Should I get some snails?

[HorrorShowRot]

I am thinking of getting a bunch of snails for my cleaning crew currently there are 4 corys and 3 ghost shrimp. If I do get snails what kind should I get I have a 30 gallon tank with guppy and a gourami.

[MrJim]

They're pretty interesting critters~I'd suggest one mystery snail and see how it goes...they're not expensive and give more than they take :ssmile:

[robnepper]

Sounds like you have a great crew already! Snails would maybe knock down a bit of algae, but tehy souldn't do much more than the Cories and the shrimp. If you want to get a snail, go for it, just make sure you have done your research ( snails are amazing things if you look into them in any depth.) and are able to provide for their needs. Apple snails are quite interesting. I have a Zebra snail but it lays eggs EVERYWHERE!

[HorrorShowRot]

Allrighty I will look up some stuff for it:) thanks:)

[HorrorShowRot]

My tank is very heavily planted and am just wondering what will eat dying/dead plantsxD. Because my shrimp and corys dont do thatXD

[rich311k]

Your best bet is to just remove them.

[HorrorShowRot]

Most of them are still alive just one is starting to brown. And to be honest I think the LFS gave me a bad plant.

[Fishesses]

You want snails? Where were you a week ago? I could have hooked you up with some of the most fertile Brown Ram's Horn snails the world has ever known. :hmm3grin2orange:

Of course, they would have eaten everything in your tank, including the glass, but hey...

Seriously, those snails laid eggs like mad.

I may do another Apple snail in it's own tank. They are cool. :ssmile:

[rich311k]

Most of them are still alive just one is starting to brown. And to be honest I think the LFS gave me a bad plant.

Snip off the dieing leaf. It is doing the plant no good.

[HorrorShowRot]

Allright will do :) first tank with actuall plants xD

[Wild Turkey]

For a cleanup crew, any of the "pests" will do, you just have to keep them under control by not over feeding.

Pond Snails
MTS
Ramshorn

are popular ones, all dirt cheap or free

Mystery and Nerites are no good for a "clean up crew" they have specific needs that are in my opinion more demanding than most fish. The foremost being well fed and getting the right nutrients in their diet, which is not a possibility if they are left to clean the tank of just the unwanted food and algae.

[Pompompaihn]

If I can hijack the thread a bit...I have a 5 gallon tank with a betta in it...I'd like to add -something- else to it, but obviously can't really add much in the way of fish. Would a small population of MTS snails be applicable? I'd love something to help snag the few bits of bloodworms that he misses that sink to the bottom.

[Ashley]

I have pond snails that I got from a plant, now I have a hundred! There's one really big one though that I think is pretty cool.

[Wild Turkey]

Any uneaten food should really be removed if its anything substantial, but mts can go in pretty much any tank with loose substrate that they can burrow into. Otherwise go with ps or ramshorn

[PostalPenguin]

Before you buy them, look around for people giving them away. Snails proliferate like mad so many people are more than happy to give them away.

[Pompompaihn]

Any uneaten food should really be removed if its anything substantial, but mts can go in pretty much any tank with loose substrate that they can burrow into. Otherwise go with ps or ramshorn


Its only, say, 2-3 little bloodworms leftover from a normal feed....I try to get them out, but he has a amusing tendency to push his leftovers into his bubble nest and I hate disturbing it to fish stuff out. Its only a bit annoying because the few "remains" that are on the bottom really stand out because I'm using white sand as the substrate.

[Sarkazmo]

Mystery and Nerites are no good for a "clean up crew" they have specific needs that are in my opinion more demanding than most fish. The foremost being well fed and getting the right nutrients in their diet, which is not a possibility if they are left to clean the tank of just the unwanted food and algae.

Mystery snails are demanding? Really? I never thought so. Never had any issues with 'em. I can't find Nerites :( well I CAN but I'm not cutting off limbs for 4 or 5 snails.

Sark

PS: My mystery snails are great at cleaning up dead vegitation. I got a mostly dead clump of Dwarf Hair Grass from a bad eBay seller and the snails ate all the dead grass leaving the rest healthy and green.

[coralreef234]

apple snails are good options for you....

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[Wild Turkey]

It depends on your water. Big time.

You can get lucky and get tap water that will keep the snails shell healthy, but usually that isnt the case.

The mystery snails need a good source of calcium in their diet, a ph of 7+ and good general hardness or shell damage will eventually become a major problem.

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that has some info, and a quote from me I thought applied,

"Research! I hope if nothing else this article instills the idea that even the most simple inverts require complex care and should not be bought without proper research and preparation. In which case, it is quite possible to keep and breed these snails very successfully."

Nerites have the same potential problem. Just not in a sw aquarium for obvious reasons.

[Aude]

I'd go with malaysian trumpet snails - they don't touch plants (at least not that I've seen) and aerate the substrate - gravel, etc. which is especially useful in a planted tank. 2-3 of these guys hitchhiked over with some plants I purchased some months back and now they number in the hundreds, probably.

[Wild Turkey]

Of the best snails, mts are my favorite as well.

You will benefit from them more greatly than other species since they make excellent sand sifters.