Snail Breeder

Hey guys!

So, I’m planning on setting up my 10 gallon for a few pea puffers. I have frozen bloodworms and Mysis shrimp for them in the freezer, but I’m also thinking of some snails.

What would be the easiest way to breed them? I’m thinking of getting a couple adult Malaysian trumpets or maybe Ramshorns. I’m a bit worried about them getting out, though. Could I use something like a large jar or glass vase type thing with a lid, or maybe even Saran Wrap or something over top if it’s something too big for a lid? Or will something that seals be a bad idea? Will I need to vacuum any substrate and do frequent water changes, or just dump some out and add new when I’m changing other tanks’ water maybe? Not even bother with a substrate? And just feed them a sinking pellet every now and then or something?

I know I’ll just be breeding them for food but I still want them to be comfortable while they’re in their little space. Thank you!

 

I use a plastic bin. Just put in some vegetables or fish food every few days. I have plastic wrap for the lid with a part cut out for the filter. Use sand if you have malaysian trumpet snails. They will breed faster. I also use anacharis so I can do water changes less frequently. I never vacuum the substrate because the trumpet snails eat poop

 

Would you recommend MTS, or rams, or something else? I’d just do 2-3 I think, maybe 4.

I also have a spare elite minI filter, would that be fine? Would they need a heater? I just don’t want them directly in the puffer tank haha.

 

Would you recommend MTS, or rams, or something else? I’d just do 2-3 I think, maybe 4.

I also have a spare elite minI filter, would that be fine? Would they need a heater? I just don’t want them directly in the puffer tank haha.

I started with about 20 mts and around 10 bladder snails. I am looking for ramshorn snails because I got the other 2 species for free. Any filter would be fine. I find that a heater makes them breed faster. I used a cheap 50 watt preset heater. My mts seem to be doing better than the bladder snails and breeding faster

 

Hmm, okay good to know. I’m trying to find a good enough balance that they’ll be enough for my puffers to eat sometimes, but not so many that I have dozens no matter what.

 

I'd get a fancy color ramshorn like blue or pink. You can feed the ugly ones to the puffers and sell the the nicer ones.

 

Best way to breed them is just put them in a container just like what was said above

 

I put about 10 in a fish bowl and 10 right in the tank. Won’t be getting the puffers for a week or two and if they clean them out too fast I’ll just feed frozen and then get snails as a treat every once in a while!

 

Isobelle Please let me know how this goes! I am planning to setup a 10 gal for 3 pea puffers myself later this year and I was wondering if I could breed snails for them too!

 

I have ramshorn snails for my pea puffers and they’re great but they don’t start laying eggs until theyre fully grown. Just something to think about!

 

I just got a plastic tub, cut out the center of the lid and covered the hole with hardware cloth (in case of cats on top), filled it and chucked in all the bladder snails I found as well as any raggedy plants and some pothos. There’s a heater and filter, but mainly in case I need a quick quarantine. Any leaves I trim out of the other tanks, and extra floating plants, go in there, along with the occasional algae wafer or pellets.
I really think that, at least for bladder snails, a snail breeder is a container, water and a snail, and there are two sorts of fishkeepers: those who have snails they don’t want, and those who have snail-eating fish and not enough snails.