10gallonmadness

Don't have a lotta time so... 1. What do you guys think about mystery snails and betta's? Would a snail be a lovely Betta dinner? 2. Do they eat live plants? 3. Are they prolific breeders? 4. What's the standard size of them?

OK thanks guys. I'm gonna go to my LFS and get some live plants today. I also wanna get a Mystery snail or 2 if they are compatible in my set-up.

iloveengl

Quick response:

1.Mixed reviews about bettas eating mystery snails. some do, some don't.
2. they do not eat live plants; they only eat rotting/decomposing material (and veggies).
3. If you only have 1, they will not breed on their own. If you want more than 2, and they do breed, they hang the eggs above the water, so you could discard of the sac if you wanted to.
4. mine took about a month two get to 2-1/2 inches, which is nearing full size.
5. I love mystery snails. They're cute little characters and they will destroy any algae population you have. And it's fun to feed them zucchini slices.

10gallonmadness

Will they feed on algea discs and sunken flakes?

iloveengl

Yes and yes. They're just like cory cats or plecos, but without the bioload.

Aldric

also if ur getting plants from your LFS make sure you check them carefully before adding them to your tank in case you end up with a tank full of pond snails..... make sure you check for snail eggs on the stems and leaves also

CHoffman

I did notice your pH is low. Sometimes low PH also means low calcium. Snails need calcium so they can have healthy shells, I know some people add calcium into the water and there are also special recipes that you can make to add calcium into their diet.

iloveengl

Good point about the PH. It's super easy to add calcium for your snail - just feed him slices of zuchini or other calcium rich veggies. You can also toss in a couple egg shells in a net and the shells will dissolve and add calcium to the water.

griffin

if you're going with a 10 gal (just as assumption on my part), then i'd limit it to 1 snail, esp if there's going to be a betta there too. mystery snails are known for producing massive amounts of waste! i know the ones i had certainly produced more waste than my pleco, by far! you can also get baby snails even with just one if it's a female that was previously fertilized since they can hold the eggs for quite a while.

10gallonmadness

Ok thanks guys.

iloveengl

I didn't realize my Sherrif is such an anomaly. I'd swear he never poops -- I've only seen it twice! Maybe that's why they're called mystery snails.

I've seen black, blue, and gold...let us know what you end up with.

JennDFK

I've never seen my snails poop either... I always thought they cleaned more than they produced... but maybe I've got it wrong.

I love my mystery snails.. they are fun to watch and a really nice looking addition. They don't eat my plants... but in fact help them by keeping the leaves algae free. I like the yellow ones the best.

Jenn

griffin

hehe, i didn't see it for a while, but then once i saw it once, i started seeing it everywhere! :O

my fav colors were the purple and pink ones

10gallonmadness

I'll be travel to my LFS soon to see what they got

griffin

any luck? btw, what part of pa are you in?

SWilkins

They are definite poo machines no doubt about it. I like the purples and pinks and blues and ivories....well really any color they come in LOL. I would also just put 1 in a 10 gal. You can get loads of info and recipes for them at www.applesnail.net I make the snail jello, pumpkin cookies, and the calcium "pucks" and they love them all...along with their veggies and catfish food. Of course I have not seen them turn anything down yet either.