I noticed in your sig that you have a 2.5 gal snail tank and I was just wondering how you went about setting it up and getting started with your snails and what not. I have a 2.5 gallon and I'm hoping to be able to raise my own snails to feed to my dwarf puffers in it. I'd like to get started with the snails before I get my puffers.
Oddball~: ? about your 2.5 snail tank
- Thread starter gritscwgrl22
- Start date
I'm not Oddball but I also have a snail tank. Add water, dechlorinate, add some gravel any will do, add soem live plants or fake ones (for looks) and add some snails. Pond and rams horn seem to be the fastest at breeding. I add veggies a couple of times a week, just drop them in and the snails will munch down. I don't do a lot of work on the tank. If your water hardness is low add in something like a cuttle bone or scallop shell. Tehy don't really need a heater or filter.
Get like 20 pestering snails from the LFS, add water, dechlorinate, add some gravel, no cycle needed, but I think bare bottom works best. Add lots of live plants, preferably bushy since you get the most surface space per plant. Add the snails, wait 1 day. There is no need for filter or heater since the snails get oxygen from the plants and directly from the air (at least mine do).
After 1 day, add 2 dark lettuce pieces, maybe 2x2 inches (give or take), and let it float. Or get zucchini or cucumbers, but lettuce is the easiest to work with in my opinion. Most people blanch the veggies so they sink, but I don't see why. Wait maybe a day and you'll see all the snails moshing and clumping and grouping on the lettuce. Add more lettuce when it's gone, if the lettuce last more than 3 days, take it out.
Wait 1-3 weeks and you'll see clear balls with white eggs in it. Wait one month after you see eggs, and you should see snails the size of the period at the end of this sentence. Continue doing this until your desire for puffers ends (which will never happen
).
Notes:
- Water changes are not necessary in the normal aquarium sense, maybe gravel vac 1/2 a gallon every month or two months. The poop acts as fertilizers for the plants (I have never had healthier plants).
- Keep the tank in a sunnier spot. This will make the algae grow like nuts and the snails have nice amounts of food to eat. If you get lots of algae, don't feed the snails as often.
- Don't overheat the tank whatever you do. Keep between 68*-85*.
- Floating flakes for fish do well, also, in case you don't have lettuce or other veggies.
- Dark veggies and green veggies work best.
- Be patient, this isn't really an overnight kinda thing.
- Snails are actually really cool when you look at them, they actually swim! They float and sink at will because of an air bladder, and can drift somewhat side to side, OK, they aren't REALLY swimming, but it's still cool.
After 1 day, add 2 dark lettuce pieces, maybe 2x2 inches (give or take), and let it float. Or get zucchini or cucumbers, but lettuce is the easiest to work with in my opinion. Most people blanch the veggies so they sink, but I don't see why. Wait maybe a day and you'll see all the snails moshing and clumping and grouping on the lettuce. Add more lettuce when it's gone, if the lettuce last more than 3 days, take it out.
Wait 1-3 weeks and you'll see clear balls with white eggs in it. Wait one month after you see eggs, and you should see snails the size of the period at the end of this sentence. Continue doing this until your desire for puffers ends (which will never happen
).Notes:
- Water changes are not necessary in the normal aquarium sense, maybe gravel vac 1/2 a gallon every month or two months. The poop acts as fertilizers for the plants (I have never had healthier plants).
- Keep the tank in a sunnier spot. This will make the algae grow like nuts and the snails have nice amounts of food to eat. If you get lots of algae, don't feed the snails as often.
- Don't overheat the tank whatever you do. Keep between 68*-85*.
- Floating flakes for fish do well, also, in case you don't have lettuce or other veggies.
- Dark veggies and green veggies work best.
- Be patient, this isn't really an overnight kinda thing.
- Snails are actually really cool when you look at them, they actually swim! They float and sink at will because of an air bladder, and can drift somewhat side to side, OK, they aren't REALLY swimming, but it's still cool.
Thanks you guys!! This really helps me a lot. I've already got a 2 gallon set up and it does have a filter. I currently have it running w/o a strainer on the intake tube and i'm not sure if i should leave it like that or if it would be safe to stick the sponge from an algae scubber thing on the end of the tube. I could get a strainer but the sponge is just something i have on hand. I think that if i just leave it though, i'd loose little snails in the filter. one of my lfs's has agreed to give me their pest snails when they have them so i'll i have a supply until i get a breeding stock going. Its a very small pet food store that doesn't have any animals besides a small selection of fish and aquatic plants (and the Save Our Strays Cat Center {love my kitty!}) so everything is well taken care of.
Thanks again
steph
Thanks again
steph
How do they manage that??
Have you ever seen the inside of a marineland bio-wheel filter? stupid question, I'm sure you have. But anyways...there's a little thing that spins around at the base of the intake tube and there's no way a baby snail could get past that and survive. I think its called the magnetic impeller.
Also, it's rated at 35gph. is that a lot for a 2 gal? When i used to have fish in it they would always have trouble getting away from the intake so i'm thinking it is. I guess since its just for snails it doesn't really matter to much, but i just want to make sure. Oh one more thing, how much space is needed at the top of the tank for the snails to lay their eggs pouches? I've got about 2 inches should i take out some water to add more space?
Thanks so much!
Steph
Have you ever seen the inside of a marineland bio-wheel filter? stupid question, I'm sure you have. But anyways...there's a little thing that spins around at the base of the intake tube and there's no way a baby snail could get past that and survive. I think its called the magnetic impeller.
Also, it's rated at 35gph. is that a lot for a 2 gal? When i used to have fish in it they would always have trouble getting away from the intake so i'm thinking it is. I guess since its just for snails it doesn't really matter to much, but i just want to make sure. Oh one more thing, how much space is needed at the top of the tank for the snails to lay their eggs pouches? I've got about 2 inches should i take out some water to add more space?
Thanks so much!
Steph
I have actually seen several snails inside my filters. They may not be going inside the pickup tube, but may be climbing up the outside of it. Either way, like TKOS said, they seem to love it in there.