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Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V1 #232



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>
>From: franc at golden_golden.net
>Date: Sun, 4 Feb 1996 00:45:05 +0000
>Subject: Re: Phantom snails and SAE
>
>Hello all,
>
>A really strange thing happened the other night. I got up to
>get a drink (of juice only) and I decided to check my tank.
>
>I didn't turn the lights at first and when my eyes adjusted to
>the light the bottom, which is by the way almost entirely covered
>by java moss, I saw literally hundreds of little white 'specks'
>covering the moss. It looked as though there was a snow fall !!
>
>I immediately turned the lights on and discovered hundreds if
>not thousands of little snails happily munching on the algae that
>must have grown on java moss during the day.Av size was 3mm.
>
>I never saw any algae myself but since plants apparently were never
>damaged  it seemed the most probable explanation.
>
>And I thought I didn't have any snails !!!!! I don't know what
>I should do about it (if anything) but I would welcome some
>suggestions from the members of this mailing list.
>
......Rest deleted..............

Hi Frank,

I would leave them alone.  They are probably eating attached algae that
would otherwise cover plants and everything.  Do you see them just on the
plants at night, or are they elsewhere?  If they have long conical shells
they could be Malaysian livebearing snails, which are said to spend time
burrowing in the gravel during the day. They seem awfully little to be
them, however.

I saw your pictures and was much impressed.

Paul Krombholz                  Tougaloo College, Tougaloo, MS  39174
Where it almost never snows, but I wish it would.