Snails wanted

[Wyld-Fyre]

I'm after a few varieties of snails, especially Malaysian Trumpet snails, for my spare tank/snail-arium. Hopefully, to breed them. Anyone from these counties know where I can get some?

 

[smithrc]

hi - i dont have MTS but i do have snails if you want some!!

 

[WheelmanCA19]

Malaysian Trumpet snails can easily be found on Aquabid. $9 bucks for 50 of em. Plenty to start breeding them.

http/www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auc...ails&1089234010

Link to just one of many auctions for MTS. (I'm not the person selling)

 

[smithrc]

Malaysian Trumpet snails can easily be found on Aquabid. $9 bucks for 50 of em. Plenty to start breeding them.

http/www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auc...ails&1089234010

Link to just one of many auctions for MTS. (I'm not the person selling)

i bet they wont ship to the uk though!!

Beds, Herts and bucks are 3 'counties' (a bit like states only a lot smaller )

 

[WheelmanCA19]

Haha, I thought Herts/Beds/Bucks where really specific breeds of snails, lol. To be honest, most of what they teach us here about the British occured prior to 1776.


http/www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auc...ails&1089234010

Well, They claim to ship internationally. Might cost an arm and a leg though.

 

[smithrc]

Haha, I thought Herts/Beds/Bucks where really specific breeds of snails, lol. To be honest, most of what they teach us here about the British occured prior to 1776.

very true!

 

[Wyld-Fyre]

Not intentionally, I had a feeling I'd catch someone out

WheelmanCA19, your info will be put to good use....when I buy something from North America......

Much appreciated! Smithrc, thank you for your kind offer. A couple of hour's back I would've accepted. However, since then, I had managed to obtain two types of snail from a mate. Beats me what types they are. Hopefully, one of them the MTS variety.

Anyone have a description?

I am very touched at the kindness/generosity of some of our forum buddies.

 

[smithrc]

I've got general 'pest snails' (look like little coils that you can nearly see through)
and another type that are actually quite cool, they look like little stones with great colours and a cool shape (i need to I'd them really)

Apple snails will be on the list too soon

Where abouts are you anyway?

 

[endparenthesis]

What are you breeding them for? Is there somewhere where people have a need for them? I bought 3 red ramshorn snails at Petsmart for 99 cents each... a week or two later I had hundreds of them. If only I could sell them for that.

 

[smithrc]

ok - its official...I'm nuts!
I've just spent the last 30 mins hunting a snail so I could get a picture!


These are the ones that are the pests... breed like rabbits (only in a smaller space!)

This is one of the unknowns...

I'm going to ask about this one now

 

[Wyld-Fyre]

Hi Endparenthesis.

You ask a good question. I did have snails in my tank at one time, introduced with my plants, but ever since I added my two Yo-Yo's, I've not seen a single one. I understand that these little beings are very important to the stability of aquariums, as well as the staple diet of my loaches, that I have need to get some more introduced.

It'll take too much time and expense to go hunting for them in the lfs's. So, I'd rather breed them. Initially, I was informed by our forum buddies, that Malaysian Trumpet Snails were perfect for my intentions...living in the substrate with the added strength of asexual reproduction etc.

Firstly, I'd like to breed as many varieities of snail as I can in my spare tank, for the later aim of introduction to my Yo-Yo inhabited tank. Hopefully, and in number, the snails should strike a balance with reproduction/snail loss.

I'd also have the added strength of some snails living in, and actually within, the medium-sized gravel substrate I have, and feeding on the edible detritus missed by the fishes.

Here's hoping.

 

[Wyld-Fyre]

I apologise for being a 'cruel-to-snails' person, but a) my tank needs to strike a balance, and B) my Yo-Yo's love snails.

 

[smithrc]

unfortunatly your loaches may just eat them all

Our clowns love them and our 50gal is snail free...
our 15gal office tank is over run though!

I often take them out of the 15 and put them in the 50 for the clowns

 

[Wyld-Fyre]

Hi smithrc,

Thanks for those pictures. I recognise the first type. Looks like Ramshorn (Planorbis planorbis), but they're known as Biomphalaria glabrata.

The second snail, I've not managed to find anything at all. I must've trawled through about a 100 sites, out of tens of thousands, but I know I have seen them before. They have very coulourful shells, if elevated to the right profile/lighting.

Most I ever found was a lot of sites selling 'Interpret' chemicals.

I take it this is a very specialised area of biology.....

 

[endparenthesis]

I wouldn't mind some MTS's either because they're supposedly the least likely to eat your plants. I picked Ramshorns because they were next on the list and I like the red color a lot.

I guess if you want to keep them from all getting eaten you need a lot of good little places for them to get lost in.

You'd be welcome to some Ramshorns if you were nearby... I probably killed 20-30 snails today alone.