First Mystery Snail Clutch

HI all
My mystery snail just laid a clutch on the inside of my tank lid. I pulled it off and put it in a case thing with a small amount of water (with the lid ajar for air)

When I pulled the clutch off it was rather crunchy but I know it is freshly laid within the last day. Here is the clutch.

Does it all look okay? The container it is in is temporary until I can get some styrofoam cups to float it on.

 

Congrats!

If you can, empty the water out of that plastic. The eggs should not be in water and will likely go bad and or mold. Just need to mist once or twice a day but not soak it.

 

Okay will do that! It only has a couple of drops in there. So should it be crunchy? I heard they're supposed to be soft but mine is hard at the bottom where it was laid, I haven't touched the top bc it looks gross lol

 

Okay will do that! It only has a couple of drops in there. So should it be crunchy? I heard they're supposed to be soft but mine is hard at the bottom where it was laid, I haven't touched the top bc it looks gross lol

For the 1st 24 hours the clutch will be kind of sticky. I used the incubator shown in this video and it worked great for me. I have probably 100 10 week old babies right now.

 

Okay I touched it and it isn't sticky it's very hard. Is that normal? Also is is possible to cut the clutch in half if I don't want a million baby snails

 

Okay I touched it and it isn't sticky it's very hard. Is that normal? Also is is possible to cut the clutch in half if I don't want a million baby snails

Is it possible the clutch was there longer than you thought? Sometimes they aren't that easy to spot...in any case, they're pretty tough. I would put it in the incubator in the video and just a couple drops of water each day. Just spritz inside the lid, not on the clutch. As for cutting it in half, I've never tried that.

 

No it was on the inside of the lid where you open it. So I saw it as soon as I opened the tank to feed. I hadn't fed them the day before though so the longest it could've been there was 24 hours. I'll try to find something suitable for the incubator today at work I don't have anything like that at home lol

 

No it was on the inside of the lid where you open it. So I saw it as soon as I opened the tank to feed. I hadn't fed them the day before though so the longest it could've been there was 24 hours. I'll try to find something suitable for the incubator today at work I don't have anything like that at home lol

I'm sure you'll find something, then...pictures!

 

So I couldn't find materials exactly like that, I took some zoo pals cups and the lid and did it like the tutorial showed so hopefully that will work well enough

 

So I couldn't find materials exactly like that, I took some zoo pals cups and the lid and did it like the tutorial showed so hopefully that will work well enough

That should work just fine! Now is the time to get a tank ready for when they hatch. They are VERY tiny, so I put mine in a tank by themselves. They also eat constantly, so get a supply of veggies! You'll love watching them grow!

 

So I have three tanks, the one the adults live in with a small Betta fish (10G) a 5G with an adult betta and a community tank that they wouldn't be able to go in probably. I was thinking of just putting them back in with the adults depending on how many hatch. It's the most stable tank for them to go into.

 

So I have three tanks, the one the adults live in with a small Betta fish (10G) a 5G with an adult betta and a community tank that they wouldn't be able to go in probably. I was thinking of just putting them back in with the adults depending on how many hatch. It's the most stable tank for them to go into.

Unfortunately I think the babies will be a tasty, crunchy snack for the bettas or community fish. I had a 2.5g tank for them at first, but only put in a sponge filter. My room temp doesn't go below 70 so didn't need a heater. You could set up a temporary tank in a plastic storage bin, or even a plastic food storage container, as long as it has some kind of lid. They really don't need much space for a few weeks.

 

I have an extra 2.5 but there's no cycled filter for it to have.

 

I have an extra 2.5 but there's no cycled filter for it to have.

I had the same problem. I put in an uncycled sponge filter, and dropped a piece of media from a cycled tank in. Then I did daily 50-75% water changes and dosed with Prime daily. Got stuck in the nitrite phase for a while...readings were off the charts and I thought for sure I would lose them. But they all survived, and the tank eventually cycled. Here they are today, almost 11 weeks old.

