Weird snail

I've got these as well in my 20h. No clue as to what they are. Would like to know myself.
 
i would go with darryls, but tis hard to say. I have them as well as small as pin head to about pencil eraser sized at their largest. neat littel buggers
 
I'm pretty sure that my similar snails are Gyraulus crista, or possibly another Gyraulus sp., but yours may very well be different. My snails never get to be more than about 3.5 mm in size, and they carry their shells in a plane parallel to the surface (flat against the glass), rather than perpendicular to the surface as most Rams do. This is consistent with the descriptions I've read, but it's not definitive, of course. I can't find anything on how A. leucostoma carry their shells (I haven't looked very hard), but I did read that they get to be about 8 mm in size, which is larger than any Gyraulus. I say feed 'em for a few weeks and see how big they get.

BTW, I have a micrometer, and it says that my number two pencil eraser is 6.5 mm in diameter.
 
Both Gyraulus and Anisus compose perhaps entirely of "flat" ramshorns, and they're not the only genera that does. That's why it's hard to ID these. Knowing where they originated should narrow it down though.
 
I'm sure that mine came from plants, but I can't say for sure which plants they came with. I did not use proper sanitary technique when I initially set up my planted tanks, so I got pretty much all of the common "pest" snails that are in the aquarium trade, including these. I still have a few of them, and they seem quite harmless. I actually think they're kinda cute, for snails. I don't expect them to overpopulate because I have other, bigger snails competing for the same resources.
 
My rule with hitchhikers is they can stay if they don't cause trouble. Otherwise it is "squishy time".
 
I have these little buggers in all of my tanks. They do multiply but they are not as prolific as the larger ramshorns. They do not appear to eat my plants. I would not worry overtly about them, just enjoy them as another part of a balanced tank :)

Kristina
 
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