my new mystery snail!

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janetdc1

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Aug 25, 2007
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I purchased my first black mystery snail to put in with my female betta. I was so worried because it wouldn't come out of its shell for several hours and now it is moving all over!
It is really cool- fascinating to watch- but, I have a few questions.
First, will he eat algae pellets? How much and how often, and also what else does he like?
I checked the water in the 1 And 1/2 gallon bowl today and ammonia is at zero.
Also, I know snails don't like salt, does this include aquarium salt? My mollies and platys have some aquarium salt added to their tank and I have some pond snails in there and they seem to be thriving-but I wouldn't want to chance hurting this mystery snail-
anyway, I thought I would know what to do with him- but, I realized there isn't any naturally growing algae in my bowl, and I change the water frequently, so, chances are there wont be much algae growth in the future.
anyway, ideas, suggestions, advice greatly appreciated!!!!
who knew a snail could be so cool?
Janet
 

ILOVEBETTAS

It's Cory Lover's cat!
1. Yes, he will.
2. You shouldn't add salt un-needed with a betta.
3. Feed him some veggies!

And by the way, a bowl isn't a home for a snail... apples grow to the size of a golfball or bigger.
 

janetdc1

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Aug 25, 2007
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1. Yes, he will.
2. You shouldn't add salt un-needed with a betta.
3. Feed him some veggies!

And by the way, a bowl isn't a home for a snail... apples grow to the size of a golfball or bigger.
thanks!
How much should I feed him? He is about 3/4inch diameter-
I have both the female betta and the snail in the bowl only temporarily.
I haven't added salt to my betta's water- I was wondering for later, when I add him to a larger 30 gallon . I have a 30 gal with mollies and platys,- I had thought about adding him to the molly tank but there is quite a bit of aquarium salt in there(had probs with ich) and so I wondered if he would tolerate it.
Is a mystery snail the same as an apple snail?
he is so cool!
Veggies-like zucchini? cucumber? lettuce?
thanks again!
j
 

Flaringshutter

Befriend a feeder!
Oct 17, 2006
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bettas aren't the best tankmates for apple snails. i don't know of anyone who has kept them together (myself included) without issues. bettas are nippy fish and tend to bite off the snails' tentacles.
he would be much better off in the larger tank, though mollies and platies can be just as problematic as bettas. i would try putting him in the 30 gallon for a while, just watch for nipping. as long as your fish don't have ich right now, you shouldn't need to add salt to the tank. however, snails are able to tolerate a low salt concentration (very low).
veggies are good - especially high-calcium veggies like collard greens, parsley, kale, mustard greens. the darker green, the better. green beans are popular as well in my tank.

check out applesnail.net. the site is great, and the forums there are incredibly helpful. :)
 

thebullit

smile it confuses people
Apr 29, 2007
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ime it was the guppies that nipped at my apples snails not the other fish mentiond which i keep, the bettas keep them selves to them selfs and the mollies there just well to in love lol.
 

janetdc1

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Aug 25, 2007
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bettas

check out applesnail.net. the site is great, and the forums there are incredibly helpful. :)
That site is GREAT! Thanks!
I watched my snail as it scaled the side of its container yesterday, and reached out it's long siphon- I thought "oh cool! I think it's breathing!"
The pictures on that site confirmed what I saw and the anatomy section is awesome!
thanks!
So far, my sweet little betta, "violet", leaves the snail alone. she is pretty timid as bettas go- otherwise I wouldn't have tried the snail. But I will watch closely-
My son is upgrading his platy tank and really wants a snail so I might let him have this one.
Snails are cool!
J
 

Flaringshutter

Befriend a feeder!
Oct 17, 2006
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Southern California
That site is GREAT! Thanks!
J
Glad to help! It's the best site on the net for apple snails. I highly recommend joining the forum, it's a relatively small community of wonderful, sweet people with immense knowledge about snails. We'd love to see you over there.

Snails are cool!
Watch out- it's easy to become addicted! Whatever you do, stay away from the aquabid snail section.... I started out with two of your standard "mystery snail" (pomacea bridgesii), now I have 13 - four different species- and about 80 babies waiting to be shipped out to a new home. :) I have photos in the link in my signature. They're the coolest little creatures.
 
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