I had the same problem. I put in an uncycled sponge filter, and dropped a piece of media from a cycled tank in. Then I did daily 50-75% water changes and dosed with Prime daily. Got stuck in the nitrite phase for a while...readings were off the charts and I thought for sure I would lose them. But they all survived, and the tank eventually cycled. Here they are today, almost 11 weeks old.

On the picture above, the blue clip is holding veggies, so they're all bunched up on it. LOL!

 

Wow! That's a lot, I'm hoping to not end up with too many but I'd like for some to hatch. I'll look into setting that up for them!

 

Wow! That's a lot, I'm hoping to not end up with too many but I'd like for some to hatch. I'll look into setting that up for them!

That's about 4 clutches. She laid them a few days apart, so keep looking!

 

Woke up this morning to another clutch!
I'm planning on leaving that one on the tank with a breeder net under it.

 

Woke up this morning to another clutch! View attachment 272807 I'm planning on leaving that one on the tank with a breeder net under it.

Yep...keep looking. Give mama extra veggies...egglaying is hard work!

 

Alright, so the first clutch in the cup accidentally got thrown away by a member of my family who thought it was trash. The second clutch is still in place. It's stayed moist, here's some updates pictures. Tell me if it looks like it's coming along okay


((Water is murky bc I just did a water change))

 

Alright, so the first clutch in the cup accidentally got thrown away by a member of my family who thought it was trash. The second clutch is still in place. It's stayed moist, here's some updates pictures. Tell me if it looks like it's coming along okay View attachment 273350View attachment 273351
((Water is murky bc I just did a water change))

Looks good! The tip of it is above the water, right? You don't want any of it under. Just not sure from pic.

 

Yes it's slightly above water I made sure none was touching when I re filled it today. She laid them in a spot that's hard to get pictures of

 

They, and you, are doing fine!

 

Okay so I woke up this morning to find my clutch sitting at the bottom of the tank, somehow they fell in and could've been there for quite a while as I was working until late last night. I took them out and put them in a floating thing in the tank. Do you think it's possible any snails will make it?

 

I really have no idea. Maybe a few in the middle of the clutch didn't get waterlogged...you have nothing to lose by letting them stay til the 3 week mark. If no hatching by then, I would suppose they all drowned. I'm so sorry!

 

Ugh it's so frustrating!
. I have it in a plastic floating thing for now it's nice and humid in it so it should be fine. Hopefully a couple pull through.

 

JustKeepSwimming
Your 2nd clutch is 10 days old now, right? How is it looking since its dunk in the tank?

 

Hey you caught me just before bedtime!

This is it right now, not much change so I'm thinking that it might not be hatching. ️

 

Hey you caught me just before bedtime!View attachment 274318
This is it right now, not much change so I'm thinking that it might not be hatching. ️

Don't give up! It's only at 10 days, and it takes about 14 or so. When it starts to really dry out it goes pretty quickly. Hang in there! Good night!

Justkeepswimming01
How is it going? Is it drying out at all?

 

Nope no change to it yet.

Here it is right now

 

It still has a good color. I'm still hopeful for it!

Did anything ever happen with the clutch?

 

This is it now, it's been almost two weeks should I just toss it out?

Update: I picked it up to get a look at it all and it crumbled apart- smelled dreadful as well I just tossed it out. I think the dunk in the tank took out any babies

 

View attachment 275444
This is it now, it's been almost two weeks should I just toss it out?

Oh no! They should have hatched by now! I don't see the tell-tale dark spots in the middle of each egg that suggests they are developed. You can wait another few days and if nothing, I would toss it. Some females have been known to lay a few duds - especially when they are young...........

 

Give it some time. I'd wait 5 weeks, and if no hatch, I'll toss it.

