New Gold Mystery Snails! Some Questions & Pics!

[HeatherB]

Found Gold Mystery snails at Walmart when I ran in to get some filters for the Betta tank!!!

I was very pleased, they all looked really good (better than those at Petco) I even got dibs on exactly which ones I wanted because there was no associate there, so I scooped them out myself! I got four, two for each side of my divided crowntail betta tank.

So, there is algae growing on a couple of the snails shells. Should this concern me? What should I do to get it off?

After they eat all the algae, I should feed algae wafers? Or should food on the bottom be enough to sustain them?

Any other special care instructions?

They are doing well, I floated the bag for 15 min, then slowly added tank water (over about a half hour) until the bags volume was doubled. Then I just plucked them out of the bag and dropped them in! They have been moving all around and eating the algae like mad! One of my Betta's in particular is having a grand time trying to get them, but they snap closed too quickly! I will have to watch him and make sure he doesn't take any bites!

Hope you can see the algae on them!

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That was all four! Now this is a good pic of the shells!

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[rich311k]

Nice looking snails! Good luck with them.

[Wild Turkey]

Without making you read a boring article (:hmm3grin2orange: )

They are gonna need..

A ph of 7.0+
A full diet, with a good source of calcium.
In some cases, they will still succumb to shell damage with both, in which case you will need to add some calcium to the water as well.

A small bag of crushed coral (or pantyhose sock is what i use) will raise the ph, and introduce the calcium for you. Its a godsend for snail keepers

So, if you insert crushed coral the only thing you will need to worry about is the diet, which is real easy.

Take your algae wafers (not all of them) and grind them up in a blender, or pestle and mortar. Add calcium supplement powder that can be bought at any drugstore or health store. This is the main ingredient that the snails need that pretty much no on the shelf food contains enough of.

Doing these things will help to keep those snails beautiful like they are right now.

Algae on the shells isnt harmful, however if you are a new keeper I would scrub it off with a toothbrush every once in a while so that its easier to see shell damage when/if it starts. After you feel confident they are doing well, you can let the algae grow all over them if you like.

You can take them out to scrub them, just keep them wet. They have a lung so will not suffocate from being in the air.

[HeatherB]

Will raising the ph be harmful to the bettas? Should I do it slowly, add crushed coral slowly over a week so they can adjust to it?

Where would I find crushed coral? Is it expensive, or something that will need to be replaced often?

[HorrorShowRot]

Always add the coral slowly. Just dont go over the PH bettas need right now im drawing a blank of what there ph is ill post in it 2 shakes.

[HorrorShowRot]

Yea the beta will be fine in7.0 but no higher. I personally think tho he will be fine in around 7.1 7.2 if added slowly you can buy them at any LFS really aslong as there into fish. I have never seen any at the walmart by my house. Its about 25-30 dollars for a really big bag and for the usage of it I am not sure sorry:(

[Wild Turkey]

The betta will be fine with a higher ph, as long as you add the coral slowly. You have the right idea.

Bettas can be kept at pretty much any ph from what ive seen. But no, they dont need such a low ph Ive kept a few and my ph is 7.6

Maybe a betta expert can tell you just how high is too high, but I have a feeling you wont have to worry about it. If anything it may effect breeding efforts? But again, consult an expert.

A stable ph is more important that the ph being in the "optimal range" of the fish especially when they are tank bred which all bettas you buy in the store are.

[HeatherB]

Ok, add slowly, got it! Should I put it in my filter, or drop it in the tank?

Is there anything else I can use besides crushed coral? The budget will not allow me a lot of money right now to get a big bag of coral! I read putting a cuttlebone in your filter to add calcium? Is there a way to raise pH cheaply too?

[Wild Turkey]

Ok, add slowly, got it! Should I put it in my filter, or drop it in the tank?

Is there anything else I can use besides crushed coral? The budget will not allow me a lot of money right now to get a big bag of coral! I read putting a cuttlebone in your filter to add calcium? Is there a way to raise pH cheaply too?

