good snails ?

8x10 · Post by **8x10** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 1:19 am

I have a planted tank with RCS. I would like to have a snail or two to help clean the bottom. Any recommendations. I've been searching but there seem to be conficting views. I want them to help keep the tank conditions good for the shrimp by removing excess food etc

Are ramshorns ok? I am willing to do the work and remove them to keep the population small Or should I just get an apple ?

Shrimp&Snails · Post by **Shrimp&Snails** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 3:46 am

I keep apple snails (p. bridgesii), nerites, viviparus and ramshorns with my shrimp.

I wouldn't really call them a clean up crew because they need calcium rich foods themselves to keep a nice shell and a PH of 7+ so the shells won't erode.

They are great to keep but i'm downsizing because:

a. They keep pulling up my plants

b. They poop....quite a lot.

Ramshorns can breed very fast apparently (my ramshorns are babies so i've yet to witness this snail breeding myself).

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 12:18 pm

I think MTS (Malaysian Trumpet Snails) are the best and they don't lay eggs. They also churn your gravel. I also keep pond snails and apple snails. They all work fine, but the apples need to be well fed or they will eat yourplants. I think they poop more than they clean up too. I feed them dandilion greens. They sure love them and so do the shrimp.

Shrimp&Snails · Post by **Shrimp&Snails** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 3:50 pm

badflash wrote:I think MTS (Malaysian Trumpet Snails) are the best and they don't lay eggs. They also churn your gravel. I also keep pond snails and apple snails. They all work fine, but the apples need to be well fed or they will eat yourplants. I think they poop more than they clean up too. I feed them dandilion greens. They sure love them and so do the shrimp.

I also keep MTS in all my tanks.

Pomacea bridgesii don't eat healthy plants....p. canaliculata do.

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 6:05 pm

A hungry apple snail will eat any plant in my experience. If you keep them fed, no problem, but if they are starving, your plants are history.

Shrimp&Snails · Post by **Shrimp&Snails** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 6:09 pm

This is quoted (from the site) by a guy who owns applesnail.net who's studied them for years:

Pomacea bridgesii (spike-topped apple snail, Brazilian apple snail, golden mystery snail and ivory snail) prefers dead and rotting plants above fresh green ones. Occasionally they eat the softer vegetation. Pomacea bridgesii snails are thus a good choice for an aquarium equipped with a nice collection of water-plants. What is even more: they tend to starve to dead in the middle of the vegetation if you don't provide them with enough food.

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 6:32 pm

I can tell you from my short experience that he's full of it. I have golden mystery snails (hundreds - I'm breeding them) and I can't keep them with any of my plants unless if give them plenty of what they like better. They even eat my Riccia!

Shrimp&Snails · Post by **Shrimp&Snails** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 6:37 pm

....he's a PHd student who's studied them since 1997. Check out his site http://www.applesnail.net

I have kept brigs for almost three years now and mine have never consumed a healthy plant.

You must have p. canaliculata.[/url]

demented_lullaby · Post by **demented_lullaby** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 6:55 pm

Sure a hungry apple snail will eat any plant even brigs. Why are you letting your snails get hungry? Feed them veggies. If they're eating your plants that's your problem. Brigs are planted tank safe.

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 6:22 am

I can't feed them enough without polluting the water. Mine aren't starving, they just like plants.

As far as having a PHD, that means little when you can look at them eat your plants. If he thinks they will starve rather than eat live plants he's smoking something.

Shrimp&Snails · Post by **Shrimp&Snails** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 6:28 am

I still think you have cana snails.

Care to post a pic?

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 11:17 am

I think we are wondering away form the shrimp topic a bit too far. Can you PM me with definitive characteristics that would tell a Canna from a Briggs? I bought these as Mystery Snails and they are a nice yellow just like Mystery Snails. Some of mine are baseball sized.

Shrimp&Snails · Post by **Shrimp&Snails** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 2:28 pm

Brigs don't grow to baseball size, they max out at 2 and a half inches wide......canas can grow to the size you describe. I'm almost 100% sure you have canas. If not canas you have insularums or you could have haustrums (if they lay green eggs).

You could even have Paludosa or Maculata if you are close to (can't see your location when using the reply thingie but if I remember correctly you're from NY) or bought your apple snails from Florida.

Shrimp&Snails · Post by **Shrimp&Snails** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 2:30 pm

Sorry for wandering off topic again Mustafa.

I'll be all shrimpy from now on.

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 5:49 pm

Just to close this out, those of you that want big snails as tank mates, looks for Briggs, not Cana snails. The way to tell them apart if the way the outer ring of shell meets the previous ring. If it meets at 90 degrees you have a briggs, if it is more or less you don't. Briggs like soft mushy stuff, Canas eat plants first. Briggs will eat left over food, Canas only if there is nothing else.

As it turns out I have both, but my babies are Canas and they are eating all my plants.