Which type do I need?

[Veloth]

I'm totally clueless when it comes to snails (plus alot of other things:ssad: ). I have two 55 gal tank and two 20 gal tanks. All tanks are heavily planted. I would like to add snails to all the tanks. My pH runs at 6.0. Is this too low for snails? Also which ones are good for planted tanks?

[Spyder]

Your best bet would be Nerite snails that have been acclimated to fresh water. I bought mine from www.azgardens.com
If I were you I would consider algea eating fish instead of snails. Most other snails will eventually over take your tank. Fish such as Ottos, Bristlenose catfish, SAE's and some barbs work just as well and are more desireable.

FYI, nerite snails won't breed in fresh water so they are the only snails that won't over take your tank.

HTH, Michael

[terrapin24h]

I'd say mystery snails are pretty good too, but will require modest effort to control reproduction. To be clear, i'm speaking specifically of Pomacea bridgesii, see here:
http://www.applesnail.net/

These snails are more scavenger than anything else and they are fairly safe for planted tanks as a result. If there are other foods available(algae, diatoms, fish poop, fish food, wafers, veggies you put in the tank, etc) they will leave live plants alone. If a plant starts dying or drops leaves on the tank floor then they will eat it. They are one of the only(if not the only) snail that lay eggs above the water line in clutches. If you don't want more snails, just destroy the eggs or knock them into the water for the fish. If the eggs fall in the water they will not hatch. Also, in order for reproduction to happen you must have both male and female snails, so they are pretty safe to keep in an aquarium. I've had 4 in my tank for a few weeks now and i literally can waste hours watching them. I also have oto cats and they are cool too.

On snails; you must make sure you get what you want when you buy these. It seems that there are a few different varieties of snails that are sold under the "mystery snail" and "apple snail" monikers, which is why i gave you the genus/species name i was talking about. let us know what you decide

--chris

[terrapin24h]

Oh as a follow up, your ph may need to come up for snails. In order to maintain shell health, snails need some hardness in the water otherwise their shells fall apart. Hardness means high-er PH, in the low 7's. I have very soft water and have to buffer it to keep my ph over 7 when i do water changes. So if you went snails, you would need to raise your ph.

--chris

[Northernguy]

I would suggest using the gold apple snail and not the mystery snail(darker shell).I have both and I find that the golds are much more plant friendly.I had to take the darker ones out because they were eating more then the brown edges of my leaves.
I hope you make the right decision for your tank!:c3:


Pics would be nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:19:

[Veloth]

My tanks have no covers, are there any snails that will not try to climb out. I'm not wanting them for algae control I just like the way they look.