood. It was too time consuming so i gave up. The eggs will decompose over time, but it takes a LONG time.
Like you i have no idea why the eggs would burrow into the wood.
Fishfur
Aquarium Advice Addict
What species of Nerite did you have ? Probably doesn't matter, but I'm curious.
Fishfur
Aquarium Advice Addict
Olive nerites are a species. So are Thorny or Horned nerites, Zebra nerite and the Tire Track type.. I'd have to go find out their actual scientific names, and some may just be subspecies, but I asked because I wondered if it's just one species of Nerite whose eggs harm wood. I've never had an Olive, but I have had the other three species I mentioned, and never seen any wood damage.
Here's a link to pics of the 12 most common Nerites.. some of them are truly lovely things.
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aquariumforum/showthread.php?t=83888
Here's a link to pics of the 12 most common Nerites.. some of them are truly lovely things.
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aquariumforum/showthread.php?t=83888
Fishfur
Aquarium Advice Addict
They actually hatch into larvae in full salt, marine conditions. Then they morph into snails, and at that point can be acclimated to fresh water. Very adaptable snails
