Re: [Killietalk] Snails

["Ken" <ken_combs at sbcglobal.net>]

I've tried them all, and hate most...I've settled on the apple type
snails...they don't eat plants.."seem" to leave eggs alone and don't
reproduce to biblical proportions

KC

-----Original Message-----
From: killietalk-bounces at aka_org [mailto:killietalk-bounces at aka_org] On
Behalf Of Roger L. Sieloff
Sent: Tuesday, June 09, 2009 11:07 PM
To: killifish discussion list
Subject: Re: [Killietalk] Snails


Hey gang,
              Today I went to the lfs to get some snails for my fry tanks,
the only type I could get out of their tanks were some Malaysian livebearing
snails. I understand these burrow into the gravel but I don't keep gravel in
my tanks so I was wondering if these will still prosper and breed in my
tanks?

////////////////////////////////////////////

The snails which have worked best for me are the African rams horn types. I
was raising fry in little 2 pint bowls at one point and used the snails to
eat excess baby brine shrimp. For some odd reason the water stayed clear due
to the fact the snails cleaned up the uneaten shrimp and I also believe
there was something in the snail droppings which discouraged bacterial
blooms. The droppings were easy to clean up by swirling the bowl and then
using a big eyedropper to collect the pile of snail poop which accumulated
in the center of the bowl. It all worked quite well in a tiny bowl with no
water changes and a substantial amount of organic input.

Fish keepers either love or hate Malaysian (Myranmarian??) trumpet snails.
The ones who like them say they appreciate the fact they keep the gravel
well conditioned, since they are technically earthworms with shells. The
disadvantages appear to me to be mostly ascetic. These snails display their
roach personalities by breeding prolifically and mostly only coming out at
night. I guess people are shocked to find roaches all over their kitchen
walls and the aquatic sort covering every square inch of their tanks should
the lights come on around 1 AM. Also, just like roaches, Malaysian trumpet
snails are extremely hard to get rid of once established. Burn down the
house to get rid of the bugs and/or fill the tank with bleach to get rid of
the snails once and for all. There has been numerous discussions on the list
whether these sorts of snails eat killifish eggs. I don't think any firm
answer was ever reached. As far as my own breeding experience has gone, I
think fungus is a far greater threat to killifish eggs than snails are.

Does anyone have any red rams horns? This is a very lovely albino form of
this species. I have tanks full of the dark kinds, but would really like to
breed some of the pink ones again. Contact me privately if you would like to
sell/trade/donate. Thanks!




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