Trumpet Snails Question

[Everlasting]

I've decided that I am going to use sand as my substrate in my new tank and am in the process of starting my fishless cycle. I want to have some trumpet snails to help sift through my sand, and I decided to look around and figure out where to purchase some of these snails once my tank is ready to go. I live in very painfully small community and no where within a 2 hour radius has any of these snails. So I've found several groups for sale on aquabid (but none will ship to Canada) and several for sale on ebay.

My question is how many of these snails would be needed to successfully keep my sand nice and stirred up? I've got a 29 gallon tank, and most of these lots i've seen are for 15+ snails. Is that a normal amount of snails required for a tank? Or is that simply because the person has an extreme number of snails and is trying to sell them?

Also, how large do these snails get? And last question, Since the tank is going to require i'm sure at least several snails, I'm guessing they are going to reproduce on their own...what does everyone do once they have snails overrunning their tanks?

Thanks in advance everyone

 

[Phoenixphire55]

good questions! I can't answer any of them but I want to know the answers to all of the questions

 

[Everlasting]

haha we shall set up a camp and wait in the thread.

 

[Zagz]

You guys are funny. LOL. As for trumpet snails, do you have a local aquarium club near you? If so check with the members, they will most likely have some.

If not you can easily have 15 to start with. They do reproduce quickly. My MTS get to be between 1/2"-1" usually.

Manual removal is best if they get out of control. Either you can pick them out by hand. Remove them with lettuce by leaving the lettuce in the tank after lights out and taking it out in the am. One thing you can do is not overfeed. MTS populate based on food supply. Less food, less population.

 

[Jnam]

trumpets(MTS i am assuming) are prolific 15+ will be 30+ in no time they are parthenogenic(1 snail can breed to itself) and they have live young (MTS). currently my 10 gallon with sand substrate has about 10 trumpets and they do a great job. The dont borrow around more or less the borrow down in one spot and camp their. So lets say 1 per 2 square inches substrate?

The dont get very big maybe an inch.

When the snails get to an annoying poppulation you have a couple choices. Make them snacks for some loaches. Or take a piece of lettuce put it in the tank at lights out wait an hour and then remove the lettuce it will have quite a few snails on it. Then you can sell them or toss em...

Hope that helps

 

[Jnam]

They are GREAT cleanup crew, I had a fish die durring a PWC once before I had finished draing the water the MTS had allready covered the dead fish and were making a quick meal of it.

 

[Everlasting]

Alright, hopefully I can get the fish store to take them because as silly as I'm sure this sounds, I'll feel bad "discarding" cute baby snails (yes I know, I can see the looks already lol).

So then 15 would be an ok amount for a 29 gallon? What negative type things can happen if I get too many snails into one tank? And...how many is too many?

You guys are great, thanks!

 

[Everlasting]

I did find a few even smaller lots on ebay but they are all the way from the UK >.< seems a very long way for some small snails to travel this time of year.

 

[haykay]

15 should be fine. like was already mentioned don't overfeed.

when I first planted my 55
i recieved free pond snails, MTS, and ramshorn snails too.
They all bred out of control, however after a few months my population is dwindeling and the few that remain are getting plenty big enough for me!

Moral - don't overfeed and you should maintain a decent population