Neville

Hey Laure-anne how r u? i want to keep a snial. i have a question. i've heard that snails poop on the tank glass, is that right? because that will look really nasty! if they don't do it then i think i will get one. i would appreciate if u can give me suggestions/advice on snails.........thanks

armadillo

Hi Neville. No probs.

I can't say I've ever had that problem with the snail poop on the glass.

The snails I really like are zebra snails and apple snails. Those are my two suggestions. You want to be very careful with apple snails as some get huge, but one (or more?) species stays reasonable. So you have to really insist at the LFS that they give you the reasonable-sized one.

The huge advantage of zebra snails is that they are the only aquatic pet (as far as I know) that will eat green spot algae. Also, they're really pretty with their striated flesh and shell.

All you need if you keep snails is a piece of limestone (to stimulate shell growth) and fresh cucumber.

Neville

Thanks Laure-anne; snails can live out of water too so is there any possibility they will walk out of the tank? and what do they eat?

armadillo

Oh, you're making a really good point here. I've had to add nettings to all my tank openings as people are forever reporting suicidal snails that will just dry out after making an escape. I've used mosquito nets with velcro to do that.

It depends on the snails, but as long as they have vegetal matter (e.g. cucumber and algae) and access to limestone, that should be enough.

Neville

Thanks Laure-Anne, snails r really interesting, though they r very rare at LFS in my city but i'll try my best to keep one, hey, can i keep land snail (they r very available in my backyard during rainy season! i think they can live in water too; come out of the water during rain) in a freshwater fish tank? is limestone harmful for fish? is population explosion a problem if i keep just one?

armadillo

Hi Neville. Shame you can't get it.

landsnails: I think landsnails would drown am afraid.

population explosion: I know that its' not a problem with apple snails or zebra snails, as one needs salt water to reproduce (zebra?), and the other needs at least another specimen in there (apple?). With any other type of pet snail, you'd need to double check breeding conditions before getting it.

limestone risks: the only way limestone would hurt your fish is if it's not rinsed properly, then it would cloud up the water a little for a few minutes which might make them a little short of air, but nothing major. That, or your tank is really small and there's a huge pH swing (pH gets higher with limestone), but really, your limestone piece would need to be huge, and your tank tiny. The most I've heard pH change as a result of limestone was by a tenth of a point or so.

They're actually quite decorative if you choose the right-shaped one. I have had a hard time finding it, though, and I had to try a few pet stores.

another pointer: I heard that the cuttle bone that people normally give to their parrots would be really good for snails. I tried putting one of my snails on one today, and it seems the snail is dead. I don't know if it's related, but I thought I'd let you know.

Neville

Thanks Laure-anne! that's valuable information, i'll see if i can find one in chittagong, if not i'll try to find one in Dhaka or import some snails from India!

fishbum

I have never had any problems with snails.But I did want to say,years ago I bought a apple snail,I really don't remember how big it was when I bought it,but it grew to the size of a baseball,or large apple,maybe that's why they are called apple snails.It was in a 55 gallon,but I am not sure how it would have worked in a smaller tank.