Snail

[courtnee]

Okay. I put a plant in my 10gl for my Betta who is the only fish in there (spoiled I know) I am not much for planted tanks, looks beautiful but I just don't want the work. However, this one plant in the 10gl I can already sense what is to come. hehe. I like the real plant and may plant the 10gl more.

My daughter said she saw a tiny snail in the 10gl. She said it was just tiny, and Ive seen the hitchhikers that can come with plants in the LFS. I adore snails and want to see it!!! We have a golfball sized apple snail in our 55gl that is spoiled rotten.

I have done two 50% water changes and gravel vacs on the 10gl since getting the plant. Now if there is a tiny snail in there I don't want to suck it up and toss it away down the toilet!!

How can I see this little thing and get it to come out? Do these plant snails stay small?

Edit: I did have a pea in there the other day for my betta. I wasnt looking for a snail.. today i threw in a green bean to see if the snail will go to it. Anything else better to try?

 

[SparKy697]

My snails come "running" for algae wafers. If that was the only snail, you are indeed special! I believe that if there is one, there is more. Be patient and you'll probably have all you want. They usually prefer vegetation that is on the soft mushy side too.

 

[7Enigma]

They will graze off the live plant you have in there. Most times you won't see them since they will be on the plant, but once they deplete the food supply, or decide they are bored , they tend to climb the glass.

Bettas are a curious unique bunch. Some will ignore something as small as a snail, others will take to picking at them and might eat them if small enough.

I would just give it some time. Putting in food for a single small snail that might not even be in the tank anymore is something I wouldn't due. Most likely the food will rot before the snail will be able to eat anything.

I have a snail farm, and in there food is devoured overnight, but I have hundreds of snails. I wouldn't feed just a single one. There's probably more than enough algae and food debris that is missed during gravel vac's and due to the light source.

 

[courtnee]

Took me awhile before I could get back to read posts and reply. Yesterday I saw not one but two snails. They are so tiny omg. They are black and the size of gnat!!!! I dont see how I can avoid sucking them up in graveling cleaning.

Also I suppose they will mate like crazy and I will have more then I know what do with!

 

[7Enigma]

Took me awhile before I could get back to read posts and reply. Yesterday I saw not one but two snails. They are so tiny omg. They are black and the size of gnat!!!! I dont see how I can avoid sucking them up in graveling cleaning.

Also I suppose they will mate like crazy and I will have more then I know what do with!

Sounds like common pond snails. Unless you suck up the substrate/object they are on a gravel vac won't suck them up. So don't worry about them. And if you keep your tank well maintained you won't have to worry about a tank takeover of snails. Don't leave a lot of uneaten food on the substrate and if you have live plants keep them in good health or cut your losses and pull them out. Rotting food/plant matter is what allows them to explode!

 

[courtnee]

Let me ask you this.... I know NOTHING about keeping plants.

I do 50% water change in the 10gl every week just like my other tank. I just have one Betta in the tank and I feed him one to two flakes only per day. I watch him eat them so I know no food waste is left over. Blood worm here and there His tank is beyond clean!

I have that one plant in there it is a Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides) It seems fuller then when I bought it. I was told it was a easy to care for plant that needed little light. My Betta LOVES his plant and sleeps in it and makes his bubble nest above it. I can tell this plant has made his life complete in this tank. LOL

I have two 25w bulbs on the tank. Lights are on about 8hrs per day. I add nothing to the water but Prime during PWC.

I do notice it wants to grow above the water line as the plant is as tall as the tank. If it sticks above water I have snipped it off as it creates a shadow in my tank A few parts are turning slightly darker more in the middle of the plant.

How do I care for this? Do I snip off the parts that seem to be turning darker? Is Sprite really a easy plant to care for? Later today I will take a picture of it for you too.

This tank sits at 80F - 82F, temp goes up a few degrees in the day with the light on. PH of 7. Bottom has a thin layer of gravel and on top of that I have larger stone gravel. I did that so the smooth stones are better for the Betta's fins.

I am thinking about adding a second plant. (Trying to do a planted 10gl with what I have) Is there any suggestions of another easy to care for plant with my lighting? No sunlight hits the tank.

 

[Purrbox]

Something that would make it much easier to take care of plants, is to replace the incadescent bulbs with screw in compact flourescents. I suspect that this isn't something you've already done, simply because you listed the bulbs as 25watts and didn't specify type. While it is possible to grow plants with incadescent lights, it's much easier to do so with other types of lighting as the incadescents put out mostly heat. Anywhere from a pair of 10watt compact flourescents to a pair of 20 watt compact flourescents should work well. I know this sounds like less light, but it really isn't because these bulbs are so much more efficient.

You current plant would be classified as a stem plant, and overall you're care has been fine. Something that you can do is to trim the plant a little lower, and then replant the top. This way you can keep newer growth and multiply the number of stems you have. Eventually the bottom portion will become so ratty that it will need to be tossed.

Check out plantgeek for more plant options. Remember to pay attention to the max size of the plants listed as many will get to be too big for your tank. There are several options that should work though. You could even look at some of the plants in the medium low light category if you went with the pair of 20 watt compact flourescents.

 

[7Enigma]

I second Purrbox's recommendation for new lights. My reason, however, is more about the betta then the plant. That couple degree fluctuation probably is enough to harm the fish but its better to try to keep a consistent temperature at all times.

If you replace the lights you get the best of both worlds, constant temp AND better growing conditions for the plant. A free alternative is to turn up your heater to just SLIGHLTY lower then the tank gets at peak lighting (ie right before the lights go off the tank should be its warmest from the heat). This way you won't have the swings because at night the heater will supply the warmth, and during the day the lights will supply most of the heat.

Normally I suggest setting the heater slightly HIGHER than the warmest the tank will get so you know there will be no temp fluctuation, but in your case the tank is already quite warm. I wouldn't want it to go much more than 82F.

 

[courtnee]

Thanks guys. I am guessing a place like walmart may have these lights? I will see what I can do