Eggs Found In My Tank. Which Of My Tank Tenants Do They Belong To?

[Maxine-R]

To start I will list my tank tenants.

1x Female Molly.
1x Male Molly.
2x Male Guppies.
1x Bulldog Pleco (sex unknown)
1x Pond snail.
2x Neon Tetra.(Sex unknown)
2x Glowlight Tetra. (Sex unknown)


The snail was an unexpected addition to the tank. It was not purchased on purpose. We presume it hitched a ride on a plant. I am not 100% sure what type it is but after looking online I am inclined to believe it is a pond snail. This leads me to my first question:

IS THIS TYPE OF SNAIL A HERMAPHRODITE OR DOES IT NEED A PARTNER?

When we purchased the Tetras (4 weeks ago) we got 2 neons and 2 Glowlights. I asked what sex they were but the staff member told me the fish were too young for him to tell. I have since tried to do it myself. All four of them look the same as far as fins go and I can't tell whether they are male or female or whether they are still too young. The only difference between the neons and glowlights is that the glowlights are slightly longer and both have big bellies. So my second question is:

HOW OLD DO THE TETRAS NEED TO BE BEFOR I CAN SEX THEM?

Over the past week every morning when I check and feed my tank tenants I have always found two blobs of eggs. They are never in the same place. On plants. On the gravel and on plastic Decorations. This leads me to my third question:

WHO DO THE EGGS BELONG TO. TETRAS OR SNAIL?

I have ruled out the Mollies and Guppies as I know they are live bearers and I have ruled out Bulldog Pleco because from what I have seen their eggs are yellow and these I have are not yellow. They are originally clear with small clear bubble things in and then the bubble things turn darker.

I would really appreciate any comments regarding my three questions as internet research has just confused me even more as I cannot find any straight answers for my questions.

Thank you.

 

[attibones]

Can you post a picture of the eggs?
 
Snails will lay eggs without a male partner present. Nerite snails lay eggs that look like sesame seeds. Some other snails lay eggs in clusters. I don't know if pond snails reproduce in clusters or loose eggs, as I've only ever seen juvies and adults in my tanks (but that doesn't mean they aren't breeding!) However, baby snails look sort of like eggs. They are tiny and clearish. You can tell they are snails if they move. Many species of snails can lay eggs months after an encounter with a male, similar to livebearers. What you have described are young pest snails. Very likely a plant brought in more than one snail, but many of them were very young so you didn't notice them. Fortunately for you, they are not a terrible addition to a tank. Unfortunately, they do tend to breed and poop prolifically. 
 
Also, as a side note, both your tetra species should be in larger groups and prefer much softer water than your mollies who will overpopulate your tank quickly.

 

[Maxine-R]

Thank you for your comment regarding the Tetras numbers. I am aware that I do not have enough of them. I was advised at the shop that they would be ok in the number I have but I have since been advised on this forum that i could do with having them in groups of four or more but i am hesitant to add anymore fish at the present time.

 

[LucyB]

Snail eggs.

 

[Maxine-R]

How can you tell they are snail eggs? Do they have a specific quality?

It's just so I know what to look for ☺ as I am New to all this and would like to know the difference between snail and fish eggs.

Also does another snail need to be present to fertilize them or are they already fertilized upon release?

 

[Ch4rlie]

Have to agree out of all the species you have, its does look indeed like snail eggs.
 
Pond snails lay transparent eggs in clutches on plants, decoe, substrate and tank glass. And no, pond snails do not always need males to fertilise eggs.
 
Pond snail

 

[Maxine-R]

Ok.

How do I know if the eggs are fertalised?

As far as a I am aware we only have the one snail in our tank. I have cut the leaves off the plant which has the eggs on and put them in birthing trap in the tank as well as putting gravel with eggs on in the birthing trap. I didn't want the fish eating them as I wanted to see who the eggs belonged to. Plus with me not knowing who they belonged to I didn't want the eggs hatching and the fry being eaten.

Is what I have done ok?

 

[Ch4rlie]

Sounds reasonable
 
Better safe than sorry, but its all learning and experience, its all good
 
Snails eggs, when laid are usually already fertilised....I think.

 

[Byron]

rsz_20150730_103402.jpg
Thank you for your comment regarding the Tetras numbers. I am aware that I do not have enough of them. I was advised at the shop that they would be ok in the number I have but I have since been advised on this forum that i could do with having them in groups of four or more but i am hesitant to add anymore fish at the present time.

