What would you pay for MTS at auction?

[Dahlia]

They're parthenogenetic anyway... which means you only need one. From what I've read they are all female and give live birth to female only snails. Weirdos.

Snails seem pretty diverse that way. Pond snails are supposed to be both sexes, and apple snails are male or female only.

Also, I have never paid for them... they're like pond snails and come in on the plants/with the fish unexpected. Unless there is some larger, prettier species I haven't heard about I'm kind of surprised they would charge you for it. Most LFS will let you collect as many as you want for free in my experience. They tend to be abundant in the plant tank.

 

[ChilDawg]

There are some male MTS out there, I believe, but I've read that NONE of the ones in the hobby are male because of the prolificacy of the females in parthogenesis.

Anonapersona, if I can't get them for free, I will be sure to pm you! Thanks very much for the offer.

 

[Dahlia]

The only source I had on the parthenogenesis was that apple snail book we mentioned in the other thread. That's interesting about the males. Have you found any good sites on these? They're one of my favorites... make me think of earthworms for the tank.

 

[ChilDawg]

Well, RTR has some info on MTS in this article from AquaSource at Tom's Place: http://www.tomgriffin.com/aquamag/snail.html

I haven't found any sites with more than a blurb about them, but I'll keep looking.

 

[ChilDawg]

Here we go: http://www.malawicichlidhomepage.com/aquainfo/snails.html

 

[Dapple2]

99 cents for an MTS?! I can't imagine that any shop wouldn't give some freebies with a plant no matter how many you scooped up... That someone would bother to aution them is even more incredible.....but then again, I saw someone put pond snails up once too....

 

[ChilDawg]

Hell, if I get a culture going, I'll start putting them up on eBay, too! Someone, apparently, will buy them...

 

[cdawson]

I pay 15 cents for them at a couple of the local stores here. Your best to culture hundreds of them and sell them like 10 for a dollar.

 

[ChilDawg]

I might just do that...it'd be competitive with the costs as shown on eBay...