Spixi eggs

[furfinsfeathers]

I've got asolene spixi snail eggs again and would love to get a few babies out of them this time as I'm down to only 2 old adults left. I don't know if they're fertile. How can I tell? Last time I think the eggs got eaten by fish. I've moved the dwarf gourami and swordtail out of the tank. The only current fishy inhabitants are neon tetras and bristlenose plecos. Will either eat the eggs? Do I need to remove either or should I move the eggs? I think I've read spixi eggs need extra good filtration? Anything else I need to know? Help, please!

 

[excuzzzeme]

The BN might. Simply watch the eggs. If they start out milky and generally go clear they are indeed fertile.

 

[Wycco]

.Yeah, the clearer they are the nearer to hatching. The young are tiny when hatched and very vulnerable. I've had more success leaving them where they're laid than moving them to a sterile environment though- I think they need all the little wee-beasties an established tank has.


Mine seem to start breeding and laying eggs after I give them freeze-dried tubifex worms as opposed to just general pellets/flakes etc.

I think Spixis in general have a much higher protein need than most other species of snail- give 'em plenty of protein and they'll keep producing more eggs for you. I've found not many of the tiny snails that hatch make it to adulthood... could be something I'm doing wrong though... but I think on average 2 or 3 snails from each egg batch survive (at least in my tank- I think the others get eaten)...

 

[toddnbecka]

I had a couple dozen spixi's at one time. They laid plenty of eggs, yet I never had any increase in population. I did occaisonally find small, empty shells, but from what I could see only enough actually survived to maturity to replace the adults that died off (presumably from old age.)

 

[furfinsfeathers]

So with BN plecos and neon tetras as tankmates, it's probably the young snails that are getting eaten, rather than the eggs, and it would probably be best to move the fish to another established tank if the eggs start getting clearer? Anyone disagree?