THE CAUSE,
INC
INC
| EUROPEAN SNAIL aka Red Ramshorn by: Wilma Duncan |
Anyone who ever sees this snail cannot help but marvel at the blood red coloring. Not
only is the shell blood red, but also the inside has the red coloring. To see them in a
planted aquarium is an awesome sight. They do not eat live aquarium plants unless
starving and will totally rid an aquarium of the dreaded hair algae.
I have heard they were first imported into the United States through the Netherlands
some years ago. Someone in Florida was raising them and then they were somehow lost.
Few are found today within the United States and they are not often offered in the
aquarium trade. The red coloring is recessive. To keep them with other strains of the
Ramshorn snails will result in inter-breeding and the red blood coloring will soon
disappear. It is therefore important to keep them in their own species tank.
There are 4 Primary Steps that are a must if you want to keep and breed these snails.
1. Place them in a tank in which you have no fish that will eat newborn snails.
They appear to be a favorite snack for fish.
2. Keep them warm: a temperature in the range of the upper 70 to 80 degrees is
very important for breeding and hatching.
3. Keep them away from other species of the ramshorn snails
so no inter-breeding occurs.
4. It is very important to feed a nutritional flake food, along with
live brine shrimp and spinach. Carrots are another favorite food.
Do not try to keep them in soft acid water or their shells deteriorate very fast. Snails
require alkaline in their water for proper shell development. Every couple of weeks I add
a few Hikari crab pellets in their flake food. This helps keep their shells in good
condition. They grow quite fast under these conditions and breed quite frequently.
Laying egg masses covered in a jelly substance, which usually hatches around 14 or up
to 40 days depending on the temperature. When fully grown you will find they are 3 cm in
diameter and a gorgeous blood red color.
only is the shell blood red, but also the inside has the red coloring. To see them in a
planted aquarium is an awesome sight. They do not eat live aquarium plants unless
starving and will totally rid an aquarium of the dreaded hair algae.
I have heard they were first imported into the United States through the Netherlands
some years ago. Someone in Florida was raising them and then they were somehow lost.
Few are found today within the United States and they are not often offered in the
aquarium trade. The red coloring is recessive. To keep them with other strains of the
Ramshorn snails will result in inter-breeding and the red blood coloring will soon
disappear. It is therefore important to keep them in their own species tank.
There are 4 Primary Steps that are a must if you want to keep and breed these snails.
1. Place them in a tank in which you have no fish that will eat newborn snails.
They appear to be a favorite snack for fish.
2. Keep them warm: a temperature in the range of the upper 70 to 80 degrees is
very important for breeding and hatching.
3. Keep them away from other species of the ramshorn snails
so no inter-breeding occurs.
4. It is very important to feed a nutritional flake food, along with
live brine shrimp and spinach. Carrots are another favorite food.
Do not try to keep them in soft acid water or their shells deteriorate very fast. Snails
require alkaline in their water for proper shell development. Every couple of weeks I add
a few Hikari crab pellets in their flake food. This helps keep their shells in good
condition. They grow quite fast under these conditions and breed quite frequently.
Laying egg masses covered in a jelly substance, which usually hatches around 14 or up
to 40 days depending on the temperature. When fully grown you will find they are 3 cm in
diameter and a gorgeous blood red color.
EDUCATIONAL WARNING: Non-native specie are NOT to be released into our native
streams and waterways. Please keep your snails from becoming bad snails by not
releasing them into the wild.
streams and waterways. Please keep your snails from becoming bad snails by not
releasing them into the wild.
Copyright @ 2007 WD
EMAIL:
thecause.cause@yahoo.com
thecause.cause@yahoo.com