Edit: It looks a bit dried up, I'll toss it

 

I had a fertile clutch that stayed too wet where the female laid it on the lid so they didn't make it, it squished when I went to pick it up. I have another clutch from one of my jade females (she was dunked in the spare breeder net I keep in that tank in case I need to separate something after laying it), good luck with the next one. If it is in water for more than five minutes I would toss it.

 

View attachment 275444
This is it now, it's been almost two weeks should I just toss it out?

Update: I picked it up to get a look at it all and it crumbled apart- smelled dreadful as well I just tossed it out. I think the dunk in the tank took out any babies

Aw, I'm sorry. You really had a bad first time with your clutches. I'm sure she'll lay again. Please let us know when she does, ok?

 

Good news! I returned home yesterday evening to find an egg clutch on the side of my tank, about an inch above the waterline. I'm excited and nervous - I've read up on it before but have zero real life experience. Should I just leave it as it is and let nature run it's course, or should I mist them with tank water or anything?

It's a 10 gallon tank by the way, with a sponge filter and heater (water is 78°) The clutch is just above and in between them. It's about the size of half an ear of baby corn.

Currently the 10 gallon houses two mystery snails and a betta. I noticed it last night but was away the night before, so the clutch is only 1-2 days old at this point. But I worry about it falling into the tank or even hatching when I'm not at the house.

One last question - the female is acting relatively normal, but there's a big chip in her shell which also wasn't there before. It's just along the edge of her shell. Could that have happened while she was laying the eggs?

 

I've actually had the exact same experience. I had a betta with two mystery snails, and they laid 3 clutches. I let them all go, and they hatched within a couple of weeks. Misting isn't necessary since sponge filters seem to spray water in the air a little.

Trust me, it will not fall into the tank- they are stuck on like glue. And it doesn't matter if you're there or not since they're so small when they hatch it'll take awhile to see them.

The chip in the shell may be due to a few things. When I first had my snails, I didn't understand how sensitive they were. Go out to the store and get a "turtle bone" for them or check the water acidity.

Good luck!

 

I've actually had the exact same experience. I had a betta with two mystery snails, and they laid 3 clutches. I let them all go, and they hatched within a couple of weeks. Misting isn't necessary since sponge filters seem to spray water in the air a little.

Trust me, it will not fall into the tank- they are stuck on like glue. And it doesn't matter if you're there or not since they're so small when they hatch it'll take awhile to see them.

The chip in the shell may be due to a few things. When I first had my snails, I didn't understand how sensitive they were. Go out to the store and get a "turtle bone" for them or check the water acidity.

Good luck!

Thank you! That was all very reassuring. I use cuttlebone in the tank but I think she's eaten most of what's in there at the moment. I actually never saw her eat cuttle bone up until a few days ago. The male had a similar chip/crack when I first got him (I didn't notice at the store) and he's totally fine now. Grown to the size of a golf ball too. I just hope my lady snail's not in pain right now

 

Glad I could help

If your snail is still acting normally, I wouldn't worry too much. Just keep an eye on it.

 

I've actually had the exact same experience. I had a betta with two mystery snails, and they laid 3 clutches. I let them all go, and they hatched within a couple of weeks. Misting isn't necessary since sponge filters seem to spray water in the air a little.

Trust me, it will not fall into the tank- they are stuck on like glue. And it doesn't matter if you're there or not since they're so small when they hatch it'll take awhile to see them.

The chip in the shell may be due to a few things. When I first had my snails, I didn't understand how sensitive they were. Go out to the store and get a "turtle bone" for them or check the water acidity.

Good luck!

Glad I could help

If your snail is still acting normally, I wouldn't worry too much. Just keep an eye on it.

Did your betta go after the hatchlings at all? Or did you have them in a breeding net or something? I have a couple 3.5 gallons and a 2.5 gallon that I'm not using at the moment, so I could raise the babies in those. I have a couple friends who want to adopt a few as well.

Sorry to bombard you with questions!