TheEssigs

I have a 10g with serveral young endlers and a few fry and a black mystery snail... who is of good size... and today I noticed that the endlers were trying to pick at the snail... so much so that it droped to the tank floor. (unharmed... for now)

I wasnt aware that endlers would eat or try to eat snails.

Has anyone else have this happen or is it just a flukey thing?

Butterfly

They won't harm the snail I don't think. They were probably picking bits of food, algae or some other microscopic yummy off of its shell.
Ccarol

sirdarksol

Actually, another person just said that her krib fry had actually hollowed out one of the snails in her tank, and I think my barbs have eaten my snails' antennae.

TheEssigs

Butterfly... I hope you are right!!

The snail doesnt have any place to go at the moment .

Every other tank has something that will eat him for sure, or already has a snail in there... so I hope that it was just a fluke...

Butterfly

Endlers even when grown are fairly small and very non-aggressive so I don't think they are a threat.
Sirdarksol- on the other hand Kribs and barbs are larger and more aggressive than Endlers.
carol

sirdarksol

One thing to note is that harm to a snail could easily be less a matter of aggression (which I see as fish being belligerent in the defense of their territory) and more a matter of hunger. Endlers' seem to be mostly carnivorous (I found very little concrete info on them, except for one breeder who said that live food is their favorite, and the best to get them to breed), and snails have no defense that makes them dangerous to smaller creatures, and may very well be very tasty to little fishies.

I'm not saying that I'm right. I know very little about Endlers, and even less about fish that eat snails. All I'm going on is a general concept of how the different "aggressive" instincts (hunger vs defense of self vs defense of territory vs mating) may be completely different things in the same animal.

Butterfly

If you feed live foods or a lot of protein certain fish will breed easier. This is called conditioning them. And most livebearers will go Euphoric over Blood worms and foods such as that Heres a good site for info on Endlers.
http://www.endlersr.us/
Carol

TheEssigs

These endlers are breeding like wildfire without any special conditioners... I am really loving these fish!! I do try to vary diet often and offer the best foods available. Im unsure about the food issue, as they eat well.

Im wondering if its curiosity or something else... I have heard of guppys eating snails, tho.

The snail is huge, I'd say he is the diameter-size of a 50 cent piece. So Im sure he is ok for now... if the behavior persits, Ill just have to go out and get another tank... RIGHT?!?

Butterfly

your right if that behaviour persists you need at least a 55g tank for that snail LOL
carol

TheEssigs

I totally agree Butterfly!

I was hoping maybe could bring us a 90g corner tank...

COBettaCouple

hmm.. that java moss came with a couple snails.. maybe i should've given them to our endlers for a snack. i love the endlers too.. ours are fairly young and the males are just coloring up now.

Butterfly

Santa and friend brought me a 55G and stand when they were here
carol

COBettaCouple

ah.. so does that mean it's the naughty list that gets the goods?

Butterfly

Of course not! I'm a very good girl
Besides the fish they were fishsitting for us we got a few pleasant surprises also. They brought 2 undescribed species of Bristlenose, albino bristlenose, L333's, Multis, Limia peruguia (Goodied), A swordtail pair he will have to remind me of the name, Guppys-Purple Moscow, German Red Lace, Yellow Cobra and pastel platinum, green and red shrimp and must not for get the Pygmy Corys.
Guppys are hubbys passion. plus six pseudomugil Furcatus they got me while they were here.
I'm still in fishie heaven.
carol

0morrokh

Ahhh stop Carol you're making me drool all over the keyboard!!!

To get back on topic I have actually heard of someone's Endlers killing their Mystery snail so keep and eye on them.

COBettaCouple

I'm green with envy here! what an awesome surprise! wow! I've been as 'good' as Butterfly, Santa!

0morrokh

ME TOO!!!!!!