kribensis keeper

i just brought 2 mystery snails and i was woundering what i could feed them so here are some questions

1 what vegtables can i feed them eg lettece
2 what things in the tank eg fish food will they eat

eiginh

They'll eat anything especially crisp lettuce or zucchini. You can also buy algae wafers, mine loves it. They'll also eat leftover flake food and such.

Peffico

Snails eat w/e. But try to feed them algae wafers they love it. Snails are a realllly good clean up crew and will make your tank sparkle.

iloveengl

Veggies are really good for your snail. Zucchini in particular is good because it gives your snail the calcium he needs for his shell. Don't leave veggies in the tank for more than a day, though, or it will gunk up your water.

kribensis keeper

also how can you tell weather they are male or female and will plant fertilizer harm them

iloveengl

As far as I can tell, the only way to sex them is if you have multiples and one lays eggs above the water - that one is definitely the female. Okay I know that sounds dumb, but really that's the only way.

Not sure about plant fertilizer - I know copper is bad. Does the fertilizer contain copper?

aquarist48

Mystery Snails

How to breed mystery snails (Ampullaria) with pictures

Hello. These links will help you greatly with your snails.
Mine are currently munching on a cucumber and they love shrimp pellets as well. Make sure your pH is not acidic as this will damage their shells and make them soft. I've also added egg shells to the tank to add calcium that the snails need to keep their shells hard.
Best of luck and hope you can share some photos along the way.
Ken

kribensis keeper

my plant fertilizer contains chelate copper
here is the meaning of chelate

Chemistry. a. of or noting a heterocyclic compound having a central metallic ion attached by covalent bonds to two or more nonmetallic atoms in the same molecule.
b. of or noting a compound having a cyclic structure resulting from the formation of one or more hydrogen bonds in the same molecule.

2. Zoology. having a chela or chelae.

–noun 3. Chemistry. a chelate compound.

–verb (used without object) Chemistry. 4. (of a heterocyclic compound) to react to form a chelate.
5. (of a compound) to form a ring by forming one or more hydrogen bonds.

–verb (used with object) 6. Chemistry. to combine (an organic compound) with a metallic ion to form a chelate.

kribensis keeper

i don't think it will harm my snails because it is not straight out copper

iloveengl

I'm not sure about the definitions you listed, but I just googled "chelate copper snails" and came up with a number of articles about effective snail killers containing chelate copper.

Apparently, chelated copper is very toxic to snails (apple snails in particular are mentioned) and is the main ingredient in many snail killing remedies.

kribensis keeper

the guy at my local fish stor said it would be ok because it is in low amounts also should i just go and buy a copper free fertilizer also the copper is in very small amounts and i only add about 2.5ml - 5ml once every week