Apple Snails

[backley420]

I have a silicoin substarte, should I add Snails?

--- I heard that they dig under the sand & release the toxic gas from it. Is this true?

 

[MoonstruckMuse]

The snail that digs is the Malayan Trumpet Snail, commonly just called MTS. They're tiny little snails though, compared to the apple snails. They'll do wonders for your tank if it's a planted tank, supposedly.

Apple snails I adored because they were big and beautiful, and ate up any random fish food that fell to the bottom of the tank. I'm sure they stir up the substrate a little, but you'll probably still need to do it manually. It's really personal preference if you want to add them or not. And oh! Make sure you don't have any snail-eating fish if you intend to actually keep them around, haha.

 

[backley420]

Thanks. Do they breed like crazy or no? Are they the type that can breed without a male or femlae around ( forgot term)?

 

[MoonstruckMuse]

MTS are livebearing and can breed asexually I think (without a pair, haha). Or perhaps they're hermaphroditic? Can't remember. Anyhow... some people consider them pest snails because of the breeding, haha. So I guess they're a bit crazy, never tried them for myself.

Apple snails will breed as well, but need to reach a certain size, and lay their eggs above water. Its really easy to just scrape the eggs off the glass if you don't want to keep them, so it's really not too big a problem, imo.

 

[Crossfc]

You should not have any toxic gas issues unless you ahve mounds of sand in your tank. Pockets of the gases only happen if the sand is not stirred at all and organic materials break down in a oxygenless method.

If you're considering apple snails make sure the pH of your water is above 7. If it is below 7 you'll see their shells deteriorate.