2.5 gallon Kritter Keeper with a snail?

1. Brig (apple, mystery)
2.You could use a small box filter or you could rely on water changes.
3.I don't believe you can really "cycle" a tank that small (back to #2)
4.They will eat just about anything you will give them.
5. Gravel and plastic plants are fine

You'll need to find out how hard your water is. They need lots of calcium to keep their shells in good shape. You may want to check www.applesnails.net


Kim

i'd go for a columbian ramshorn or a mystery snail, they will get around 2-2 1/2 inches in diameter for the rh, and (i think) a little bigger than golf ball size for the mystery. you can also find red ramshorns on ebay. they're much smaller, you could fit more. snails don't need pristine water so really, you could have a couple of any kind.

i would get a small filter, but you don't really need an air pump unless you have one handy. these snails have air tubes and will stick them up above the water line if there isn't enough oxygen in the water. make sure there is some air space b/t the water line and the top of the tank for this purpose.

i don't think you have to cycle it, but you should get some plants for the tank. rams will eat them, mystery snails won't, but they will keep the water cleaner.

i think snails will eat pretty much anything. mine get algae tabs, zucchini, and aquatic plants. you may want to get some cuttlebone (sold in the pet bird section) and put it in there. you can let it dissolve or anchor it inside the tank. this will keep their growing shells healthy.

plastic is safe, but why not get a live plant that they can nibble on? they will be happier with a live plant (at last, i would be if i were a snail) and if you feed them other stuff, they will only go for the plant when they are hungry.

make sure you have a lid, sometimes they like to go on adventures, which is bad.

those filters look fine. i didn't know there was such a thing as a disposable filter. my snail tank is pretty overstocked and there's a moor in it, so i do a 10% change every day. with one or two snails i don't think you need to do more than a 20% change every week if you do use a filter, but make sure that you vaccum the gravel. they do poop a bit.

i'm sure if you go to your LFS they can tell you which plants do well in low light. you can get plastic if you want (of course, it is your tank, after all) but i don't worry about keeping my plants alive in the snail tank because they are there for the snails to eat and climb on and lay eggs in (and for the moor to nibble on).

twice i have bought snails through ebay and have had 100% survival. they have a bunch of kinds, the only problem is that most auctions are for multiple snails and the sellers usually send extra. my auction for 6 snails got me 8 of them, and my auction for 5 got me 11. you might find one for a single snail, otherwise see if any fishkeeping friends want some too.

as far as free walmart ones goes, it depends on what kind you want. all they probably have are the plain common pond snails which hitchhike on plants.

i don't know if they can reproduce on their own, but some snails can store sperm from previous matings and breed even without a mate at a later time. and they look boring and stay really small.

do you live anywhere near me? i'll give you one of mine!