DeanAsploded

I can't find a good caresheet for Black Mystery Snails.

Do you know of a good one, or could you at least give me some pointers or a quick care list of your own?

iloveengl

Hi Dean! Welcome to FishLore!

I have a gold mystery snail & my husband and I are completely smitten with him.

I'm gonna start you off with this site: http://www.applesnail.net/

iloveengl

Here's a list of things I've read & discovered with our little guy.

1.They eat just about anything that's decaying in your tank - algae, dying plants, forgotten fish flakes, freeze dried brine shrimp, & even dead fish/inverts (not that you would leave those floating in your tank). They will NOT eat your healthy plants.
2. They are NOT asexual, which means you can have one snail without worries of a population explosion (unlike pond snails).
3. Their shells need calcium supplement to stay healthy. The easiest and cheapest way to do this seems to be to add broken egg shells in a fish net bag (hide in a corner or something) & as they dissolve they will release the calcium into the water. Another way, is - just before lights out - slice a chunk of zucchni & stick that on a chopstick or skewer (to help wedge it under decor/rock so it doesn't float off). When you wake up, you'll find your snail devouring the zucchini, which is high in calcium and vitamins that are good for the body and the shell!
4. If they suck their body into their shell and close their little trapdoor at the opening of the shell, then you need to check your water params asap.
5. The most important thing to know is that mystery snails are awesome. They have their own little attitudes and personalities that make them surprisingly endearing.

Have fun & keep asking whatever questions or concerns come to mind! Also, we'd love pictures of your tank!

DeanAsploded

Thanks a lot. I'm planning on getting my Grandmother one because she had them before and loved them, and her algae has just been horrible since they died. They mated a LOT, and as I understand it (from the link you sent me! Great site! Thanks so much!) an abundance of mating can lead to a shorter lifespan.

As I've been reading through that site though I've had a great temptation to set up a small tank for one of the smaller species, just to see what they'd be like on their own/without fish. I agree their awesome. I loved watching the two my grandmother had grab hold of the vegetables I'd set in for them. =]

Butterfly

Swilkins is one of our members and raises mystery snails I have some of them and they are just so pretty. She also makes snail food for here the recipe is found at the site linked above.
Carol

DeanAsploded

Cool. Thanks for the tip.

SWilkins

Your best information will come from applesnail.net I have learned so much from there. Most people think that mystery snails are just cleaners for their tanks and that is far from the truth. When they are babies they do love to eat the algea from your tank but when they are adults from what I have read and seen they do eat a little algea but they really only put a little dent in it IMO. If you have an adult and you actually look when they are going up the side of the tank you can see them munching on whatever is there but after they pass that area you will see that they only give it a quick once over. I make sure mine get their fresh veggies (zucchini, spinach, kale) the ones high in calcium. They also love algea tablets/disks and other types of fish food. Mine in particular like Kens catfish pellets. These guys need lots of calcium for their shells especially when growing up. I use a recipe from the above website for a recipe for a calcium supplement. The fish and shrimp love these also and I keep at least one in my snail tanks at all times. I also drop in an adult calcium supplement (yep the capsule like we are supposed to take) just set it on a shell or saucer. It will dissolve but once they go over it one time the snail slime will hold it in place. It will not cloud your tank and won't hurt anything in there. If they do not eat it it will be in the water for them to get that way but trust me once they find it they will eat it. I believe mine think it is snail candy. You are right about needing more than one snail to reproduce unless they were exposed to another snail of the opposite sex before you got them, they can carry eggs to lay at a later time. These will be laid above the water line and you can just remove them. Breeding also does shorten their lifespan as does a higher temperature. They will be your first warning sign to a bad water condition usually if your snails are at the top of the tank and don't go back down you had better do some checking and I would also check if they stay closed up for long periods of time.

Oops!!! Sorry for the letter here. Really any info you want you will most definitely find at the snail website mentioned earlier and if there is any way I can help you I would be glad to!

DeanAsploded

Thanks so much. I can see why you've all sent me to that site, it's just fantastic.

SWilkins

I meant to tell you welcome to Fishlore but I think I got a bit carried away there about the snails...hee hee. Can you tell I kinda like them? I will be glad to help you any way that I can but to be honest I have gotten my info from applesnail. I learned a lot over there. The recipes they have for snail food are really easy and my snails love them everyone I have tried. I keep the calcium pucks on hand and snail jello and the cookies that just grossed me out when making them. Thank goodness those cookies last a long long time!!!

DeanAsploded

Oh. One important question I just remembered. Should I cycle the tank before adding them?

Thank you all for the welcome as well.

And I can most certainly tell you like them! I must admit I went through some of your old threads and posts and took a look at some things you shared about your snails, SWilkens.

SWilkins

Oh please cycle before adding them. They are very sensitive to your water conditions and they would probably not make it through a cycle IMO. Like I said earlier they will be your first clue that something is not right with your water.

DeanAsploded

Thanks. Just making sure 'cause if I know for sure I won't be tempted to procrastinate and put it off. It could be a few days to a few months before I get back into the place that sells them, anyways, so if I start it now with some of my gourami's filter material the water should be nicely set-up by the time I buy them.

fish_newbie

"Apple snails that are found in the aquarium trade don't make high demands when it comes to water quality: they can live very well in clear, streaming, oxygen-rich water as well in still water, with rotting organic waste, containing almost no oxygen." by applesnail.net

So is it depending on the species that are sensitive to water condition? Just curious, I've never had one before, now i want to try to breed them

Edit: And also what is the perfect temp for them? Can they survive in my 86F discus tank?

Butterfly

They might live in those conditions but they won't thrive or grow as fast

an uncycled tank will have ammonia spikes that will kill snails as fast as it will fish.
Mine I got from Swilkins are really cool and thriving everywhere I've put them. You will really enjoy Mystery snails.
I'm not sure about that temp though.
Carol

DeanAsploded

Would be interesting to find out their highest temperature possibility. My tanks get up to 86 in the summer. Off to google I go! =o

rainman

I would say 75o- 80o works fine. Yes, the increase in temp will boost reproduction and activity, but can shorten the lifespan of the snails due to a higher metabolism.

PS (Japanese or Chinese mystery snails as they have been called, are not considered Tropical snails, and will slowly die, in temps above 75o.)

DeanAsploded

Ooh, thanks for that. Yet another thing to research, just in case.

SWilkins

I don't have any of my mysteries in with my cichlids. They tend to think their antenna are some type of food and not only will they eat the antenna they will stress the snail to death. I do have some in with guppies and they do fine. I don't have them in with my mollies because they torture them. I am testing the water so to speak with my angels by putting baby mysteries in to see how they do if they grow up in there since adults were had to be removed ASAP when they were put in. So far they are about pea-sized and are doing fine and the angels are not bothering them at all. We shall see.