I want to purchase one of these but don’t want to problem of an infestation. Have people successfully kept these at a low population? Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.
Ramshorn snails?
- Thread starter Guppylover3x
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if you buy 1 you will get heaps. They are hermaphrodites and have male and female sex organs. Basically any snail you get will be pregnant and lay clusters of jellylike eggs.
if you want a snail that doesn't breed out of control, get apple/ mystery snails (Amupllaria sp)
if you want a snail that doesn't breed out of control, get apple/ mystery snails (Amupllaria sp)
OP
OP
Many thanks for your response. I have heard these breed uncontrollably. Could I keep a mystery or apple snail in a 10g? Thank you.
I'm afraid you can't get apple snails anywhere in the EU. They were banned from import and spreading within the EU (ie selling them) several years ago. And just because we are about to leave the EU won't mean we'll be able to get them soon as all laws passed while we are in the EU will have to be repealed by parliament, and I don't see this law being repealed any time soon as it won't be near the top of the list.
If you want a snail that won't breed, get a nerite.
If you want a snail that won't breed, get a nerite.
OP
OP
Many thanks for your response. There’s quite a few on eBay from what I can see. Some of which are UK sellers. I had no idea these are banned.
Look at this document. In the very last paragraph it says
"Following EU emergency measures (Commission Decision 2012/697/EU) introduced on the 8 November 2012,there is now a prohibition on the introduction into, and the spread within, of Pomacea in the whole of the EU. There were existing stocks of Pomacea snails in the UK when this legislation was introduced in 2012 and the UK Plant Health Service allowed the sale of those snails on the condition that the snails would not be allowed to multiply. As the life expectancy of these snails is between 6 and 18 months, all the stock from 2012 should now have died and any current sales or breeding of Pomacea would be in breach of the legislation. If eggs are seen in captive stock, they should be removed, and frozen before disposal."
It's all because the EU operates a one size fits all policy so any creature that can only survive in Mediterranean countries have to be banned from all EU countries including those at the Arctic circle.
There are Ebay sellers who break the law in other things too, eg selling copies of CDs, DVDs etc.
"Following EU emergency measures (Commission Decision 2012/697/EU) introduced on the 8 November 2012,there is now a prohibition on the introduction into, and the spread within, of Pomacea in the whole of the EU. There were existing stocks of Pomacea snails in the UK when this legislation was introduced in 2012 and the UK Plant Health Service allowed the sale of those snails on the condition that the snails would not be allowed to multiply. As the life expectancy of these snails is between 6 and 18 months, all the stock from 2012 should now have died and any current sales or breeding of Pomacea would be in breach of the legislation. If eggs are seen in captive stock, they should be removed, and frozen before disposal."
It's all because the EU operates a one size fits all policy so any creature that can only survive in Mediterranean countries have to be banned from all EU countries including those at the Arctic circle.
There are Ebay sellers who break the law in other things too, eg selling copies of CDs, DVDs etc.
OP
OP
Many thanks for the feedback and this information. What a shame, these are actually quite cute and I found a few different colours. There’s quite a few rare ones too. I must admit this seems like quite a ridiculous law. Could I fit 2 nerite snails in my 10 gallon with the guppies? I’ll add them in once the ammonia in my tank reduces. Thank you.
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Nerites come in various sizes and colours. The largest are the brown and beige stripes zebra nerites, followed by the red ones with black markings. I would put just one of these in a 10 gallon. The smaller varieties such as the black and yellow striped or the horned nerites would be OK with two. But let the tank grow some algae as well as waiting till ammonia and nitrite stay at zero.
OP
OP
Many thanks for your advice. Would two of these be ok?
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Those are zebra nerites, the largest of the nerites sold for fresh water. Mine is at least 2 cm across. If you want this type I would get just one.
Snails of the Clithon genus are smaller, you could have two of those. Look at the various photos on here https://www.pro-shrimp.co.uk/211-snails (I know that shop is out of stock for Clthons but it'll give you an idea what to look for on Ebay)
Nerite snails eat algae, but not every type. I have never seen any of mine eat anything else. You need to wait till the tank has grown algae before putting nerites in there. Or place a few large pebbles in a glass of water on the sunniest windowsill you have, and when algae has grown on them put one in the tank. When the snails have cleaned it, put another one in the tank, and put the first back in the glass to grow more algae.
Snails of the Clithon genus are smaller, you could have two of those. Look at the various photos on here https://www.pro-shrimp.co.uk/211-snails (I know that shop is out of stock for Clthons but it'll give you an idea what to look for on Ebay)
Nerite snails eat algae, but not every type. I have never seen any of mine eat anything else. You need to wait till the tank has grown algae before putting nerites in there. Or place a few large pebbles in a glass of water on the sunniest windowsill you have, and when algae has grown on them put one in the tank. When the snails have cleaned it, put another one in the tank, and put the first back in the glass to grow more algae.
OP
OP
Thanks for the response. After having a look I think I prefer the bigger ones so I’ll just add the one in. If there isn’t enough algae could I feed the snail pellets instead? Thank you.
I have had nerites in my tanks for years and have never seen a nerite touch any kind of prepared food. Though it could be the tanks have enough algae that they don't need anything else. Other snails eat lettuce, courgette etc but not nerites. They have never touched fish food of any kind.
If you want a creature that will eat some types of algae but will also eat fish food, you need shrimps rather than snails.
If you want a creature that will eat some types of algae but will also eat fish food, you need shrimps rather than snails.
OP
OP
Many thanks for your reply. I’ve read that the Malaysian snails eat left over fish food. Is this not correct? I did want these initially but I’ve read these have a habit of breeding quite a lot too. I’m trying to avoid leaving algae on my glass. I’m worried this may contribute to my ammonia problem. I’ve been cleaning the glass when doing water changes here and there. I’m a little worried my tank won’t contain enough algae for a nitrite snail all the time. Thank you.
Yes, Malaysian Livebearing Snails will eat fish food that falls and sits on the substrate. So will pond snails and bladder snails. I feed flake/pellet food for the upper fish and sinking tabs/pellets/disks for the substrate feeders, and in tanks with only a few of the latter the disk might not get completely eaten, and I always see it covered by these snails so they clearly do eat fish food that gets down there. I have even seen the snails and fish chomping together on the same disk.
Algae will not contribute to ammonia; like higher plants, algae feeds on nutrients including ammonia and produces oxygen, though this is obviously much less than will be the case with higher plants that have a higher need for nutrients. The small snails mentioned above will eat algae as they find it browsing the surfaces, but even with many snails this will not be sufficient to deal with "problem" algae. But it all helps.
It is a good idea to run a sponge-type scraper over the inside of the front glass at every water change whether you see any algae on the glass or not. Surfaces under water develop a biofilm and algae readily grows on these. Cleaning the glass at every water change will catch the beginnings of any algae before you can even see it.
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