 
You need more than four of each species; six is considered absolute minimum, but more is always better for the fish.  However, you are wise to consider adding more fish.  And without knowing the tank dimensions and volume (each aspect is important) we can't say if more would be possible or not.  And there is the issue of water parameters someone mentioned...mollies absolutely must have moderately hard or harder water or they simply will not last.  Depending upon the hardness, the tetra might be adversely affected.  The hardness (GH, and KH) and pH of your tap wazter will help us sort this out.
 
Byron.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Definitely snail eggs.  The pleco might actually eat them for you.  You never know.
 
 
Nerite snails will also lay single eggs on stuff, but unless you have a brackish set-up, they aren't going to mature.

 

[Maxine-R]

rsz_20150730_103402.jpg
Thank you for your comment regarding the Tetras numbers. I am aware that I do not have enough of them. I was advised at the shop that they would be ok in the number I have but I have since been advised on this forum that i could do with having them in groups of four or more but i am hesitant to add anymore fish at the present time.

 
You need more than four of each species; six is considered absolute minimum, but more is always better for the fish.  However, you are wise to consider adding more fish.  And without knowing the tank dimensions and volume (each aspect is important) we can't say if more would be possible or not.  And there is the issue of water parameters someone mentioned...mollies absolutely must have moderately hard or harder water or they simply will not last.  Depending upon the hardness, the tetra might be adversely affected.  The hardness (GH, and KH) and pH of your tap wazter will help us sort this out.
 
Byron.

My tank is 54L/12G.

PH: 6.8 - 7.2 (has dropped to 6.2 on a couple of occasions)

GH: 125 - 250

KH: 100 - 180

Temp: 24 -26 ¤C

Always assumed Mollies are happy with the water. Our female is currently pregnant.

Tetras do not appear to be showing any signs of stress.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Hmm, can i ask what test kit you are using?
A liquid based kit such as Api Mater Kit with vials and bottles of solutions or a dip strip kit thats basically a strip of paper you dip into water.
 
And afraid have a little disapointing news for you regarding the mollies, a 12g is far too small for these guys
 
They require at minimum 20 gallons, 3 feet long tank, the bigger the better really. As these are active fish and grow between 3 to 5 inches on average. Also they do best in hard water, even brackish waters.
 
This is where research comes into play and why its important to know beforehand about fish species and wether they are suitable for your tank size, water and tankmate combatibility etc.
 
Best way of getting info is to ask on this forum or more research, we all learned one way or another

 

[Maxine-R]

Please do not take my following comment as a rude one as it is not ment this way.

I have put a couple of conversations on this forum. And so far on every conversation (no matter what the subject is) I have had the same comments made and here are my answers to those comments:

*Tank is not big enough for Mollies.*
Originally I purchased a 25L/5.5G tank. Left it running for two weeks.went back to the same shop I purchased the tank. Told staff what tank I had. Asked the staff to tell me which fish were best for my tank. I was told that Mollies and Guppies would be best. So I purchased 2 Mollies and 3 Guppies.
A fortnight later I purchased a second tank my current 54L (so they have more space now than they did when I purchased them)
I have since been told by members on this forum that the shops (for the most part) are only interested in selling the fish rather than the fishes well being after it has been sold. I did not randomly choose my fish. I asked staff for advice and I took thier advice beleiving it to be correct.
I cannot provide the mollies with a bigger tank as I do not have the money or space for something of that size and i cannot get rid of them as i took the responsibility took take care of them and so i shall i do my best.
I spend a lot of time watching my fish and I do not see any sign that my 2 Mollies are unhappy. They casually swim around. They hunt for food. They chase one an another on occasion. They swim through plants and cave and seem active.
I understand they may not have enough space but there is little I can do and i only acted from the advice of the staff where I purchased them.

*You do not have enough Tetras.*
Tetras were purchased from a different shop as the mollies. I told the staff what tank I had and what fish I already had. I asked about what numbers I should buy. Again I looked to the staff to help with whether or not Tetras would be an option in my tank. They told me a group of four (2neons 2 glowlights) would be fine. So I did as I was advised.
I do not feel I can get anymore fish as I do not want to over crowd the tank especially after being told my Mollies do it have enough space. Well I can't up the number of Tetras to then take more space away from Mollies.
The four Tetras swim together and on occasions they also group with the Guppies.
I understand there is not enough of them but I cannot risk over populating tank.


*Your tank is (or will be) too small for bulldog.*
At the present time bulldog is a fine size for the tank. I purchased him from same shop as Tetras. He advised me bulldog would grow maybe another inch or two which would be fine for my tank. Again I took him to be correct and went with it as I did want one of these fish but had asked which I should have.

