THE CAUSE,
INC
INC
SNAILS In An AQUARIUM
by:WILMA DUNCAN
by:WILMA DUNCAN
Baby Nerite Snail
Columbian Ramshorn
What can you keep in your aquarium besides fish and plants? Lovely snails.
Except for a few species, most snails benefit the aquarium habitat. How is this possible?
They are great cleaners, eating uneaten food, dead plant material, and consuming algae.
They are a great food source; just watch a clown loach as he devours them. My favorite snails
are the red, gold, and brown ramshorn, and Malaysian. I use these in all my fry tanks, from
egg layers to livebearers. They will not harm fry as they clean up the uneaten food and consume
any algae that forms.
They are a handsome snail, reaching the size of 2.5 cm or so. Their shells take on a flat coil
appearance. The Malayan snail (Melanoides tuberculata), small brown-shelled conical snails
that burrow and help keep the substrate sweet and healthy. Rarely seen during the day, but
come out at night and may be culled then, as they tend to over populate. They are carnivorous
and eat decaying vegetable matter. I use these in my fry tanks for clean up.
Beware of the Japanese livebearing snail (Viviparus malleatus), as it grows large and
dangerous if it dies in the aquarium.Remove it promptly!
The mystery snails are a variety of colors. Blue, gold, albino, cinnamon, and black are the
most common found in the aquarium trade. The Gold Mystery snail (Ampullaria cuprina) can
be housed with any fish that does not eat snails. It is not a live plant eater, only decaying plants
and will eat any type of fish food. I have been told, if fed canned spinach, growth rate is
astonishing. I have not personally tried the spinach. They are hermaphroditic, meaning each
snail is male and female. The eggs are laid in a finger size cluster, consisting of a couple
hundred eggs above the water line. If the babies are fed well they can begin laying eggs within
four (4) months. I collect and keep the blue, gold, albino, and black mystery snails.
The Olive Nerite snail is one of the greatest algae eaters I have seen. You can place one in a
tank in which the glass is coated with algae and within a few days the glass is clean.
Except for a few species, most snails benefit the aquarium habitat. How is this possible?
They are great cleaners, eating uneaten food, dead plant material, and consuming algae.
They are a great food source; just watch a clown loach as he devours them. My favorite snails
are the red, gold, and brown ramshorn, and Malaysian. I use these in all my fry tanks, from
egg layers to livebearers. They will not harm fry as they clean up the uneaten food and consume
any algae that forms.
They are a handsome snail, reaching the size of 2.5 cm or so. Their shells take on a flat coil
appearance. The Malayan snail (Melanoides tuberculata), small brown-shelled conical snails
that burrow and help keep the substrate sweet and healthy. Rarely seen during the day, but
come out at night and may be culled then, as they tend to over populate. They are carnivorous
and eat decaying vegetable matter. I use these in my fry tanks for clean up.
Beware of the Japanese livebearing snail (Viviparus malleatus), as it grows large and
dangerous if it dies in the aquarium.Remove it promptly!
The mystery snails are a variety of colors. Blue, gold, albino, cinnamon, and black are the
most common found in the aquarium trade. The Gold Mystery snail (Ampullaria cuprina) can
be housed with any fish that does not eat snails. It is not a live plant eater, only decaying plants
and will eat any type of fish food. I have been told, if fed canned spinach, growth rate is
astonishing. I have not personally tried the spinach. They are hermaphroditic, meaning each
snail is male and female. The eggs are laid in a finger size cluster, consisting of a couple
hundred eggs above the water line. If the babies are fed well they can begin laying eggs within
four (4) months. I collect and keep the blue, gold, albino, and black mystery snails.
The Olive Nerite snail is one of the greatest algae eaters I have seen. You can place one in a
tank in which the glass is coated with algae and within a few days the glass is clean.
EDUCATIONAL WARNING: Non-native species are NOT to be
released into our native streams or waterways. Please keep your snails
from becoming bad snails by not releasing them into the wild.
released into our native streams or waterways. Please keep your snails
from becoming bad snails by not releasing them into the wild.
EMAIL:
thecause.cause@yahoo.com
thecause.cause@yahoo.com
Copyright@2007 WD
