How Do I Feed My 2 Nerite Snails!? Urgent, They Are Going To Starv

[kal123456]

Hi!

I just got 2 nerite snails and they ate the whole algae from my tank, so now it's totally clean...but, i have no idea what should i give my snails now. I tried sinking algae wafers, but my fish eat them instead of the snails. How many days can they be without food? I'm nervous...

Please help!!!!!!

 

[glolite]

They eat leafy green vegetables. Have you got any lettuce, cabbage leaves. Pop one in the tank weighted down with a stone and they'll soon be chomping merrily.

 

[kal123456]

I heard that snails don't really eat lettuce or cabbage. I'll try...but i don't think it will work. In my other tank, i have a lot of snails that are pests and they are very small, and when i tried to put lettuce leaves in, only 2 snails got on them.

Anyway, i hope it will work!
Thanks for replying!

 

[doggiebag]

try not to worry too much. I have nerites too and they chomp the algae very quick. There has been no visible algae in my tank for weeks and they are just fine. There are plenty of microscopic things for them to find that we can't see.........you could try cucumber/lettuce etc, though nerites are less likely to touch it, you stand a greater chance if its flat on the bottom of tank.

 

[Curiosity101]

Lettuce and cucumber aren't really the best fresh veg choices.

I'd recommend spinach (either baby spinach, or part boiled normal spinach) and courgette.
You can use lettuce, but you'd probably find you had better success with it if it was starting to go off.

 

[three-fingers]

IMO you are right to be worried, nerites aren't easy to feed and can slowly starve once all the algae in the tank is gone.

If it's a big tank, dont worry though, because there will be something around for them.

But if it's a small tank you would do good to set up a small plastic tank (like the £5 critter keepers) to put them in every now and then for feeding.

You can leave it filled with water and put it in direct sunlight with a bit of fishfood at the bottom for algae fertiliser.

Every few days you should have enough algae to put them in and let them feed (make sure you change the water before putting them in to avoid ammoia from the fish food).

Can also try feeding them other things like nori seaweed in it, with no competition from the fish - but I rarely see any of my nerites eat anything unless its stuck down to a hard surface. These guys are much harder to feed than apple snails.

 

[JustKia]

Between the nerite snails and shrimps they cleaned my tank, and everything in it, up within a couple of days. That was back early this year and they are just fine now. I don't add anything "for the snails", just my regular varieties of fish foods. The snails just chomp their way across the tank surfaces all day long.

 

[kal123456]

Hmmm, i'll think about what you guys said. What i did now was that i took a plastic container with rocks, fish food, and water in it, and put in direct sunlight. I don't really see any algae, now, it's been 2 days. How soon do you think it will start growing?
BTW, one of 2 snails is just on the glass, not moving for 2 hours already. Is it going to die?!

Thanks for helping, guys!!!