Snail ID Please :-)

[~firefly~]

I found two of these little things in my 15 litre moss tank. No doubt hitch-hikers that are benefiting from being in a tank with no assassin snails. At a glance I thought they were the bog standard pond snails, but these seem unusually pretty with those spots. Are they just stunningly good looking pond snails or something more special?

[talldutchie]

Pretty!

I've seen this somewhere... but where...... it certainly reminds me of Physella acuta but a very good look one.

[~firefly~]

Ah ha...bladder snails. Thanks. Could be. Yes, I've googled it and it looks like them. I wonder it they'll eat my plants? I've thrown in a tiny shrimp pellet for them to find.

[talldutchie]

They will munch on weak plants if there's nothing else.

My barbs love these if I crush them with my planting tweezers. Always leads to a game of snail patty football.

[~firefly~]

LOL, no thanks. I think I'll keep these unusual critters. If they eat my precious plants I'll throw in some assassins to finish them off for me. They might provide some supplementary food for the hundreds of assassins in my other tank actually. I'm developing a food chain.

[Brhino]

I don't have a species name for you, but it looks like your run-of-the-mill "pond snail" pest to me. You're certainly going to be seeing more of them soon, but it sounds like you understand what you're getting into.

[~firefly~]

Yeah, I'm not worries as assassins are available if need be. How evil does that sound?

[talldutchie]

Sounds to me like you've read Pratchett

[~firefly~]

No...actually I haven't. Should I? DiscWorld?

[talldutchie]

I've got the whole series. Don't look at me for an objective answer to that question.