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Snail shells

hermel at ibm_de wrote:
<<<<<<<Date: Mon, 20 Jan 1997 13:11:32 +0100 (NFT)
Subject: Apple snail shells
Hi everybody,
following the thread about apple snails, I wonder if it is possible in my
setup 
to add one or two or if my water is too soft for them to develop healthy
shells.
My setup: KH/GH 3-4, PH (via CO2 injection) 6.7-6.8, tank size 60 gallons,
temperature 80-83 F, fish are Discus, neon tetras, corys, SAEs,
ancistrus.>>>>>>


I have water parameters quite similar, maybe just a bit softer (dGH and dKH
between 2 and 3) and warmer (86 F). I see that ramshorn snails do not do too
well and can't establish a population (I guess due to the
softness/temperature combination), pond snails do OK, but do not multiply
too much (good!), trumpet snails have established themselves only a few
months ago (after several unsuccessful introductions) and are multiplying
actively. In all cases the shells do not look as good as they do in tanks
with better hardness parameters. The two times I tried apple snails, they
never lasted more than few weeks, and they did not have the time to develop
problems with their shell. I think persistently high temperatures are in
general not good for them, although exceptions may exist and 80 F are not
really that high (aren't your Discus a little cold at that temperature?).
You may try to periodically "overwinter" them in a cooler tank (I never
tried, though). I would quarantine them as any other fish before of
introducing them in a display tank: I do not have my books with me now, but
if I remember well they can be carriers of "black spot disease" (ugly, but
not normally deadly).  I have the feeling that once one of them I had in
quarantine spread the disease to my angelfish tank through equipment or live
food (I can't really be sure though, it's an hypothesis). If you have
plants, let us know if you get a good or a bad one in terms of plant-eating
habits!

Dionigi