Snails. What kind of snail am I looking for?

Darkness9876

AC Members
Aug 11, 2008
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No Where Kansas
Well I am looking for a snail and don't know much so I would like some input. I want something that I can see during the day and has a little more personality that my mts. I want something that won't multiply to be a nusience, is fairly patterned or colorful, won't eat my plants, and won't be bothered by my fish and shrimp. I also don't want to buy one that costs as much as my tank so keep that in mind.

My tank has around 12g water, it runs at anywhere from 80-88f. It has a fluval 2 running 105gph

As for the water is ran through a watersoftening system but if need be I can supplement it with water that has not been through the system and is 14grains hard. We also have a Reverse osmosis system. I am no expert on water and would like a little info on what is best to use, all I know at the moment is that I mist it with RO water so it won't buildup on my plants and glass. I don't know the nitrates or any of that either. However my Mts have grown quite rapidly since I got them and they have beautiful new shell growth so I assume my water is not too soft for them.

I have 8 glofish a few ghost shrimp and some Mts, some "nana" anubis and some java. I don't want a giant snail though. the largest I would want would be quarter sized. I saw a snail the otherday but can't seem to remember where at, I belive it was called a zebra something and was very pretty.

Anyhow I just want some info on snail keeping and what would be a good snail for me.

Oh this is off subject but msjinkzd you have some really cool hair, not many girls pull off the punk look well, especially where I live in kansas so its nice to see someone who can pull off a mohawk.
 
sounds to me like you're describing mystery snails. they come in lots of colors, black, white, blue, and even stripes, they lay eggs above the water line so you can control whether and how much they reproduce and they never get bigger than a quarter or at the largest one of the new Presidential $1 coins. they are safe from just about anything but aggressive cichlids. And you'll NEVER have an algae problem in a tank with mystery snails..:woot:
 
Yep, I think your best match is Pomacea bridgesii/diffusa, the "mystery snail". My favorite colors are purple striped, blues, and golds. A good jade (olive color) can be really stunning as well.

Stop on over at the Snails and Invertebrate Lovers group (it's under Quick Links at the top of the page, in the Networking Category you'll see Social Groups) and you can see some photos of the various snails we all have.
 
or what!!!!!!!

lol

zebra nerite is a very nive snail to have but you will have to supplement there diets.
 
There's a couple of neat nerites snails that fit the bill::
C.corona and c.brevispinosa have cool spikes. I peronally have no good pics but I will have some soon.

Here's a Zebra nerite (N. natalensis) from my tank
picture.php
 
A pomacea bridgesii will get to the size of a golfball and is a pretty heavy waste producer for its size (they need about 2.5g per snail). Nerites are very nice, they will lay eggs but the eggs will not hatch in freshwater so they may be a good fit for you. That being said, nothing matches the personality of a bridgesii snail. They are my alltime favorite and my children's favorite as well. They are very visible, photogenic, and do all sorts of fun antics like parasnailing. Most snails (other than common snails like ramshorn, mts, and pond snails) will need a pH well over 7 to retain good shell health and need a diet supplemented with calcium to encourage good shell growth. Nerites are heavy algae eaters, but can be supplemented with wafers or veggies.

p.s. Thanks for the complement on the hair, lol. Its not for everyone but really suits me!
 
I love that nerite and as it will not become a monster as big as a softball I think I want one of those. This solves one of my problems, If I have something and I like it then I have a problem getting rid of it if it gets to big or too many. Maybe thats why I had 50 goats last year.

Anyway how much would a zebra nerite cost?
 
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