General Care Discussion :: Snails: Pros and Cons

[ptcake]

In September 2009, my small but healthy, HUGE APPETITE, sliders will be three years old. Until now, I've not had an ALGAE problem. I've changed NOTHING, but I cannot keep the algae away. Yesterday I purchased two large snails and anacharis to add to the tank. I watched both turtles for a few minutes after adding the snails and plants. One turtle nudged the snail a bit, then backed off. The shy turtle spotted the snail and backed away quickly. Are these additions a good idea? Advice and suggestions are appreciated. Thank You.

[theartbook35]

Well, turtles eat water snails, and apple snails, but I'm sure in captivity if the snails you got are not those two species they will not know how to differentiate and may still eat them. (Some snails are poisonous if consumed)

RES don't really get along with other animals, or even other RES, depending on their upbringing.

If the snails are too big to eat, they may harass them, and if the turtles get big enough to eat them, they might try.

I would watch them closely, and if you think the turtles will go for them, it's your decision whether or not you want to take the snails out.

A little bit of algae is okay, turtles can tolerate algae in the wild, so, they can certainly tolerate it in captivity. My father has seen turtles covered in it and they are still perfectly content and happy. Just means you need to clean it off their shells and skin every now and then.

You could also get a more powerful filter, like one of the ones that pumps 200 gallons per hour. http://www.petdiscounters.com sells those at decent prices.

[Lantic]

Getting a powerful filter would do much except pick up more debris, which isn't a bad thing. Do you have any Biomedia in your filter? You could go to the pet store and pick up a 7 dollar bottle of AlgeaFix if you really wanted it gone.

[Kemul]

The anacharis will compete with the algae for nutritions from the water. Most
likely, the anacharis will win, resulting in clearer water and less algae. That's
assuming your turtle doesn't eat or shred the anacharis first

If the plants are shreded, you need to make sure they don't clog the filter intake.

I don't know about snails, but adding plants is a good idea most of the time.

[Lantic]

Snails can multiply extremely fast and they can be a pain to remove so beware.

[imderanged]

Snails can multiply extremely fast and they can be a pain to remove so beware.

Apple snails are not as bad as some other species. They don't "bud" they have to lay eggs, and they lay their eggs in large clutches above the waterline, so they are easy to spot and remove. I have a "breeding pair" of apple snails in another tank of mine, and so far I have had no problems keeping them from taking over. Just make sure what you are getting ARE apple snails!

[ptcake]

Thank you for the useful and EXPERT advice on adding snails to the turtles' home. It's been nine days since the addition. The anacharis was enjoyed by the turtles AND the snails. The algae disappeared! Of course, the filters are clogged with the shredded anacharis. In order to keep this setup, I will need to process a complete water change approx. every ten days. Otherwise, the filters will clog and become useless. However, it is worth the effort if the turtles and snails remain healthy and the algae stays away!

[theartbook35]

Thank you for the useful and EXPERT advice on adding snails to the turtles' home. It's been nine days since the addition. The anacharis was enjoyed by the turtles AND the snails. The algae disappeared! Of course, the filters are clogged with the shredded anacharis. In order to keep this setup, I will need to process a complete water change approx. every ten days. Otherwise, the filters will clog and become useless. However, it is worth the effort if the turtles and snails remain healthy and the algae stays away!

Even without a filter, I still do a complete water change once a week. Keeps away the algae and bacteria quite well.

[moldygrape]

yea everything you bought will be eaten over time and hopefully you wont end up with a snail prob they are messy.

[mike hill]

You may have bought your turtles a crunchy meal. It may take a while. There is not much a turtle will not eat. m.