Betta_Endeavours Posted August 18, 2007 Report Share Posted August 18, 2007 I've been talking to my US friend and she was talking about Apple/mystery snails. It got me wondering whether they are a good idea, whether I should look at getting any and what ones you can get here? I've never bought snails and no nothing about them so would appreciate some help Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Elflett Posted August 18, 2007 Report Share Posted August 18, 2007 If you do a little checking, ('cos I probably shouldn't post the link) there's a site specialising in those snails - and it'll tell you how to tell the difference between the mystery snails that don't eat live plants and the one that does... as long as you get the one that doesn't, you're laughing (if you have plants...) I recommend them... one nice large Gold mystery snail - it'll clear up dying/decaying plant matter, missed food, fish carcasses before they rot and foul the water, algae, and will churn some substrate and java moss, etc... they also generate infusoria, great starter food for fry... *one* mystery snail won't breed... (unlike other snails who can change sex and fertilise their own eggs)... a nice big snail moves quickly enough to be an attractive, active tankmember... the sight of a big snail in full steam ahead flight over the gravel, feelers out and waving is a sight to behold... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbies Betta Posted August 19, 2007 Report Share Posted August 19, 2007 I agree. I love my mystery snails. The only colours I've ever seen them here tho is either gold or brown. but the clean the tank beautifully and when they do lay eggs, the lil ones are really cute to watch :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betta_Endeavours Posted August 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2007 What about other colours ? Can you PM me the link? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callatya Posted August 19, 2007 Report Share Posted August 19, 2007 I think the link is going to be www.applesnail.net. It is pretty much the aquatic snail bible, it can be linked to They have some gorgeous specimens pictured, well worth a look if you are considering snails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Elflett Posted August 20, 2007 Report Share Posted August 20, 2007 Here's three shots of mine in action: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betta_Endeavours Posted August 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2007 I finally convinced my hubby to get me some. He came home with 3 adults and promptly started telling me his plans for them. So I can't use them for what I wanted them for and the best I could manage was having them in the BN growout tank. He won't let me put them in spawning tanks because he thinks they'll eat the eggs and I have to wait until the snails breed to be able to use any in the barracks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mishy Posted August 27, 2007 Report Share Posted August 27, 2007 I had a single large apple snail by itself for ages (mamma snail died)... i thought they couldn't breed as they were single, but alas it laid me 3 nice big batches of eggs that have all successfully hatched. Contrary to belief, I think they are hermaphrodites so can self produce. I have over 100 bubs to prove it :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mishy Posted August 27, 2007 Report Share Posted August 27, 2007 My tank at work gets alot of attention as this is the only tank that is loach free and I gotta say, nothing more amazing than watching x amount of baby snails fighting for their space on an algae wafer... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbies Betta Posted August 28, 2007 Report Share Posted August 28, 2007 hmmm, interesting. ;) maybe they can be prego after the male has been taken out (like guppies) and hence can still lay fertile eggs :blush: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mishy Posted August 28, 2007 Report Share Posted August 28, 2007 Nope. No male or female. Just the one cause it was born in my tank and it's mum died almost straight after. It was the sole survior... then it laid me a whole lot of babies by itself and then died after. so that suggests to me that apple snails are hermaphrodites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splendidbetta Posted August 29, 2007 Report Share Posted August 29, 2007 That's quite interesting Mishy. Although I think it more likely that your snail was capable of parthenogenesis, and was not a hermaphrodite. Is she still alive? Maybe you could submit her to a local uni lab for research I wonder if she'll pass this on to her offspring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betta_Endeavours Posted September 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2007 Well the first lot of eggs are just on 2 wks old and are hatching. Robert (hubby) tried to get the eggs to shift them to another tank but because of the moisture he nearly squished them. They are hatching though and all going well we'll have another two batches hatching over the next 2 to 3 weeks. Which means harvesting the snails before long for the barracks and spawning/grow out tanks and to sell back to the LFS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Elflett Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 A lot of 'Mystery' snails and 'Apple' snails are sold without ever being properly identified with their species name, and that's where somewhere like applesnail.net comes in handy - identifying what you're getting before it eats your plants - you can see identification diagrams that show the differences in tentacles, breathing tubes, etc... the unfortunate thing is that some Apple snails, whilst not hermaphroditic like other species of snail (so they can't just fertilise their own eggs as they lay them) CAN change their sex - it's still a fairly long shot that they can lay eggs and then fertilise them afterwards, but some, particularly Pomacea can possibly do it 'at will' - others need a period of hibernation to change sex... either way, while you CAN get some Apple Snails that breed from just one snail, it's not like you end up with hundreds and thousands like you can with Ramshorns, etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Elflett Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 Other colours: http://www.angelfire.com/va/myevolution/snails/bridgesii.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mishy Posted September 11, 2007 Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 baby snails - 2 months old mum/dad with one bub Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mishy Posted September 11, 2007 Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 snails now at 4 months old (feeding time) Stacks on!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Em Posted September 11, 2007 Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 That's a LOT of snails! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jusdeb Posted September 12, 2007 Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 Just got back from the LFS with yes 1 mystery snail(gold) hes already scooting round the tank. Followed close behind by my veil tail...he might think escargot are on the menu today...soo if he lasts Ill put 1 in each of my other 2 tanks...oh and LFS guarantees it wont reproduce but if it does he will buy them off me so well see what happens... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mishy Posted September 12, 2007 Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 .. Deb, I've heard that one before Seriously though, with both my single apple snails (no other snail in the tank and were bred in the tank) i've had batches of eggs laid. Bettas are curious fish and for the first few days, my bettas who hadn't seen snails before would try and nip at their feelers... snails learn quickly to duck back into the shell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jusdeb Posted September 12, 2007 Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 what do you do with them all?Theyre pretty cute so if they do reproduce it wont be such a bad thing so long as I can give them away ..The LFS sells them for $3.95 so theres no money to be made from them.We'll see what happens....cant get over how fast they move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mishy Posted September 12, 2007 Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 I've been hoarding my lovelies... I've been meaning to give them away to people but i cant seem to bring myself to separate them... they're all one big happy family after all. I did have to take half of them home (the pics are my office tank) to make more room... but other than that and a couple given away, I've still got most of them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Elflett Posted September 13, 2007 Report Share Posted September 13, 2007 Was that one spawn, Mishy?? You'll probably be right to part with some once another five of six spawn and hatch babies... (Unless you're starting an escargot farm???) :whistling: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mishy Posted September 13, 2007 Report Share Posted September 13, 2007 hehe... the amount of babies I have at the moment are a result of 3 consecutive spawns. the pictures that I have posted up show less than a 3rd of the numbers that I have :whistling: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jusdeb Posted September 15, 2007 Report Share Posted September 15, 2007 :goodo: I got another one today ...the one in my community tank is doing great , all the fish including my freakishly large VT just ignore him now but this one I put in to my 20 litre with my halfmoon , he thinks its a soccer ball and is pushing him all over the tank , he stalks the snail then hovers about 2 inches away before full on ramming the snail and upending him. Good fun for pinky ( halfmoon ) . Maybe not so for the snail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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