Cool snail...

[nursie]

I had my lights on later than the timer usually allows tonight finishing up cleaning my tanks. Much to my suprise I looked at the bottom and saw a spiral snail on the bottom, whitish in color and about an inch long. I knew I had some very small spiral snails and never saw any big ones so assumed the loaches ate them all.
Does anyone have these or know anything about them? I'm assuming they are good to have when you have plants, I would thienk they would keep the substrate open instead of compacted.

 

[Harlock]

Sounds like it could be a Malaysian trumpet snail. Do a google searcha nd see if it looks like what you find, Nursie. I like MTS in my tank. They clean up dead plant matter and so long as I don't overfeed, they don't come in too large of numbers. Also, they do keep my sand aerated, which is a nice bonus.

 

[Kasakato]

Sounds like a MTS. Google for pictures. IV got some, but I overfeed so I got a ton. If you dont want them, take them out now!

 

[Kasakato]

Arrrggg! Harlock beat me too it.

 

[Leopardess]

Yah, MTS most likely...though they should be dark. Sounds like your calcium is low (which shouldn't bother you unless you're trying to grow snails...).

 

[nursie]

I found this pic and shrunk it, it was huge. You guys are right, as usual, looks like a MTS to me. I have incredible calcium hardness, so I think that the snail is just light colored. It realy looks like the one in this pic, complete with the little brown spots on the shell.

I have a friend that is a fish "expert"...she had a fit becasue she got these in a tank, tore the whole thing apart to get rid of them. What in the world for? Of course this is the same friend that thinks ICH lives in yout tank and salt won't kill it.

 

[Kasakato]

I could see why she did that. If you overfeed, these snails can reproduce like crazy. At one time I had over 200. Now with reduced feeding Iv got a nice collection of about 10.

 

[ash]

Yeah, I agree that's a smidge crazy. I like my MTSs. And like the others pointed out, if you control your feeding you'll control the snails. And then the world...anyway. I have two that started out bitty and are now about an inch or so long- I've had them for about two years.

 

[nursie]

At one time I had over 200.

Wow! That's a lot. I got the loaches for snail control, and I leave snails in so they can have live food. I have some good sized ramshorns, which i leave in for breeding stock, just haven't seen a large MTS.

 

[Leopardess]

Hmm, looks like a calcium deficiency to me...see the pinholes and the large missing hole at the base? I mean, it doesn't really matter anyway, unless you are trying to breed them. It's fine.

I love my MTS. They're a lot of fun to watch.