Hiya,

I have just set up a 8.5g tank for my 3 'pest'snails and their eggs. How do pest snails breathe? I have read about a telescope like thing that some snails use for getting air. Is this true of 'pest' ones? Does anyone know what they are actually called, like 'Apple' etc? I want to see what they look like and find out about them.

Also, what should I feed them? I haven't really fed them at all, and I've had them over a month in a bucket before going in a tank. They have one anochered plant and a few floating bits that fell of fish-tank plants. I put an algae wafer in for them today but the don't seem interested.

I just hope Trevor, Simon and Lu Lu are getting enough to much!

Thanks for any help!

P.S. They are not big, 1cm or less

Some of those "pest" snails are really cute, arent they? I currently have some in my 10 gallon betta tank. They have rounded gray shells with spots. What do yours look like?

The pest snails breathe underwater with gills. I dont believe they ever come out of water. As far as the breathing tube, I think youre thinking of apple snails. They actually breathe air and can survive for short periods of time out of water.

The pest snails dont eat live plants; they eat rotting plant matter. You can feed them algae wafers or any sinking food, and they especially love green veggies like lettuce, zucchini or cucumber.

Hi,

My snails are (just having a look!) about 1cm long and brown and speckely. Their shell (this is going to be hard to describe!) is bigger and fatter at the front end and then curls round and gets thinner at the rear. These dudes come out of the water, never by very much but they do. Yesterday, they were getting jiggy just above the surface. They do that swimming at the top thing (upside down) too. I am confused!

Their water seems very cold, there's no heater or anything but I thought this would be ok as they were fine in a bucket for over a month. I have fed them an algae wafer and the plant they have is covered in algae (it was in my c/w fish tank). I also put some lettuce in, just floationg around at the top but I haven't seen them go near it, or the algae wafer.

Well, whatever they are and whatever they're eating, I think they're great!

Yep, those sound just like the ones Im raising in my 10 gallon! I have billions of babies. I orginally got them as food for my puffers but then I decided they were really cute so I keep most of them and feed some off to the puffers ( I feel mean doing it though). I harvested a whole bunch out of the plant tank at the store I work at and now we dont have many left there! Thats why Im glad mine are breeding.

Try attaching the lettuce to a rock or plant weight so it will sink. That way they can find it easier. Mine also munch all the algae off the sides of my tank. Have you ever seen their little teeth mark trails in the algae? Its fascinating!

Im not sure .. but i think some can change there sexe
and they can have babie snails
And when the babie snails are old ...... they may change
there sexe and make other babies ect.....

SO it goes on and on...

Hi Black Oranda!

I think pest sails can and will change their sex whenever they feel the need. I have sen my snails mate so they don't seem to be interested in changing sex! It'll be ok about it going on and on as I will just realese them all at once and they can do what (and who) they fancy then! I might take the bigger ones out before the eggs hatch just to be sure. That's if the eggs can hatch...

jsrtist - will the eggs be able to hatch when it is cold? The water is pretty chilly as unlike the tropical tank there is no heater and unlike the c/w tank there is not much activity. Also, the tepature has dropped here in the UK recently.

x

I thought so..... but when there are to many
babie snail's it can over power the fish
and they might get stressed and die
(your fish)

Thanks for your concern Black Oranda...

but as I have explained above, my 3 snails hae their own 8.5g tank (without anything else in it).

Cheers anyway.

Lol... okay just wanted to let you guys know
it happend to me like 2 times meh

I heard that one snail can make lots of snails.....not sure the biology...
and yes algae and zucchini....that's been the most reccomended food staple..

go 2 www.applesnails.net they have rally great pic so u can see if u have an apple and they also have photos of other species of snail. snails are not picky eaters they willl eat fish food and if u put some lettuce in their cage they'll eat it rite up.