Mystery snail clutch in male betta tank

[Tank_lady]

Hello!!

We have a mystery snail clutch that was laid about 2 weeks ago. We want to keep the snailbys. Do you think it’s safe to just let the clutch do it’s thing in the male betta tank ( very aggressive behavior)?. Our local fish store clerk said it should be fine because the snailbys have a hard shell—that if the betta tries to eat them the snailbys’ hard shell could prevent against that. Just want to get a second, third, etc. opinion.

[Andy Sager]

Originally Posted by Tank_lady

Hello!!

We have a mystery snail clutch that was laid about 2 weeks ago. We want to keep the snailbys. Do you think it’s safe to just let the clutch do it’s thing in the male betta tank ( very aggressive behavior)?. Our local fish store clerk said it should be fine because the snailbys have a hard shell—that if the betta tries to eat them the snailbys’ hard shell could prevent against that. Just want to get a second, third, etc. opinion.

50/50 because the shells are not super hard when they first hatch so the fish can crush them. If you have enough plant life in the tank, enough of the snails should survive to the next stage.

[Tank_lady]

Thank you. I’d like to maximize the success rate of this clutch. Do you think I can put a container to catch the freshly hatched snailbys and leave said container in the home tank? If so, do I keep some tank water in the container?

[Colin_T]

You can put a container of aquarium water under the eggs to catch the babies. However, I would leave them and just let nature take its course. Chances are the Betta won't eat many and you could have 50 or more snails hatch out.


If the eggs are on the coverglass, you can move that to another tank and put a different cover on the Betta's tank.

[Tank_lady]

Perfect. I think I’m just going to let nature run it’s course and hope for the best. Thank you alll!!

[Andy Sager]

Originally Posted by Tank_lady

Perfect. I think I’m just going to let nature run it’s course and hope for the best. Thank you alll!!

The one thing about snails is that if you give them an inch, they'll give you a mile's worth of babies. If you lose a couple along the way, you'd be better off.

[Tank_lady]

Truth is I am on my toes about the potential infestation. We shall see how it goes

[Andy Sager]

Originally Posted by Tank_lady

Truth is I am on my toes about the potential infestation. We shall see how it goes

Keep us posted and.....good luck.