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Snails

Started by Guest_panfisherteen_* , Mar 22 2010 05:21 PM

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11 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_panfisherteen_*

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Posted 22 March 2010 - 05:21 PM

Well, today I spotted 3 snails in my tank (had to have snuck in with the elodea i got from Big Al's). Im wondering what they are exactly. They seem to move around at a decent speed, and by the looks of it like to graze off algae. Here are some pics, sorry if they arent too helpful:
Posted Image

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#2 Guest_Newt_*

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Posted 22 March 2010 - 05:38 PM

They are physids, AKA left-handed pond snails or pouch snails. They are sometimes called bladder snails, a British usage which has infected the American aquarium-keeping community. More specifically they are probably Physella acuta or a close cousin.

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#3 Guest_panfisherteen_*

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Posted 22 March 2010 - 06:24 PM

ah, so they are pretty much harmless to the tank

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#4 Guest_Newt_*

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Posted 22 March 2010 - 06:41 PM

Yeah. If you overfeed they can reach plague populations, but that is easily fixed by cutting back on feeding. They are a good cleanup crew. Some fish like to eat them, especially redear and pumkinseed sunfish, bullheads, and some darters.

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#5 Guest_panfisherteen_*

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Posted 22 March 2010 - 07:14 PM

would iowa darters or mudminnow eat them?

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#6 Guest_Newt_*

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Posted 22 March 2010 - 07:22 PM

Mudminnows definitely would. I don't know about the Iowa darters.

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#7 Guest_panfisherteen_*

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Posted 22 March 2010 - 07:33 PM

iowa darters might pick off smaller snails, but that might be a stretch given an iowa darter's size

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#8 Guest_panfisherteen_*

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Posted 23 March 2010 - 09:48 PM

i better get some mudminnows soon, i seen more adult snails today and i even seen two mate (at least im 95% sure they were)

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#9 Guest_threegoldfish_*

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Posted 24 March 2010 - 08:52 AM

My sunfish will eat pond snails so if you have any of those, you might try tossing the snails in with them.

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#10 Guest_panfisherteen_*

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Posted 24 March 2010 - 03:36 PM

if i didnt need to have a permit (which I cannot attain) to go collect sunfish i wouldnt have the problem :fishy:

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#11 Guest_Newt_*

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Posted 24 March 2010 - 06:10 PM

There's no need to get snail-killing fish. If you want to reduce your snail population just add some vegetables (green beans, zucchini, or blanched greens work great) and remove them when they have some snails gathered on them.