Algae eating fish with a betta?

Pellets should work but I'm not sure if he would get all of it. Now he may eat some algae, might even take care of your problem, but he does need a little more care then nerites. Oh, it could also be a female and it may have sperm stored inside of it, so if you have a dry area above the water line, keep an eye out clutches of eggs.

 

https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/mystery-snail-care-sickness-guide.339419/

Yup, not a Nerite! Maybe you're seeing slime?

My mystery snails are pretty cool; I just lost one recently, and when the other passes I won't get another unless I ever do a snail only tank. My problem, whatever I tried to feed them, other things in the tank would eat it. Every single day, I catch my mystery snails (well, now snail) and put it in a floating container, feed, then when done, release. Yup. My nerites and bds MUCH easier.

And, like mentioned, mystery snails can be targetted by bettas. They have MUCH larger antennae and much more of their body is outside the shell. Maybe your betta won't eat on him, though! Some people are able to keep mystery snails with bettas.

One other thing, make sure that your betta isn't eating your snails food... a betta can quickly eat too much and cause issues.

 

My fish has watched him but has left him completely alone. I love my fish very much because I raised him from a tiny baby unlike any other betta I've had. I'm worried about the white slimy looking substance the snail is secreting and it has some under it's shell too not sure if it's normal or not so I decided to place the snail in a betta cup with a lid filled with tank water and it's floating in the aquarium so the water stays warm for it. I added food too. I would be heart broken if my fish got sick from the snail somehow. Does he seem healthy if you could even tell? What should I be looking for?

 

I've tried scrutinizing the photos the best I can. I'm still leaning to "stress slime." It's like the snails "protection" in a new environment. What process did you go through to acclimate him?

 

Could you get a pic of the slime? I've seen nerites adjust to new water by secreting extra slime, I've never had a mystery snail though but I would imagine it would be the same.

 

Hey, Gala ... I also keep looking at the location of the snails whorl to its antennae in that first pic...
Mystery whorls are on the right side, right? I'm second guessing myself at what I'm seeing. Maybe it's just the angle of the pic and the snail's turning?

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Edit
Also, Bettafishies126, as far as the color of the poop... Without knowing what his diet has been, it's hard to say if it's a worry. A lot of places feed calcium supplements, which if he was eating on it can make white poop; and a lot of times cucumber can make really light colored poop. (Just 2 examples) So, I'm not sure just based on the color if we can say it definitely is or is not a concern. I feel like Gala currently, though. It doesn't raise a red flag to me at the moment.

 

Honestly, I'm not sure. When I was looking up snails a long time ago, before I even got any, I read that mystery snails are apple snails, or like they are in the same family. But I do know that in some places apple snails are illegal while mysteries are fine. So honestly, I have no idea lol. I've tried reading up on it but I get lost in all the families and species and stuff.
While I went scuba diving a while back ago I collected two apple snail shells. I know for sure they were apple because they were just a little smaller than the palm of my hand. Apples get huge I believe, while mysteries stay pretty small.

 

Oh, I didnt mean between types of apple snails, but a completely different type of snail.

 

Oh pfft! Sorry! Went a rambling on!
It looks like a mystery/apple to me, usually the shell is a dead giveaway in my eyes lol
But now you have me curious...to google!

 

No problem! And until I was looking really hard at the slime stuff, I didn't notice where his antennae were in relation to the whorl.... just saw pic 1 and was just, "Yup! Mystery snail" But, while really looking hard, it just seems the antennae don't look like they're in the right spot in relation to the whorl.

 

I am googling the life out of this, I have found a few pictures that have that same whorl but honestly...now you have me second guessing! lol
Bettafishies126 later on, when it crawls out into the open, could you snap a few more pics? You have both of us wondering now.
I mean I genuinely believe it is an apple/mystery snail because I cannot think of another snail with that shell shape. Maybe his body was just twisted around when the pic was taken? I know some snails can get pretty flexible.

 

Here he is in the cup. You can kind of see the white under his shell I mentioned earlier. Also I read that Apple and mystery snails are the same thing but there are different types with slightly different diets within that and that is why they have different names.

 

My vote is it isn't an apple/mystery snail. Looks like a bladder snail to me.

 

My vote is it isn't an apple/mystery snail. Looks like a bladder snail to me.

Do they at least eat algae? Edit: just read they will breed on their own and take over tanks so I guess he has to go

 

I honestly believe he’s a mystery/Apple snail. The bladder snails have a bit longer shell, where as apple snails are more rounded. Either way, I don’t see him helping with your algae issue. That needs to be done manually in such a small tank. Mystery snails cause more of a mess than they clean up. They literally poop all day, every day. My mystery snail was the worst mistake I could’ve ever made, he trashes my tank daily and he’s eaten $40 worth of aquarium plants. I’ve read they don’t live very long, only around a year - but with my luck, he’s pushing 2 years old already. But oh well, he can live a long life trashing my tank and I don’t mind, as long as he’s having a good time. Mystery snails will not breed on their own, but they may lay infertile eggs (mine never has so I wouldn’t worry about it). Snails grow pretty quickly so I would just let him stick around until you know for sure what he is. But if the lady at the store told you all they had was apple snails, he’s likely a baby apple snail.

 

I really don't think he's a mystery or apple snail of any kind. Whorl is at the back of the shell, not the right hand side; foot is pointed; the antennae look different; and the body of the snail when he's crawling stays mostly in the shell.

 

I would keep him in his own container and wait to see what happens. Try to do research on what they both look like, the mystery and bladder snail, you are there with the snail so you know exactly what he looks like. We can only go off of pics.