*Mollies need brackish water*.
I have seen a lot of discussii s regarding this on the internet including Wikipedia. from what I have seen Mollies can live perfectly well in fresh water and that there is not a huge need to feel you should add salt. In any case I would not add salt to my tank due to the other inhabitants. I do not know if they could tolerate it.

*Do not use the dip stick test use a liquid based test kit.*
I currently use dip stick test but have been advised that liquid tests are better. I havnt used a liquid test kit as I have not had the funds to buy one yet. I am planning on getting a liquid test kit. I will get one. But for now the dip sticks are hopefully good enough to keep a rough check on my tank.

As I have said on all my other posts I do appreciate your comments please do not think me rude.

I acknowledge all these comments. I have taken them on bored and have thought about them to see if there is anything I can do to improve my tank. All my thoughts are above.

All the fish I have have been purchased through advisement of shop staff. I have not purchased a particular fish just because I want it. I have only purchased what I was advised to. I wanted a Pleco but asked what type size etc I should get. Once my current tank no longer has inhabitants and I want to re-populate it I shall look a lot more closely at what fish I have. But for now I will have to just keep my current fish as happy as I can manage.

Again I do not want anyone thinking I am being rude. I just get all those comments a lot and sometimes it seems to divert conversatio away from my original question/problem.

Which currently is:
I have snail eggs how do I know if they are fertile and how long do I watch them to see if they will hatch?
I know nothing about this and would like some guidance as to what I should look for with The eggs.
As far as I am aware I only have one snail. Is it even possible the eggs will hatch without another snail?

Thank you.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Again I do not want anyone thinking I am being rude. I just get all those comments a lot and sometimes it seems to divert conversatio away from my original question/problem.

Which currently is:
I have snail eggs how do I know if they are fertile and how long do I watch them to see if they will hatch?
I know nothing about this and would like some guidance as to what I should look for with The eggs.
As far as I am aware I only have one snail. Is it even possible the eggs will hatch without another snail?

Thank you.

 
I understand your point of view.  Lots of people are trying to be helpful and will always share an opinion if they see a potential problem, as they really have the fish's best interest (and your enjoyment of the fish) at heart.  Keeping fish in proper conditions always lead to a better experience for all concerned, as they are healthier, they put on a far better display.
 
As for the snail egg issue... many snails are capable of depositing fertilized eggs into a new tank, even if they are the only snail in the tank.  Some are hermaphroditic, others can store fertilized eggs for a while.
 
As for how long before they hatch (assuming they are fertilized) I can't help you with, except to say that it should be a rather quick process, likely less than a week.  They will virtually disappear for a while. 
 
Snails generally will have more eggs when conditions are ripe for them - generally meaning lots of food.  Either algae, or excess food for the fish, so be careful of overfeeding.  In my own case, I had some pest snails come along with some plants.  I had a decent amount of algae building up, but once I introduced my BN pleco (one of the best algae eaters there are - and also a poo machine) the snails disappeared.  
 
 
As for looking after the eggs... there's nothing that you need to do.  Snails aren't very caring parents, they lay and move on.  The eggs will either get eaten, or they will hatch.  Time will tell, but you likely won't notice for a while which it is.

 

[Ch4rlie]

The snail question already has been answered really.
 
The picture of the eggs you posted are very likely to be of snail eggs, transparent and in clutches, very often seen on plants, decor and tank glass.
 
There does not need to be two snails to fertilise eggs. In fact many snail species are asexual or hermaphroditic. Meaning they can fertislise eggs by themselves.
 
In one of my first tanks, I queried the exact same question as you, only had one snail and queried if the pic was snail eggs or not.
 

 
Indeed, these eggs turned out to be pond snails and was nearly overrun with these in a short period of time.
 
So I then purchased some assassin snails to help deal with the pond snail population and that did do the trick very well.
 
We do not mean to crititise you or your fishkeeping methods or knowledge, we are trying to help you with your fish tank stocking's health and wellbeing.
 
Like I said earlier, we all learn one way or another, it seems for the moment you're learning the hard way.
 
Mostly due to bad advice from LFS, so thats your first most important lesson is to do research on any advice given from unknown sources, especially LFS.
 
There are a lot of very knowledgable and experienced fishkeepers on this site and really they are the best people to seek advice from.
 
If at any time you get stuck or unsure, simply post a question as you have been doing, we do mean well even if some of our answers may seem harsh or critical.