How many snails/gallon?

[boobiebutt]

I know this probably varies per species and other variables such as amount of water changes, filteration, etc. But I'm most interested in MTS and Ramshorn snails.

1) What is the general stocking limit for these snails per gallon. I currently have 5 Ramshorns in a 2.5 gallon but they laid eggs in 6-7 different parts of the tanks in the last 3-4 days. I've also found at least 10-15 baby snails (about 1mm in size) roaming around too.

2) I'm wondering if the snails will stop reproducing once a certain population is reached in a limited environment/ecosystem or do they continue to breed reguardless of the envirnment/ecosystem?

3) If I reduce the amount of food intake, would it reduce reproduction?

 

[barbuto]

1. Not sure

2. The more food there is, the more the snails will reproduce.

3. Yes, if the baby snails do not have a sufficient enough amount of food intake they will eventually die off. If you keep feeding under control, this will also keep population under control, to an extent.

 

[FasterShrimpo]

1. Don't worry they produce very little bio-load.

2.They reproduce under almost tank environment.

3.Yes they will start to breed less. Unless you love these little buggers.

 

[dixienut]

if fed alot they will make a bio load,.. for rams anyhow,..
they will reproduce with food and will need water changes more than normal if left to get out of hand if you don't feed extra for them most will not over populate but careful of extra food,.. also might want to pick them out and destroy some to keep numbers under control

mts reproduce to avaliable food,..

as long as there is enough food they will breed no matter what amount is there they will just suffer bad shells etc,..

 

[E's_Crab_Shack]

You could siphone the smaller ones out when you do a water change/cleaning

 

[Lupin]

1) What is the general stocking limit for these snails per gallon. I currently have 5 Ramshorns in a 2.5 gallon but they laid eggs in 6-7 different parts of the tanks in the last 3-4 days. I've also found at least 10-15 baby snails (about 1mm in size) roaming around too.

When it comes to MTS and ramshorns, there is no fixed rule for stocking guidelines. These snails will proliferate regardless of your attempts to stop them. A 2.5g can fit at least 20 though if you think you're up to doing more water changes otherwise the water conditions will deteriorate quickly.

2) I'm wondering if the snails will stop reproducing once a certain population is reached in a limited environment/ecosystem or do they continue to breed reguardless of the envirnment/ecosystem?

No, they will not stop producing. Only your food supply will influence the outcome. If possible, ditch the adults and raise the young ones. Maintain the number to a desired level although it may not be fixed but at least, there's a bracket guideline for you.

3) If I reduce the amount of food intake, would it reduce reproduction?

Yes.

 

[boobiebutt]

From my knowledge, most people feed 1 pellet per 10-20 shrimps. I feed about 1/4 or 1/5 of a pellet for all my snails and shrimp every other day. The size is about 1/4-1/5 of a grain of rice for all 4 shrimp and 5 snails. I also toss in various vegetable leaves about 1 square cm once a week.

Should I be reducing the amount I'm feeding to lower the reproduction rate slightly? I'm not looking to completely stop the population growth but maybe just stunt it slightly so its slower?