Do Pest snails eat plants

[chunkswrestles]

hey,
i was lookin in my tank and found some eggs from hitchhikin snails that i got with my plants. Do these snails eat live plants? Do MTS eat live plants?
thanks

 

[Wycco]

MTS do not under normal conditions eat live plants. They don't lay eggs either- so the eggs arn't MTS.

The eggs are going to most likely be bladder snails or Ramshorns. If so they're unlikely to eat your healthy plants- they would eat plants rather than starve but they prefer algae and dead/dying plant matter/ fish food- etc.

They also won't reproduce if food is not plentiful- so your plants should be safe... just don't overfeed.


Snails are a great addition to an aqaurium and have more pros than cons.

 

[bazil323]

Ditto. They are probably common ramshorns or pond snails. Neither eat live plants, they eat algae and vegies and stuff like that.

 

[msjinkzd]

they will nibble on unhealthy plants though

 

[jpappy789]

^yep. If its dead or decaying, they will. Otherwise they shouldn't touch healthy plants.

 

[Lupin]

In my experience, only the dead and dying plants are eaten.

 

[NickD]

In one of my tanks the ramshorns would eat live and healthy frogbit.

In my shrimp tank something is eating my needleleaf java fern, the healthy leaves. I have MTS, ramshorns and a nerite in there. I'm not positive but I think the MTS are doing it. There are a few large ones in there.

 

[jpappy789]

How much algae is available for the nerite? I'm just guessing but a semi-starving nerite might switch to plants if it's algae crave is not satisfied. Again, just guessing...

 

[NickD]

It's true there isn't much algae in this tank except for the black brush kind which nobody seems to be eating. But I have seen the MTS hanging off the java fern leaves. That's why I suspect them.

How much algae is available for the nerite? I'm just guessing but a semi-starving nerite might switch to plants if it's algae crave is not satisfied. Again, just guessing...