My Blue Ramshorn!

As some of you guys may know, I love my pest snails, unfortunately for them, so does Ruffnut the pea puffer. So I "breed" snails in my 20 gallon puffer tank, so she (no, the puffer isn't sexed ) has a unlimited amount of snails to nom on. Right now its only ramshorns, but I'm planning to introduce pond snails once they have significant numbers in my 47 gallon (I wonder if different kinds of snails taste different?). Anyway, a while a go I noticed a new (ramshorn) egg sack in my 20 gallon, so I was excited, (bigger snails are more difficult for Ruffnut to eat). and a few days ago, I noticed a baby ramshorn, but, It was blue! I've never seen a blue ramshorn before, only heard about them. So I quickly rescued the baby ramshorn and put him in my moms shrimp tank, (it has a algae problem anyway ). So everyone meet, Little Blue Nimbus:


I'm sure he's not as blue as some, but he's more blue then pink! any way, I want to breed him, (once he gets older of course) and see if I can get more blue babies, I wish I knew which snail carried the blue gene, but maybe some of its siblings turned out blue too??? Any way, I'm just excited that I got a new colored snail ;D.

 

Congrats!

 

If you get it to breed blue, send me some

 

I looked up blue ramshorns online and, they are waaaaay bluer then mine, but maybe I can breed mine to be bluer eventually. does anyone know if they come in other colors too?

 

The aquarium in my bio lab has red ones.

 

I think mine are red and pink, but I'm not really sure.

 

I have brown ones am I special?!

 

I think mine are red and pink, but I'm not really sure.

Extensive breeding to brighten the colors might work.

I have brown ones am I special?!

asdfghjkl; Those are like super rare! haha

 

Eeek, I just looked up pink and red ramshorns, and I don't know if mine are either, I think they are brown:


Of course Ruffnut had to photobomb . I just aways assumed sense their foot was pink, they were "pink" Now I'm getting interested in breeding ramshorns! I hate MTS but, I do have a tiny filter....... I think it kinda funny that I want to breed a snail most people want to eradicate

 

He's got that look in his eye. It's safe to assume that the snail is no longer with us

I use a sponge filter in a 1 gal mason jar. Haha true breed the blue! I'll pick them up if I have to lol.

 

I do have a spare "tank" Its 1/2 a gallon and made to grow a plant out of the top, I wonder if it would need more filtration, if so my tiny HOB might fit....

 

Not that I'm going to start another tank or anything, but the tiny HOB fits on the 1/2 gallon tank, and I'm thinking of aquascaping ideas.....

 

Ooooh, I wanna see it when you're done!

 

Hey! Didn't I say I wasn't starting a new tank . But on a completely unrelated note, should I just use plants out of my other tanks, throw a clump of java moss in, or try to get my Mom to take me to the pet store? I'm thinking the first one...

 

That's what I'd do, 1/2 gallon is pretty small to justify new plants. Unless you want some for your other tanks, too!

 

I too have been thinking of making a small tank. Some nice tan gravel and a moss ball and that's it. Idk why I have this recent fascination of them but I really like a the idea of a species only moss ball tank haha.

Throw in the java moss! And some snails, and then some more Java moss, then more snails.

 

Welp, this is (NOT A TANK) but a water vivarium, because, unfortunately I'm not allowed any more "tanks":


Sorry it's so dark, but the sun was not working with me. It's in my window sill, so I don't have to use lights (even though I have a spare light), and do you guys think I'll need a filter? I can grow plants out of the top, like baby tears, and some pothos (I think that's how to spell it). I would use the filter but my Dad thinks my tanks are affecting the electricity bill, so I might get in trouble if I put a filter on it. I'm going to have to wait a little for the water to get room temperature before I can put Little Blue Nimbus in.

 

Well a filter consumes about 12% of electricity in a tank. Lighting and heaters take up
80% of electricity used.



I had to do this when I had tanks at my dad's house but I now live where I don't pay for electricity so idc about it anymore haha.

Idk about growing plants but that would be cool! Probably would be fine without a filter imo. I believe Ramshorns breathe air instead of getting oxygen through gills.

 

Agreed, filter shouldn't be needed. Just stir the water every now and then.

 

Probably would be self sustaining. Light produces algae, snails eat algae, snails poop, poop feeds plants. Unless it's cloudy like it is up here.

 

Ok, Great! I'll post another pic once Little Blue Nimbus is in and I put the plants in the top!

 

I put the plants in the top! I also found a pretty little amber snail in Ruffnut's tank, and I put it in the shrimp tank, maybe I'll try to breed a new ramshorn strain . Anyway I put a brown ramshorn from Ruff's tank into Little Blue Nimbus's to be tank, to make sure it's snail safe. After a few days I'll take it out and but Little Blue Nimbus in, assuming everything turns out good. I'll try to breed the "amber" strain in the shrimp tank. Ramshorns need two snail's to reproduce right? And they have genders? Hopefully I can find Little Blue Nimbus a mate that won't over power the blue gene. Besides providing lots of food, any snaily breeding tips?



sorry the pics are sideways :/.

 

They need access to the surface :0 well I believe they are hermaphrodites but need a mate. But since they're both sexes, they can switch to be male or female so two should work. Feed them a lot. More food equals more snail babies.

 

Ok, I kinda figured they would need air, I can probably go to the craft store a get some mesh to make a smaller plants holder, that's just the one that came with the kit.

 

Here's Nimbus with a friend :


I've decided to keep LBN in the shrimp tank, with the other little ramshorn, and then put their offspring in the 1/2 gallon tank. Hopefully they will breed blue!

 

That's a super cute picture.

 

Thanks! I was lucky to get it, you couldn't see them from the front of the tank, but I happened to decide to look through the top