Ramshorns...why not?

[katana1200]

Hey all, been considering getting some ramshorns for my community tank. Have several pomecea diffusa, many many babies of the same, harlequin rasboras, zebra danios, panda corries, ghost shrimp, amano shrimp, kuhli loaches, a couple of bumblebee gobies, and waiting on a pair of albino bristle nose plecos.

Any reason I should not get ramshorns to add to the party? Tank is a 72 planted. I consider it moderately stocked at this time (after the baby snails find new homes) maybe even sparsely stocked. The biggest fish are the danios and rasboras and between the two schools there are only 16.

Tank parameters are all beatiful. I never clean the back wall just so there are snacks for everyone with the addition of fresh zuc, snail jello, green beans, etc. Love my snails and looking to add another species. Looks like the ramshorns can be very interesting to watch. Where is the best place to get them? Never seen any in the LFS around here. Maybe a breeder on the forum can chime in? How big do they get? Do they mostly enjoy the algea or do they like fresh veggies and snail jello as well? Thanks for the info.

 

[Lupin]

1 inch is the max in my experience. Ramshorns are truly fascinating creatures although mine cannot sustain their numbers easily since the other snails seem to readily outcompete them for food especially the Pomacea diffusa and MTS. There is no reason why you cannot keep ramshorns in your planted tank. They are not fussy eaters and will eat just about anything from veggies to commercial pellets.

 

[E's_Crab_Shack]

:iagree: Mine eat everything. Good clean up crew and they look just amazing when they get to that one inch size

 

[psyche]

The only caveat is in a rich environment they can breed excessively and end up everywhere--and feeding out for other snails tends to give more than enough food for a population explosion. You could add one ram (so it doesn't breed). You might also consider other snails. I have my apples with spixis and sulawesia snails.

 

[shadow999991]

i just got some red/ super reds the other day 4 for a $1 they look realy cool and they don't eat my plants like my apple snail do in my bigger tank

 

[Wycco]

No reason not to get them... HOWEVER, smaller ones may end up a snack for you ghost shrimp. My Palaemontes ghost shrimp will eat the smallest ramshorns (under about 3 or 4mm in diameter and they will eat some of the eggs.

Depending on how many shrimp (and whether yours learn to eat snails- I think it is a learned behaviour) and how many rams you get they may have a population boom or they may be unable to sustain numbers.

 

[katana1200]

The only caveat is in a rich environment they can breed excessively and end up everywhere--and feeding out for other snails tends to give more than enough food for a population explosion. You could add one ram (so it doesn't breed). You might also consider other snails. I have my apples with spixis and sulawesia snails.

I do have a convict cichlid in another tank that may not be opposed to helping keep the population in check. That sounds really cruel, but thus is the circle of life.

i just got some red/ super reds the other day 4 for a $1 they look realy cool and they don't eat my plants like my apple snail do in my bigger tank

Those sound like beautiful snails. I love the way red pops in a planted tank. May I ask where you found your snails? Is there a breeder or venodor on this forum that any of you know of with good looking rams?

No reason not to get them... HOWEVER, smaller ones may end up a snack for you ghost shrimp. My Palaemontes ghost shrimp will eat the smallest ramshorns (under about 3 or 4mm in diameter and they will eat some of the eggs.

Depending on how many shrimp (and whether yours learn to eat snails- I think it is a learned behaviour) and how many rams you get they may have a population boom or they may be unable to sustain numbers.

There are only a dozen or so ghosts in the tank and at the moment there are newly hatched pomacea diffusa in there with them. The shrimp will somtimes roll them around like little soccer balls but I don't believe they have been very successful at actually eating them. However if a few of the 400 or so that are in there have gone missing... I'm not sure I would have noticed. :eek3: