will Corwin get a new friend?

[Sahabo]

So the time has come to consider tank mates for Corwin. Given that I think he is pretty darn territorial, I'm thinking that a snail would be the least threatening to him. Although I've heard that bettas can attack snails too. Personally, I think he's happy on his own, so the addition would really be for me

The question is, is it worth it? More care, more possible illness, some chance of introducing illness to Corwin, might eat my plants, might get eaten by Corwin...but also many benefits to having a snail in the tank, right?

Would it be better to consider another type of fish as a tankmate? Or should I leave Corwin alone and wait until I can get another tank?

Thing is, I don't really have the space or extra cash flow to let MTS take hold...but I am definitely having the urge to get into the hobby a little deeper. So I'm looking for the next small, simple step.

Any thoughts?

 

[Zagz]

You could get a snail. The snail would probably hold his own with Corwin. I don't think Corwin will care about a snail, LOL.

 

[new2betas]

Heidi - being so new to this myself, I am not sure if this is advice. My daughter's betta's tank has two snails in it (you can see one of them in my recent pictures posted in "getting started"). And my betta has one black snail in his tank with him. Neither bettas has ever tried to attack the snails. Occasionally, when the snail's "eyes" are out, my betta will swim by and kind of nip at him, but he has never hurt him. Also, one draw back.....I think the problems I am now having with my betta (internal parasites) probably came from this snail. I introduced him to the tank about a month and a half after I got my betta and now he develops these internal parasites? So, I guesss it is a risk in that sense. Let us know what you decide....

 

[black hills tj]

I have hundreds of hitchiker snails I can send you for the price of shipping...haha

I think an apple snail or a ramshorn of any variety would do fine.

 

[CatatonicBug]

I agree. A snail or two would be perfect. Even mystery snails are fun to watch. Mine just zoom around the tank, and I like to watch their mouths as they graze on the glass

 

[Sahabo]

so where is the best place to get them...and I only want one, a male OR a female.

 

[CatatonicBug]

so where is the best place to get them...and I only want one, a male OR a female.

You can get mystery snails at most LFS's. I know Petsmart and Petco have them. They had at least 3 kinds when I got mine - blue, gold and black ones. There's no way to sex them that I am aware of, and many snails reproduce asexually anyway. The ones I got were about the size of a quarter, and cost less than $1 each (IIRC).

 

[Purrbox]

For information on different types of snails and sexing Applesnail.net is a great resource. In general the snails sold as Mystery Snails do not reproduce asexually. There are some really great color varients out there for Brigs (Pomacea Bridgessi), unfortunately the cost of shipping makes it cost prohibitive to order just one. As an example you can check out this site which I've considered buying from but haven't as yet.

 

[Sahabo]

apple snail sounds good...maybe I can find a Briggessi at the LFS. Will it be okay with a ph of 6.5? Is it really necessary to add calcium supplements? I read that their shells can get damaged with low ph or not enough calcium.

 

[Purrbox]

They are more likely to have shell damage at lower pH levels. You can pick up reptile sticks to feed the snails. It has a good amount of calcium so you wouldn't need to supplement separately.

 

[CatatonicBug]

They are more likely to have shell damage at lower pH levels. You can pick up reptile sticks to feed the snails. It has a good amount of calcium so you wouldn't need to supplement separately.

I've never heard of reptile sticks... sounds like "dried anole", or "freeze-dried gecko"

 

[Purrbox]

I've never heard of reptile sticks... sounds like "dried anole", or "freeze-dried gecko"

It's a food for reptiles. Apparently they also need more calcium in their diets. Here's an example.

 

[Sahabo]

thanks joy! will the added calcium counteract the effects of a 6.5 ph?

 

[Purrbox]

No. It will just make it so that you don't have to supplement the water column with calcium. You may still be able to keep a snail with a healthy shell, but I suspect that you'll see at least some pitting of the shell.

 

[Sahabo]

maybe I need to add some ph up? I'm not a huge fan of changing ph though...I want it to be stable. Maybe I need to consider a different tankmate that can handle a lower ph?

 

[Purrbox]

Instead of pH up, I believe it's Baking Soda that will do the same thing and is less expensive. I'm not familiar with the dosing amounts. Another option would be to add some crushed coral to the aquarium.

You could always try the snail, and if the shell starts having problems adjust the pH with one of the above methods. Or as you suggest consider different tank mates.

I've always like ghost shrimp. They're fairly inexpensive so it's not a big loss if Corwin eats them, but if he tolerates him they're really cool to watch.

 

[spilzer]

Does baking soda actually raise pH, or does it provide buffering capacity?

 

[Purrbox]

Both. KH and pH are directly related. If you increase the KH by adding a buffer, then the pH will rise as well. The only time KH and pH do not move together is if a non carbonite(sp?) buffer like phosphate is used, or if CO2 is injected into the aquarium.

 

[JohnPaul]

One way to gently raise pH (if you have a hang-on-back filter) is to buy some crushed coral and a small mesh bag for it (your LFS will have both) and put a small bagful of crushed coral in your filter. Since the activated carbon bags usually provided by HoB filters are totally unnecessary, you can remove the carbon and put the bag of crushed coral in its place. The coral will gradually raise the pH and also provide some buffering to the water, as well as supply calcium. Yet it will do it gently and consistently, unlike attempting to add commercial chemicals, baking soda, etc. to your water every single time you do a water change, and risk (by forgetting, overdosing, etc.) rapid pH swings which can kill your fish.

Even if you don't have a HoB filter, you can still use crushed coral. I had a 10 gal red cherry shrimp breeding tank that only had a sponge filter, so I just filled up a small mesh bag with crushed coral and used a string to hang it in the corner of the tank. It works wonders, and buffered my water somewhere in the 7.4-7.7 range.

 

[Sahabo]

Thanks, John Paul. I might try that. I'm only looking to get it a little higher though, maybe up to 7. I only have a sponge filter in the 5.5 gallon.