Apple Snails

[micko]

It depends on the species of the snail. I read somewhere that there are many types of 'apple' snail and some will eat plants, some won't.
From my own experience, brown striped will wipe a tank out of plants quicker than silver dollars. Golden will not. There are obviously two different latin names for these snail but I cannot remember.

 

[AshleyT]

I was in a pet shop this mornin an a apple snail nearly ate a frog, but it squirmed about an got away

 

[zuulan]

Bleach the slices first of coarse

bleach think that should have said blanch lol dont bleach the food

riffraff

Ooops, sorry about that typo. Glad people realised and didn't bleach their fish food.

 

[Ruskull]

It depends on the species of the snail. I read somewhere that there are many types of 'apple' snail and some will eat plants, some won't.
From my own experience, brown striped will wipe a tank out of plants quicker than silver dollars. Golden will not. There are obviously two different latin names for these snail but I cannot remember.

Yes, there are 2 different species of what is known as Apple or Mystery Snails. One will reek havoc on your plants & one leaves them alone. I have the Golden (Yellow) Mystery snail type, 1 huge & 2 smaller ones & they leave the plants alone although they do clean the leaves a bit.

 

[Akasha72]

okay, how can I tell the difference between the two? If it was the plant eating type would it have stripped my plant life by now?

 

[BigbruiserAl]

In some sources the name apple snail and mystery snail are considered to be synonyms for the snails of the family Ampullariidae. The name apple snail refers to there size, colour and form, while the name mystery snail comes from the fact that the aquarium market didn't know what kind of snail it was or where it came from, so it was a mystery (snail) for them.
In other sources, the mystery snails are described as snails from the family Viviparidae. The snails from this family look very similar to the snails from the family Ampullariidae, but they do lack a lung and labial tentacles and are livebearing snails (hence the name Viviparidae).
Most snails sold as 'mystery snails' in the shops are Pomacea diffusa snails.

 

[Akasha72]

that's great BBA but how do I know if this thing will move on from eating my algae to clearing all of my plant life?

 

[BigbruiserAl]

There is no if or buts apples need to be feed or they will starve to death over 6 months or so and and give a nice ammonia spike as they rot in the tank before you smell them, they are not good as clean up crew like people think. If they are well fed they should not go near any healthy plants and should look something like this with brilliant bright shells

 

[Akasha72]

mine doesn't look anything like that! It's purple ... I'll try and get a picture

 

[Akasha72]

Here you go ...

Sorry that 2nd one is a bit blurry

 

[BigbruiserAl]

they come in allot of colours all have the same care

 

[Akasha72]

okay, I'll be doing my weekly maintenance tomorrow so I'll get some courgette in there tonight so I can suck up any debris tomorrow

Thanks for your help BBA

 

[Akasha72]

it's found the courgette - there ain't nowt dragging it off it right now. It's the first time I've seen it still in 3 days!

 

[Ruskull]

okay, how can I tell the difference between the two? If it was the plant eating type would it have stripped my plant life by now?

I would think so. I don't know how to tell the difference but what they sell as "Gold Mystery Snails" here in the US is not the plant eating type. I have 3 of them & one is freakin' huge, like the same diameter as a half dollar coin. He's all over the tank, very active & he cleans the leaves of my Anubias with damaging them at all.

 

[Akasha72]

well I had a minor stress this morning! I got up and switched on the light as per normal routine ... did a quick head count and couldn't see the snail at all and given it's size that was odd in itself. Decided to walk the dog and then try find it.

Half an hour later and a bowl of cereal in one hand I'm looking all over for the #40## snail - no sign. Lost, presumed dead

So, I sat myself down and ate the cereal vowing to strip the tank once I'd had the last mouthful if I still couldn't find it. And just as I'm lifting the lid it comes slithering round the side if the bogwood. How can something so big 'disappear' like that

Did my weekly maintenance anyway. Managed to drop my storage box that I fill with my temp matched water ready to go back in and knock a huge hole in it - prompting a mad dash to B&Q for a very expensive replacement. Stole the snails courgette, which it had eaten bar the rind, and then found 5 newly born fry ... guppy I think.

No eaten plants though

Talk about a stressed out morning. The weekly maintenance that normally takes about an hour took about 3 in total and all in time to take the dog out in the rain again!