Tropical Fish Forum

Tropical Fish Keeping => Invertebrates - Shrimps and Snails => Topic started by: Sanjo on July 30, 2015, 09:13:44 AM

Title: What kind of snail is this
Post by: Sanjo on July 30, 2015, 09:13:44 AM
(http://)I haven't introduced plants into my aquarium for a few months now and that was after checking them very thoroughly for snails and eggs but over the last 5-6 weeks I have been taking snails out like the one attached.  They are very very tiny, some as small as a match head.  The most in one day has been 6 and it is now down to one occasionally.
Today I decided to photograph is using the macro so that I could see it a bit more clearly and I was surprised to see the pretty markings on its shell.
Is this a ramshorn? a common snail?
I do have a nerite snail in the tank but I haven't seen any sign of eggs with this one (unlike the other tank where she laid eggs all over the place) and in any case, they need brackish water to reproduce - don't they?

Title: Re: What kind of snail is this
Post by: Sanjo on July 30, 2015, 09:14:24 AM
I haven't introduced plants into my aquarium for a few months now and that was after checking them very thoroughly for snails and eggs but over the last 5-6 weeks I have been taking snails out like the one attached.  They are very very tiny, some as small as a match head.  The most in one day has been 6 and it is now down to one occasionally.
Today I decided to photograph is using the macro so that I could see it a bit more clearly and I was surprised to see the pretty markings on its shell.
Is this a ramshorn? a common snail?
I do have a nerite snail in the tank but I haven't seen any sign of eggs with this one (unlike the other tank where she laid eggs all over the place) and in any case, they need brackish water to reproduce - don't they?
Title: Re: What kind of snail is this
Post by: Sue on July 30, 2015, 09:59:40 AM
I got those with a plant as well. They are pond snails (http://www.planetinverts.com/pond_snail.html)

They are in my 50 litre tank, I think the loaches in the 180 litre eat them as they hatch. And I've found the odd one in the betta's tank. I just suck them off the glass when I'm doing a water change, though as I use a wine kit siphon tube that's easier than it would be with an aquarium siphon tube.
You may see tiny blobs of jelly with eggs inside on the tank walls. Just remove them. The jelly is almost impossible to see on plants and decor so removing the ones on the glass won't get rid of all of them. As the planet inverts item says they are only a pest when you have too many of them. They actually recommend keeping them in shrimp tanks, which is where most of mine are.
Title: Re: What kind of snail is this
Post by: Extreme_One on July 30, 2015, 10:29:07 AM
I unintentionally transferred one of these from the kid's tank to my main tank and after about three weeks I had about 20 or 30 tiny babies.  :yikes:

Like many snail species, it turns out they breed asexually.  :sick:

Anyway, I haven't seen one in the main tank since I introduced the Assassin snails.   C:-)
Title: Re: What kind of snail is this
Post by: Sanjo on July 30, 2015, 05:03:33 PM
But how big/what age are they capable of breeding.
I haven't seen a single snail bigger than a match head.
If they can breed at that size thank goodness I took to picking them out.
Unlike grandson number two who has literally HUNDREDS and is fighting a losing battle because he is probably overfeeding the fish.
Title: Re: What kind of snail is this
Post by: Sue on July 30, 2015, 05:07:34 PM
I've not seen a snail bigger than 3/8 inch so they breed smaller than that. Most of the ones I see are about 1/8 inch, very few make it bigger. Or maybe it's just that I suck them out before they can get bigger.

And I think I do over feed this tank  :-\
Title: Re: What kind of snail is this
Post by: Extreme_One on July 30, 2015, 06:20:13 PM
I reckon they are capable of breeding when their shell is a bit smaller than a pea (petit pois) and then suddenly 20 or 30 the size of match heads appear!
Title: Re: What kind of snail is this
Post by: Sanjo on July 30, 2015, 06:58:54 PM
Well thanks for the comments.
I'm sure I'm not overfeeding. It's at most every other day and then a small pinch at a time. If they eat that they get a bit more.

I shall continue to be vigilant then. Don't want to be over run.
Having said that I was really surprised at how pretty the shell was once I put the photo on the computer and enlarged it.  They are so small there is no indication of a shell pattern