Question for ferret (or other snail/cichlid keepers)

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shawmutt

Aquarium Advice Addict
Joined
Dec 21, 2002
Messages
2,648
Location
Greencastle, PA
I noticed in your profile you've got black mystery snails in your 90 gallon...are they native to the region? Do they get picked on by the cichlids or do the cichlids leave them alone? Would you recommend them for my tank?
 
Sorry was gone all day yesterday.

No, they're not native. I'm not quite sure where they're from. The cichlids so far have not hurt them after several weeks (at least 4-5) of them being the in the tank. Their shells (normally dark) do have a few 'white' patches from apparently being pecked at, but they seem to be doing just fine.

I use them to up on algae clean up. My pleco in the tank does a great job doing janitor duties, but he's about 9 inches now and can't get a few places. He's also prone to ignoring the side glass walls (He gets the front and backs tho :p)

My walls are crystal clear of algae. I originally put them in because the pleco had slacked on the left wall andd green spots of algae had appeared.
 
Ive got 2 and a plec in my newest 55 gallon african tank. No cichlids yet but they can't harras them half as bad as my tiger barb pack in the community tank.
 
You don't know african cichlids very well then, Scott :p They might not be interested in harassing them, but they'll do a much worse number than those barbs could ever attempt :p I've seen a 5 inch malawi auratus (Mean suckers) try to chase a 10 inch pleco out of its territory, and challenge a much larger predator Malawi too.

That's the one I gave back to the LFS. They still have him.. alone. He killed two fish :p So they have him in his own tank now :p Mean :p
 
That being the case what do you attribute your 2 snails longevity to. (luck maybe).
The barbs were slowly picking away at the snails foot, It looked like a serrated blade edge by the time I noticed. As far as harrassment goes being eaten slowly one little bite at a time is as bad as it gets. I dont know africans very well and haven't even one in the tank yet.
 
I meant the pleco mainly. The cichlids aren't interesting in the snails too much. Like I said, they've appeared to attack the shells directly somewhat, but haven't made too much headway. The snails may be fine for the moment but in a month or two who knows, maybe one of them is gonna get crushed. I don't think my guys aren't interested in nipping the snail's foot, they got live plants to munch. I think they'd rather just kill them out right if they could :) Snails don't exactly obey territory boundries.
 
Oh the plec? Hes coming out when the cics come in. Hes just keeping the bacteria happy for now while the tank gets stable. Well have to see about the snails. I'll be starting with 3 juvi labs, so I have plenty of time to save them if they refuse to obey the gang territiries.
 
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