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Aqualady40

Aquarium Advice Addict
Joined
Aug 30, 2012
Messages
1,330
Location
Tulsa, Oklahoma
I found another hitchhiker and it will be held captive till I learn something about it. Also, it moves fast to me for a snail...
1.) Do anyone know what type this one is?
2.) What is reproduction rate?
3.) Any value?
 
Hi I am still trying to identify this snail that hitch-hiked...it has gotten little bigger...hopefully big enough for id...here are some pics....hope someone can help....
 
How is the reproduction rate by itself?
I found this:

As far as reproduction and breeding goes. I would classify these snails as extremely easy. Ramshorns are hermaphroditic, Once fertilized they will remain so for a very long time even without further contact with other mature snails. Even if you only bring one home, the chances are good that it has been fertilized and will reproduce. It takes two to tango originally, but once the tango is danced, it will be a long time before that snail quits producing eggs. Ramshorn lay their eggs underwater on almost any surface. The egg clusters look like a flat amber sheet. Ramshorn eggs always remind me of the onion cells we looked at through the microscope in science class. With a magnifying glass you can see the young snails form and grow inside the eggs. Once developed they will break out of the eggs and more or less disappear into your substrate. They usually come out at night to forage, and will grow fairly rapidly. It has been impossible for me to track time frames from egg laying to hatch to adult size simply because I have too many of these snails going in my tanks to really track one in particular. I do know it?s only a matter of 7-8 weeks from hatch to being large enough to reproduce, if there is abundant food and calcium to promote growth. Ramshorns like most scavengers will reproduce at a rate relative to the available food in a tank. If you have a lot of waste, and a lot of Algae you will have a lot of snails. If you limit waste, Feed conservatively and don?t promote algae growth your population will remain smaller. If the population explodes, and then you clean the tank, you can reduce the population by removing the smaller snails while leaving the largest ones. Since larger snails eat more, there will be less available food per snail and less of a tendency to reproduce as long as the tank stays clean.
 
I found this:

As far as reproduction and breeding goes. I would classify these snails as extremely easy. Ramshorns are hermaphroditic, Once fertilized they will remain so for a very long time even without further contact with other mature snails. Even if you only bring one home, the chances are good that it has been fertilized and will reproduce. It takes two to tango originally, but once the tango is danced, it will be a long time before that snail quits producing eggs. Ramshorn lay their eggs underwater on almost any surface. The egg clusters look like a flat amber sheet. Ramshorn eggs always remind me of the onion cells we looked at through the microscope in science class. With a magnifying glass you can see the young snails form and grow inside the eggs. Once developed they will break out of the eggs and more or less disappear into your substrate. They usually come out at night to forage, and will grow fairly rapidly. It has been impossible for me to track time frames from egg laying to hatch to adult size simply because I have too many of these snails going in my tanks to really track one in particular. I do know it?s only a matter of 7-8 weeks from hatch to being large enough to reproduce, if there is abundant food and calcium to promote growth. Ramshorns like most scavengers will reproduce at a rate relative to the available food in a tank. If you have a lot of waste, and a lot of Algae you will have a lot of snails. If you limit waste, Feed conservatively and don?t promote algae growth your population will remain smaller. If the population explodes, and then you clean the tank, you can reduce the population by removing the smaller snails while leaving the largest ones. Since larger snails eat more, there will be less available food per snail and less of a tendency to reproduce as long as the tank stays clean.



Great info...so basically since I got it as a baby (I blew pic up it is now the size of the this emoticon :))...I shouldn't have to worry about fertilization??
 
I can't see any pics but if its a Ramshorn they breed like crazy! Lol

click the link on first page ....I got this one as a teeny tiny baby...almost needed a magnifying glass...Don't have to worry about breeding as long as no other snail comes along..fingers crossed
 
Yeah they can reproduce no matter what "sex" they are, as long as there is two of them.

Okay, just to clarify: so if there is only 1 they cannot reproduce in any way but as long as there are 2 no matter of gender then they will go at it?
Another question, lets say I get another hitchhiker of different breed, is it likely they will mate regardless of breed and gender?
I am asking all the questions because I am not a snaily person but I have grown to like this one since it was an itsy bitsy baby that hicthed hiked with a plant a month or so ago.
 
Geronica said:
Okay, just to clarify: so if there is only 1 they cannot reproduce in any way but as long as there are 2 no matter of gender then they will go at it?
Another question, lets say I get another hitchhiker of different breed, is it likely they will mate regardless of breed and gender?
I am asking all the questions because I am not a snaily person but I have grown to like this one since it was an itsy bitsy baby that hicthed hiked with a plant a month or so ago.

If you're super concerned about over population I'd just get rid of it now. If you have 1 you may have more and not know it yet.
 
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