Mystery Snail Help Please

[AllNighter]

So..... I may have just impulse purchased/rescued a black mystery snail, thought I would put it in with my Betta instead of ordering a Nerite snail like I was going to, and I'm pretty much completely new to snails, so I have a few questions. (Sorry for the dreadful run-on sentence there.)
First: How long should it be quarantined and then conditioned before putting it into the tank?
Second: Does it need a special snail food, or will it subsist entirely on the tank algae? (Pretty sure it can...)
Third: Will it have babies? (I've no clue, but I don't want babies.)
Fourth: Will it bother the Ghost Shrimp? (Those aren't in the tank currently, but their quarantine is nearly up.)
Thanks for any and all help guys!
-AN

 

[NickAu]

Hi.

First: How long should it be quarantined and then conditioned before putting it into the tank?

I have never bothered to quarantine snails.

Second: Does it need a special snail food,

Yes you do need to feed them flakes pellets bits of zucchini or carrot they are not fussy when it comes to food, They also love duckweed dont worry that its a floating plant the snails will reach it.

But I also need to know if your water is soft or hard, If its soft you will need to feed the snail a calcium rich diet so it don't suffer shell erosion. We can cross that bridge when we know about the water.

Third: Will it have babies? (I've no clue, but I don't want babies.)

No you need both male and female for this.

Fourth: Will it bother the Ghost Shrimp?

No.

Mystery snails make great pets in their own right, and given the right care can grow big. I love Mystery snails.


Image is not mine.

 

[AllNighter]

Hey Nick! Thanks for the quick response!

So I can put it into the tank right away then??

That's good to know about the food! I buy gallons of Betta water, I'm pretty sure that it's hard water.... I'll go check that in just a mo..

Glad for no babies and glad it won't bother my shrimp!




(OH MY I had no idea they could get that large!)
Image is not mine.

 

[AllNighter]

Also, my Betta nibbles on everything, it's fine for him if I get duckweed, right?

 

[AllNighter]

I can't believe I haven't thought to check my water until you mentioned it! It doesn't say anywhere on the bottle whether it is hard or soft, it just says "pre-conditioned". It's just Betta Water by Aqua Culture. They come in liter bottles. It's been too long since I've had fish... XD

 

[NickAu]

I like duck weed most people dont because they claim it grows like mad and can take over the top of the tank in no time.

Duckweed is a nutrient sink it helps keep your water clean.,( if its growing fast its because there are lots of nutrients in the water) as do all floating plants.

Betta nibbles on everything, it's fine for him if I get duckweed, right?

Sure if he wants to eat duckweed fine.

 

[NickAu]

It's just Betta Water by Aqua Culture. They come in liter bottles. It's been too long since I've had fish... XD

Whats wrong with your tap water?

 

[AllNighter]

Whats wrong with your tap water?

I don't even drink tap water here. It's no good. Way too much gunk in it. It makes me sick to drink it, no way I'd do that to my fish.

 

[FroFro]

I don't even drink tap water here. It's no good. Way too much gunk in it. It makes me sick to drink it, no way I'd do that to my fish.

Unless you're drinking from an old, nasty well all you need to do is buy water conditioner. Water conditioner removes the chlorine, chlormarine, and heavy metals found in your tap water to make it safe for fish. It's also much cheaper than buying "pre-conditioned" betta water as its someone in a building somewhere adding conditioner to water and putting them in tidy plastic bottles. Cut out the middle man, get a bucket, and do it yourself. I use tetra aquasafe and aquasafe plus. These are about 15$ for the big bottles and you can find them at walmart as well. They are inexpensive and great for water changes when you have larger/multiple tanks.

I can't even imagine buying bottled aquarium water for my tanks when I do 40% partial water changes twice a week!

 

[AllNighter]

Unless you're drinking from an old, nasty well all you need to do is buy water conditioner. Water conditioner removes the chlorine, chlormarine, and heavy metals found in your tap water to make it safe for fish. It's also much cheaper than buying "pre-conditioned" betta water as its someone in a building somewhere adding conditioner to water and putting them in tidy plastic bottles. Cut out the middle man, get a bucket, and do it yourself. I use tetra aquasafe and aquasafe plus. These are about 15$ for the big bottles and you can find them at walmart as well. They are inexpensive and great for water changes when you have larger/multiple tanks.

I can't even imagine buying bottled aquarium water for my tanks when I do 40% partial water changes twice a week!

(SO sorry for not seeing this sooner!)
I didn't think just using water conditioner would make it safe, if you are sure that it would be fine, I'll try it, using your recommendations. Thank you! If this works out, you will be saving me quite a bit of money!

 

[NickAu]

I suggest you look up your water parameters on your suppliers website, you can post the link in your next reply and we can look over it.

 

[FroFro]

(SO sorry for not seeing this sooner!)
I didn't think just using water conditioner would make it safe, if you are sure that it would be fine, I'll try it, using your recommendations. Thank you! If this works out, you will be saving me quite a bit of money!

I live in a state with very hard water with excess minerals in it. So much so you can see white residue at the bottom of a settled glass that looks like someone sprinkled salt in my cup. However, it is safe to drink it just has a displeasing taste. Not bad, but not pleasant. So like I said, unless you are drinking from a nasty well that gives you green water then use water conditioner.

HOWEVER it is best to start small, a sudden change in your water source will stress your betta. I'd recommend doing a slow 10% increase in conditioned water with the bottled during water changes to acclimate your fish.