kcarmartinez

My 75G has Cichlid Eco-Complete Gravel and Aragonite Sand. Eco-Complete is mostly on the bottom since the sand was added later. I have been reading about sand because I was thinking of using playsand for a quarantine tank... and started reading about gas pockets and Malaysian Trumpet Snails. I have had LOTS of snails, but never ones that dug in the sand. So now I am wondering. Should I have them to keep my Aragonite from getting gas pockets. Are all sands susceptible to the gas pockets, and if I have the "gravel" (which is basically shells) on the bottom am I still going to run into this problem.
I have never seen trumpet snails at the local pet stores so they would be hard to get. How compatible are Trumpet snails with Cichlids? Specifically-Metriaclima Callainos (Cobalt Blues), Demasonis, and Yellow Labs. Any fry I have in this tank disappear.... I would hate for them to become and expensive lunch.
There are also a couple of Upside Down Catfish in this tank. Do these help stir up the sand enough and if not how would they do with MTSs?

aquarist48

Hello Kc. Here are a couple of links on Trumpet Snails you may find helpful:
Malaysian Trumpet Snail .:. Melanoides tuberculata .:. Freshwater Aquarium Snail Species Information Page

TrumpetSnail Faq
Ken

Butterfly

MTS are helpful in any tank. I even put them in my gravel as well as the sand tanks
They don't get huge and won't easily overpopulate a tank. If by some chance they do overpopulate then you are feeding WAY too much. I have nothing but good things to say about them.
Carol

coffeebean

i have nothing but good things to say about MTS. i have them in all my tanks. they are fabulous.

kcarmartinez

Aquarist, thanks for the links.
So I guess the real question isn't would they be good for my tank, but would they get eaten. They look like they would blend into my eco-complete. lol Maybe they would get overlooked!
Has anyone had trouble putting them with Mbunas?
Next task would be finding them. Figures as many times I've gotten a plant with a hitchhiking snail it's not a MTS.

coffeebean

i dont think anything eats them. their shells are extremely tough. the best way to get them is through another hobbyest. try finding a local forum or posting on a local classified

kcarmartinez

I was at the LFS today and asked them if they had Malaysian trumpet snails and the guy showed me the snails that come in with every plant I get... Then I said, "No, the ones with the cone shell" and he wrote my name down to get me some. As I was admiring the plants, he pulled out one I think was a "ram shell" snail or something like that and told me it was a "trumpet snail." I am interested in seeing if they get the right thing for me.
I have a 75G and I asked him for only 5 since I know they like to multiply... do you think this will be good to get me started?
Also, Do I Quarantine. I am AAALLLLL about quarantine now. But don't know how you would know if a snail is carrying something.

omnitheforsaken

The Petsmart around here has the MTS in their fish tanks. They don't sell them, they must've gotten them accidentally somehow but if I ask for them they give me as many of them as I want as long as I'm buying something. Maybe a Petco or Petsmart near you has the same thing happening.

If you can't find any let me know. I'll try to snatch some out of my tank and send them to you but I almost never see them. I think they stay hidden during the day for the most part and only come up at night. I know I have at least 40 of them in my tank. That's the number I acquired from various sources and doesn't include any that may have bred. I really don't need that many, just don't like to turn down a good deal.