mystery snails newbie...

[dancersmama79]

got a couple mystery snails in a 5 gal tank with my betta... just wondering about good things to feed thing like algae tablets or fish food... ive also noticed that my smaller one floats in the water alot.... my bigger one is active all the time during the day... wondering what levels of ammonia nitrite and nitrate are safe for them?

[George9]

Originally Posted by dancersmama79

got a couple mystery snails in a 5 gal tank with my betta... just wondering about good things to feed thing like algae tablets or fish food... ive also noticed that my smaller one floats in the water alot.... my bigger one is active all the time during the day... wondering what levels of ammonia nitrite and nitrate are safe for them?

You could feed them algae wafers occasionally, they eat fresh cucumbers also. But not every day. Ammonia and nitrite should ALWAYS be at a constant zero. Nitrate can be anywhere up to 40 PPM, less than 20 PPM being ideal.

Have you cycled this aquarium at all?

[KaylNeko]

Good question. Mystery Snails (snails in general) are more sensitive to a cycling tank than most fish. Also, keep in mind, Mystery Snails have a bioload of a fish of equivalent size, unlike most other snails. With a betta in there, you need to keep the ammonia and nitrite at 0 anyway.

That being said, mine love algae wafers and the sheets of seaweed sold in pet stores. They'll also eat algae in the tank, and I think I've seen them going after the sinking shrimp pellets, too.

They will float, especially if they're just wanting to chill. I have a blue and a brown in my 55 gallon. The blue is all over the place, checking things out and eating. The brown is a lot lazier. He's actually floating right now. Just personalities, I think.

[LyndaB]

Mystery snails can reach the size of a golf ball. With 2 in that tank with the betta, things are going to get pretty cramped pretty quickly.

[dancersmama79]

would it be possible to keep one of the snails in the 1 gal i have and my betta and one snail in the 5 gal until i can get a different setup?? Also wondering if Aquarium salt is safe for the snails?? i know salt is normally a big NO when it comes to snails....

[Mumma.of.two]

IMO your tank is fine with the two snails. Yes, they get rather large but they are snails and don't need much 'swimming' space. If you stay on top of your water changes (which i KNOW you will ) IMO you have nothing to worry about.

They are salt sensitive but I have treated tanks with salt while mystery snails are in them without incident.

[KaylNeko]

They'll probably do better in the 5 gallon than one in a one gallon. I'm with Mumma on their size vs swimming space--you're probably fine.

[dancersmama79]

one of mine is quarter size and one is the size of a nickel.... ive noticed mine dont seem to eat much in one day... My betta still has spots on his head so im wondering what to treat him for... they arent cottony they are more patchy now and his head seems swollen...

[KaylNeko]

No, snails don't eat much. Mine are a little less than an inch long and eat maybe a quarter of an algae wafer and some algae.

I don't know about your betta--if you haven't already, maybe try a new thread in the Unhealthy fish forum?

[dancersmama79]

not sure if my snails are male or female or one of each but the other day for a couple days they were attached to each other and "rolling around" in the tank from on end to the other lol for a couple days and now they are both staying close to each other like a "couple" and close to the top... ive read that they deposit their eggs above water sometimes but what can i look for and how can i tell that they or one of them is doing this? im not sure which one is the female if one of them even is??? and my betta keeps swimming between the 2 like he knows something is up.... lol havent noticed anything floating at the top of the tank yet or any clusters or anything but just wondering what to look for and how long does it usually take??

[KaylNeko]

They usually do deposit the eggs above the water line. Don't know about how long it takes, but it'll look like a cluster of round eggs sticking to the glass above the water line. They're fairly obvious.

[dancersmama79]

any suggestions on how to keep my betta from eating their food at the bottom and gorging himself til hes constipated?

[Mumma.of.two]

Originally Posted by dancersmama79

any suggestions on how to keep my betta from eating their food at the bottom and gorging himself til hes constipated?

Drop the food in at night when Dancer is asleep. Hopefully he won't notice it then.

[dancersmama79]

i have found that if when i do water changes since my tank is in step 2 of cycling i put my snails in a container by themselves and feed them algae wafers thats the best way at least for me to feed them... if i leave the wafers in the tank and they dont eat them right away he goes right to them day or night and eats them before they can...i think my snails have doubled in size since i got them but they are thriving and my ammonia and nitrite levels are staying low just waiting for the nitrates.... ive also seen them tossing each other around but i think mine are both girls is that normal? they havent laid any eggs or anything and ive had them for nearly 2 months...

[FishGeek97]

Should be fine, as long as their about the same size, I had one the size of an apple, he was soo cute, but when i added another that was about an inch long, he attacked it and killed it. as long as their about the same size they should be fine though. about your feeding problem, i fed mine peeled grapes and shredded carrots. The Betta shouldn't be able to eat it, and the snails just love grapes and carrots!

[dancersmama79]

one of my snails is making bubbles along the top of the tank like my betta does??? is that normal? does that mean they are getting ready to lay eggs or something???

[dancersmama79]

i have a styrofoam cup i cut in half and placed it to where it is curved over the water so my betta could make his bubble nest in there and he has but now my snail has taken over it and is making bubbles and filling it up.... is she getting ready to lay eggs in there or is she just hanging onto it eating the stuff off of it and making bubbles??? my betta keeps watching her and following her...

[dancersmama79]

My snails are trying to lay eggs. I noticed a string of about 20 then they are gone. Im wondering if they were too close to the power filter or if my betta ate them. Any suggestions on what i can do to help them? Ive also noticed a bubble nest around the edge of the surface of the water and around the heater and filter.