The cuttlebone stuff should introduce calcium as well, Ive never used it but people say it works. I assume its going to raise the ph some too since its adding calcium.

Crushed coral is about as much as gravel, so not terribly expensive. I would add a pound at a time, no need to add it to the filter (you may want to replace the first bag eventually with a fresh bag if you notice the ph going back down slowly) just put it somewhere in the tank with decent water flow, which should be everywhere if you have proper filtration.

Not sure about the cuttlebone, you may have to cut it to add small bits at a time.

Alternatively, since your ph is fine you can just add calcium to the water. I couldnt tell you how much is enough..its hard to find info on it. I would say for ten gals probably build up to a gram or two total in the tank over about two weeks, then replace whatever you proportion you remove during weekly water changes after that. For the crushed coral, building up to 2-3 pounds and then replacing the oldest one monthly should be fine. (So about $12 a year)

[Faith_at_Large]

I used to have mystery snails and I used cuttlebone. The only problem I had was that it tended to float. Weighting down, or clipping it with one of those feeder clips can work. My snail would sometime surf on on it from underneath when it got loose and floated back up.

It dissolved slowly so it was not a big problem. The bigger problem I had was that my Betta was extremely terratorial and tried to drown the snail by preventing it from coming to the surface. Bettas and other similar fish eat smaller snails, but mature mystery snail is big enough to defend itself.

Bettas have different personalities and yours may not have a problem with your snails.

I always provided extra food for my snail - algae tablets and sometimes a little variety - opt for sinking pellets or discs, and fresh lightly blanched (quick boiled) vegetables clipped to the side.

Mystery snails are very entertaining and it is cool to have suitable decorations (smooth in texture) for your snail to climb on. Be aware that they need to have room at the top of the tank to come up out of the water from time to time - they live in the water, but they are airbreathers and also lay their eggs above water.

[Faith_at_Large]

And if you noticed that I spoke of snails both in the singular and plural. I started with one snail in my betta tank (a number of years ago), but apparently she was pregnant and laid eggs - we had five survivors (in a tank without a Betta).

[Wild Turkey]

Thats surprising that your betta attacked the mystery, but like you said fish personality comes into play quite a bit.

However, the mystery snail wont drown they have a lung and a gill and do not need to exit the water except when oxygen levels are too low or to lay eggs.

[HeatherB]

Thanks everyone! I will look in to crushed coral the next time I drop by the fish store! Almost 24 hours after putting 4 snails in, my tank no longer looks like an artic tundra of algae! It is wonderful! If I had thought about it, I would have gotton a snail months ago!

Can snails adapt to cold water habitats as well, such as for goldfish? Mom would love to put some in the pond. None of the goldfish are very big, about the size of 1 to 2 inches, no bigger.

May have to get a snail or two for the tank at work! The kids would really get a kick out of them I think!

[Wild Turkey]

Mystery Snails can live in pretty low temperatures. At lower temps though..

The will live a lot longer, and be a lot less active. So they consume less and poop less
And they also may not breed, its hit or miss though they really only have one mission and thats to make baby snails. Your job is to remove the egg clutches before they hatch lol

[HeatherB]

So, now that almost all the algae is gone, how much/how often should I be putting algae wafers in? Like, every day, 2 for each side?

[Wild Turkey]

So, now that almost all the algae is gone, how much/how often should I be putting algae wafers in? Like, every day, 2 for each side?

Grind them up with a pestle and mortar, add a little calcium powder (drugstore) and water and freeze. Chip a little piece (wafer size) for every 6 or so snails daily, or every other day is fine as long as they are finding it and consuming it quickly (may be slow going the first few days)

[HeatherB]

they can't just do plain wafers? won't ice peices float?

[Wild Turkey]

they can't just do plain wafers? won't ice peices float?

Not for long It depends on the size of the piece also, but as soon as it begins to thaw it will sink.

They need a good source of calcium, and no common fish foods I know will suffice so thats pretty much the easiest way.

If they dont get the calcium their shells will begin to crack and then eventually fall apart