 

I really don't think he's a mystery or apple snail of any kind. Whorl is at the back of the shell, not the right hand side; foot is pointed; the antennae look different; and the body of the snail when he's crawling stays mostly in the shell.

The whorl on my mystery snail is dead center at the back of his shell, not the right hand side. I guess that isn’t the best way to tell. But I’ve been looking through loads and loads of pictures and it’s a toss up. His body shape does look like that of a bladder snail, but I’ve been through some pictures of baby apple snails and some of them look exactly the same. I guess you’ll just have to wait until he grows a bit bigger. If he doesn’t get any larger any time soon, he’s definitely a bladder snail. Just keep an eye on him, I’d keep him in a separate tank just incase it does decide to start laying eggs all over the place.

 

And, you can post those last 2 pics on a new thread here on Fishlore and ask for opinions on what type snail peeps think it is. You might add a few more pics, too... one from the other side, one looking straight down at him, and maybe one from the front.

 

I really wanted a but I was told they would have to special order them

Did you ask them how much it would be to "special order" a nerite? I really think you'd be much happier with a nerite with your betta than a mystery snail or a bladder snail. I think it'd be worth the wait for it to come in, too!

 

Hello,
I have 5 gallon male betta tank and there has been lot of green and hair algae in my tank. I added 2 amano shrimp last week but they seem to hide below heater and won't roam in the tank freely. I was wondering what to do for them. Also is it advisable to add any other algae rate fish?

 

Try a Nerite snail. That should work. In terms of your Amano, I’d offer them some food after hours, (when your lights are off) to encourage them to roam around.

 

Yeah, i was thinking to get nerite small and 3-4 ghost shrimp..

 

Your Ghost Shrimp will probably get eaten. If it’s algae you want to get rid of, your Betta will be more welcoming of a snail than Shrimp

 

I actually thought of shrimp because i have carpetting plant and i don't think snail can go into it .. but i think will try with snail first as i already have 2 amano in the tank.. thanks..

 

Before adding more animals to your tank, try reducing the time your lights are on. That might already help quite a bit.

 

Before adding more animals to your tank, try reducing the time your lights are on. That might already help quite a bit.

How many hours do you recommend? Currently i keep it on from 9 am to 6 pm.

 

Don't stock it with anything else. Blanch some vegetables for the Amanos. Definitely get a nerite snail.

 

Don't stock it with anything else. Blanch some vegetables for the Amanos. Definitely get a nerite snail.

Sure, will try that..

 

How many hours do you recommend? Currently i keep it on from 9 am to 6 pm.

I would drop it down to 6 hours for at least a week or two and see how your algae problems are doing. Then slowly raise it by half hour increments and see how your tank does.
I wouldn't add more livestock to a 5 gallon tank than you already have in there.

 

Sure, will try that..

Do you mind guiding me on how and how much can i feed? Like baby spinach?

 

Zucchini, spinach, etc. Any would work. Just remember to blanch. There are tons of videos on how to blanch vegetables for fish. What I do is boil mine in some water for about 10 to 15 minutes. I have the metal net (forgot the name) in the pot so my chosen vegetable isn't floating in the water. After that I put in into the aquarium for my fish to feed. When you first feed check your water parameters regularly to know if you're overfeeding.

 

Zucchini, spinach, etc. Any would work. Just remember to blanch. There are tons of videos on how to blanch vegetables for fish. What I do is boil mine in some water for about 10 to 15 minutes. I have the metal net (forgot the name) in the pot so my chosen vegetable isn't floating in the water. After that I put in into the aquarium for my fish to feed. When you first feed check your water parameters regularly to know if you're overfeeding.

Sure thanks. Just one last question, for how long do you leave it in there? My shrimp just wouldn't get out so i would try adding spinach but for now long can i leave it in there? How often do h feed it fish veg?

 

I do weekly water changes and feed every other day. I've gotten away with leaving it in 24 hour or more. I've seen some people say that this isn't enough, and I've seen some say this is too much. It all depends. Every scenario is unique, and testing should help you figure out if it's too much.

 

Sounds good, thank you so much..

 

Zucchini, spinach, etc. Any would work. Just remember to blanch. There are tons of videos on how to blanch vegetables for fish. What I do is boil mine in some water for about 10 to 15 minutes. I have the metal net (forgot the name) in the pot so my chosen vegetable isn't floating in the water. After that I put in into the aquarium for my fish to feed. When you first feed check your water parameters regularly to know if you're overfeeding.

You don't need to, I put mine in raw from frozen and they get eaten. My platies and shrimp will go at them straight away and pull them apart.

Most veg will go soft on it's own in water. Boiling removes a lot of the neutrients too.

 

Oh okay, i did add spinach yesterday but my shrimp did not realize and didn't eat.. i took it off wfter 5 hours.. and it kinda floats so it was such a task to let it stay down.. i kept small stone on it..

 

Oh okay, i did add spinach yesterday but my shrimp did not realize and didn't eat.. i took it off wfter 5 hours.. and it kinda floats so it was such a task to let it stay down.. i kept small stone on it..

Keep it up! The shrimp will eventually realize it's food. Nobody is right as you don't need to blanch. If you do I've noticed that more of it is eaten since the food is softer and easier to consumer. When you blanch something it will usually sink more easily. It takes a lot longer for food tissue to gradually break down into a state where a lot of it is edible for your shrimp. In a 5 gallon this may create ammonia spikes. Boiling will also remove any nasty dirt or bacteria located on the vegetables.

 

They won't really eat leafy things until they start to rot and go soft I don't think. My won't either.