Zebra Snail Care?

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Jeff000

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Well I got a couple Zevra snails today, orange with black stripes.
I just need to know if I need to do anything special for them?
I can see exactly where they have went on my glass as they leave a clean stripe. lol
They clean that algea that my scrubing had a hard time getting off.

I just dont know if I need to do anything else for these snails, I have heard they need brakish water to breed, so I dont need to worry about an exposion I hope, or if I do get them at least they are worth a good amount.

Any info like if these a scavangers too or just eat the algea would be great.
 
When you say "zebra snail" do you mean one of these guys?

http://www.petfish.net/pix/arts5/Nerite1.jpg

I have some Neritina virginea right now, a supposedly freshwater species related to the zebra Nerite, that will not tollerate below marine salinity...Nerites in general can be very picky about sg. Some Nerites do fine in freshwater, but if you find them spending more time out of the water than in, not eating anything, or generally acting "ill" for a snail, be prepared to raise the saliniy to brackish to keep them alive. Not all "freshwater" Nerites can survive in pure freshwater...the exact reason isn't clear right now (something I am researching right now), but I suspect it has to do with where the parent population is located. Neritina natalensis (zebra) is probably better at handling freshwater than the other species, but keep a watchful eye out for any signs of distress.
 
yes that is what it looks like.

I was told they do good in fresh water because they are raised in fresh water. And this is from a LFS that I trust.
They seem to make a random pass up the glass and then over the bog wood and back up the glass.

Just over night even I can see they have cleared almost all the glass, there are just small patches left. I am afraid that they are going to be out of food to eat soon, unless they scavange aswell, or should I just put lettus in every now and then too??
 
Forgot to add--they will go out of the water frequently if they think there are good eats within an inch or so of the waterline. They'll clean away the food and then go back to being in the water all the time after its gone, so that's how to distinguish that behavior from when they don't like the water. If the LFS had them in freshwater for several weeks without issue then you should be good to go with those guys. Nerites are not big on scavenging in freshwater as far as I've seen. Don't to lettuce...it will rot and make the water nastey before they'll eat it. Go to the marine section of the foods in the store, and pick up some dried seaweed or macroalgae sheets. Get a vegie clip and anchor pieces down (plant weights will work too). Don't put too much in or it will disintigrate and clog your filter before it's eaten. You can use dried seaweed/macro as a fallback feeding option while you test what other foods they like in small quantities that won't affect the water quality if they turn it down.
 

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