Mystery Snails

[StanTheBetta]

I have a friend that works at a wal mart in the pets department and she said they were giving away snails for free. When I asked her what they were she didn't know of course (typical of wal mart I believe ) but from her description they sounded like black mystery snails. If I were to get one or two would one be ok in a 1 gallon tank with my female betta? Do they reproduce asexually? How big do they get? I see on the Dr Foster and Smith site it says 2 inches, but I've noticed they're a little off on sizes sometimes. Also how long do t hey live? What do they eat?

I have so many questions If everything checks out I'd like to get one or two since they're free. What do you all think?

 

[Teelie]

http/applesnail.net will have all the answers you need. Mystery Snails are usually some species or variation of Apple Snails. They do alright in unfiltered tanks/containers with Bettas though 2 out of 3 are plant eaters.

 

[MrMashashin]

I would say stay away from snails. You never know if their male, female, pregnate, or not. If you get a pregnate one your tank is sqrewed. You will never get wid of em.

For an easyer way to clean the tank and something more easy on the eyes try these cory things that look like eels. Ill find a pic for you.

 

[Teelie]

I would say stay away from snails. You never know if their male, female, pregnate, or not. If you get a pregnate one your tank is sqrewed. You will never get wid of em.

For an easyer way to clean the tank and something more easy on the eyes try these cory things that look like eels. Ill find a pic for you.

Not true. If you keep their feeding habits low they won't reproduce a lot. They are not a nightmare to get rid of if you take the basic precautions with them and don't overfeed above all else.

Cories and Eels or Bichirs also need to be fed specifically and not just left to manage on their own for scraps on the bottom of the tank.

 

[PETsMARTchick]

Mystery Snails, unlike other snails, lay their egg clutches above water. So if they lay their eggs, you can simply remove them and you'll have no problem.

 

[Teelie]

Depending on the species. Some lay them in the water. Mystery Snails are an intentionally vague name afterall.

 

[Bangin]

Here's a picture of my mystery snail laying eggs above the water line.

 

[StanTheBetta]

I read the site, but I don't know specifically what species of snail it is and I didn't find the answer to all my questions.

How much waste does a full grown mystery snail produce? The reason I ask is I wanted to put one in my 1 gallon tank with my female betta. I want to make sure the lil UGF can handle the waste and won't cause a dangerous ammonia or nitrite spike for Dorothy Also are they ok with salt? I have a bit of salt in the tank and I want to make sure its ok. I know salt dries up slugs on land

 

[Teelie]

They're fine in a 1 gallon and don't produce much waste. As to salt, I don't know how much if any they can tolerate. Someone here may know or you might want to try the applesnail.net forums.