Spixi says "Bladder Snails Are Yummy"

[Wycco]

So the mystery of why I've been finding lots of empty shells of Bladder Snails and Ramshorns in my tank the last week or two has been solved.

The prime suspect is found guilty as charged.

What do you have to say for yourself Ms Spixi?


Spixi is out of focus but you can see the bladder snail clearly on this photo.
http://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq246/MeijerIsLiverpoolsKing/Spixi1.jpg


On this photo you can see the Spixi nicely but not the bladder snail so well.

http://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq246/MeijerIsLiverpoolsKing/Spixi2.jpg



Either way... glad I've finally solved the mystery...




I personally don't care that my spixi like to eat bladder snails and ramshorns... It's actually quite nice of them to keep the population down a little... but the question is: Is this a sign of them missing nutrition? Or is this just Spixis being Spixis...

Most people on here said their Spixis don't eat snails... yet here mine are caught on camera.

What makes mine vicious predators and others docile puppies?

[vampie]

It's likely Spixis being hybrids.. I've never heard of pure ones eating other snails, but hybrids have been known to eat smaller snails as well as pests like hydra, much like Marisas.

[petluvr]

Never seen this in my spixi tank, I would have to agree with vampie on this one.

[Wycco]

It is possible they are hybrids- although the girl I got these from said they didn't eat snails either... she didn't think they were hybrids- although if the person she got them from didn't tell her who is to know?

Although if you research Spixi's online other people say they eat other snails too... of course online you also see they're nocturnal, bury themselves during the day and eat plants... mine do none of the above- they're out during the day- leave plants, don't bury themselves.

They've left my plants alone... I would have expected hybrids to be eating my plants.

Really cool watching the carnage- you can actually see the spixi's mouth inside the shell of the snail because the shell isn't 100% opaque.

Hybrids or not... they're a really cool little snail.



(regarding all the misinformation online- I'm wondering if I should be taking my eggs out... they're laying egg sacs every other day- online everything I've read said left in the tank the babies won't survive because everything eats them... I hope that's right or I'll be over-run with the little bluggers.)

[Wycco]

Now... this is fascinating- just went back in the kitchen to get a drink and noticed a little juvenille Brig inside the very same snail shell.

Obvioulsy the Brigg isn't a predator- and just happened to come across a dead half-eaten snail and being the scavenger that it is decided to finnish the meal. The Brig being barely larger than the bladder snail that was eaten seems to be able to fit in the shell to finnish off the remnants better.

I'm just hoping the smaller briggs arn't in danger of becoming lunch. (they do have trapdoors that the bladders and ramshorns don't have).

[vampie]

That really is the problem with Spixis.. it's hard to get good solid information on them, since no one's really sure what they have. A lot of people will claim this or that, and say their Spixis are pure because they've never kept them with Marisas, but who knows what the person they got them from was doing, or the person that person got them from...