Swordtail keeps nipping at my apple snail

myswtsins

myswtsins

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Jun 15, 2008
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Over the past few days I have noticed my male swordtail platy nipping at my apple snail. My snail usually is very out in the open, I have a hard time getting it to close up sometime actually but not the past couple days. I did notice a little bit of her shell seems almost chipped, I will try to get pictures.

I have seen him chase the cherry barbs a little too. I did add my betta back into the tank a few days ago, he is a good boy and has been in the tank with them before. Do you think that could have anything to do with it?

Parameters are 0, 0 & 5 (ammonia, nitrites & nitrates) and no other fish seem to be acting strange. WOW, as I typed that I looked over at my tank and my bristlenose pleco is "cleaning" the snail all over, from shell to trap door. Think the snail is sick or something? I am going to move her just in case!
 
Also I forgot to mention that the swordtail trolls along the surface of the water a lot, the same way that he does when he is eating. It "looks" like he is gasping for air but I have a bubble wand in there and until a few hours ago I had an eheim 2213 spraybar at the surface of the water so there was a lot of surface agitation. And again none of the other fish are doing this.
 
I doubt your snail is sick, my bn constantly groom the snails shell. I would be most concerned about the ability for your snail to eat with the harassment from the swordtail. What are you feeding? How does its shelllook otherwise? What is your pH?
 
Sounds like your swordtail boy needs some girls to chase around. Make sure he has at least 3 in there with him.

Otherwise, my livebearers are ravenous eaters. They constantly skim the surface for food and will attempt to molest anything that sinks to the bottom for my catfish.

I've learned to distract the livebearers with floating food, then dropping sinking pellets to the bottom. Also, you might drop in sinking pellets a couple hours after dark for the nocturnal snail to eat.... while the swordtail is asleep.
 
msjinkzd said:
I doubt your snail is sick, my bn constantly groom the snails shell. I would be most concerned about the ability for your snail to eat with the harassment from the swordtail. What are you feeding? How does its shelllook otherwise? What is your pH?
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Yes, I always noticed my BN grooming my snails shells but never their body. I feed algae wafers & shrimp pellets, my Ph is 8.2.

Right now I have the snail and swordtail in separate breeding nets, the snail so I can make sure she is getting some food and the swordtail for observation.

Galaxie said:
Sounds like your swordtail boy needs some girls to chase around. Make sure he has at least 3 in there with him.

Otherwise, my livebearers are ravenous eaters. They constantly skim the surface for food and will attempt to molest anything that sinks to the bottom for my catfish.

I've learned to distract the livebearers with floating food, then dropping sinking pellets to the bottom. Also, you might drop in sinking pellets a couple hours after dark for the nocturnal snail to eat.... while the swordtail is asleep.
Click to expand...
That makes a lot of sense! I never knew that livebearers eating habits change when they do not have mates around. His mate died awhile ago, birthing complications. All the fish, except the bn & betta, in this tank are going to a new home soon so I do not want to add any additional fish at this point.

I planned on setting up a small tank for the betta, bn & apple snail after these fish were gone but I guess I will set that up now. What do you think the smallest tank is that I keep those 3 in? I am thinking with the larger bio-loads of the bn & snail a 10 gal is about the minimum. I'm running out of space. :)
 
myswtsins said:
That makes a lot of sense! I never knew that livebearers eating habits change when they do not have mates around.

I planned on setting up a small tank for the betta, bn & apple snail after these fish were gone but I guess I will set that up now. What do you think the smallest tank is that I keep those 3 in? I am thinking with the larger bio-loads of the bn & snail a 10 gal is about the minimum. I'm running out of space. :)
Click to expand...

Typically, livebearers need to be kept at a 3:1 female:male ratio. This keeps a lone female from being overly harassed by the male. ....which causes her stress. I didn't mean to infer that this could change their eating habits, but....... similar to any schooling fish, when they are not in their comfort zone, many of their habits may change.
 
raising this thread from the grave...

my mickey mouse platys are nipping all over my snail. i thought at first just they were munching something on the shell, but they were poking at flesh.

Should i be concerned? Will they harm the snail or just annoy the **** out of it? I could feed them more, but they are hungry MFs anyway.
 
well so far they seem to have left the snail alone. i'm wondering if they were hungry and the snail looked yummy. i fed them and they're pretty much all harassing the female now, but at least it's the same species and nothing abnormal. (read: flirting) i really need to set up a hospital/isolation tank, but funds have been tapped. i think i'll hit up Craigslist again.
 
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