Feeding and Nutrition :: snails?

[scripta_elegans]

I just got duckweed shipped to me from an organic nursery as I have read in several places that it is really good for them. They are hiding under it with their little heads poking out which is super cute, but I digress. In the shipment of duckweed, there were lots of tiny snails. They between the size of a grain of sand and a BB. The turtles are ignoring them for now, but is it okay if they eat them shells and all? I really hope it is, because I am going to have a real nasty time desnailing the tank if it is bad for them..

[CountryGirl68]

I understand that the snails are okay for the turtles to eat. The shells give calcium. The only problem I've read is that snail breed like crazy and can overrun the tank in a small amount of time.

[missibsu]

Very true about breeding quickly! And all it takes is one being left behind and you'll get them again. I notice the build up more in my filter than I do the tank. The turtles eat the ones in the tank, but a few have managed to find the filter and a safe haven.

[Spookster]

Yeah I can attest to that. We had several hundred appear in our tank in about a month. And if I hadn't put a stop to it there would have been several hundred more because the tank and filter were covered in eggs sacks. Although I imagine the turtle was having a grand old time snacking on them they really mucked up the water. I was wondering why our turtle had seemed to lose her appetite. Sneaky turtle was pigging out on appetizers.

[Shavannah]

LOL

[FishTechNH]

I would think that a decent population of trumpet snails would be beneficial if there is a gravel bottom. I populate all of my freshwater aquariums with them because they will basically live in the gravel and keep it clean. Their shells are very solid, more so than the usually brittle snail shell that most have. I would imagine that this would provide a good source of calcium as well as a good housekeeping organism for the habitat.

[missibsu]

I breed my snails, but I do it in a separate tank. I can see where they keep the gravel clean, but also provide their own waste. Turtle owners shouldn't have aquarium gravel bottoms anyway because of the risk of impaction. Turtles eat the rocks and don't always pass them. Not a risk that most of us are willing to take.

And a question FishTech...I recently removed the gravel from my breeder tank because it was difficult to clean. I've noticed a decline in population of my snails...is it because I removed the gravel?

[FishTechNH]

Hi missibsu, it depends on the species of snail. The ones that I use in my displays are malaysian trumpet snails and they tend to sift through the substrate consuming detritus as their diet. They are also plant safe which is another plus.

[missibsu]

I am fairly sure the trumpet snails are what I have. I've also seen them called cornucopia snails. I know that they are plant safe and they don't get very big. I might add some gravel back into the breeder tank, but not much...the stuff was a nightmare. Unlike you, I'm not an experienced fish keeper...although my guppies breed nicely!

[FishTechNH]

What was the trouble that you were having with the gravel?

[missibsu]

It was collecting too much waste from the fish and snails. It was a nightmare to clean. Seemed like it was more hassle than it was worth. I've mentioned this before, but I felt so bad, that I went through each piece of brown gravel to make sure that I wasn't killing any snails...it took me a few days to get it all out.

[N4784N R4613]

Kind of off topic, but It is okey for the turtles to eat the shell? Is there a chance of impaction?

[missibsu]

Shells are fine, they are actually the part of the shell that provides the calcium. Unlike rocks, they will break down, so there shouldn't be any issues with impaction.

[FishTechNH]

Hard to say for certain what would cause the problems with the gravel bed. May have not been a sufficient number of consumers in the gravel bed to account for the amount of nutrient import. I should say that the tanks that I've used this method in have been planted aquariums, so I cannot say that the snails would be effective for maintaining a clean gravel bed on their own without plant roots and plants for the nutrient export or some vacuuming. I will see how it goes with the stock of trumpets I've added to my turtle tank. I can already see him hunting around for the snails, but I'm confident in their ability to reproduce faster than he can catch them!

[cbbmtt]

i've read all of the feedback about snails and i just wanted to drop a line and ask if you guys think i should or shouldn't get snails lol. I've got a 25 cm male and he's called chomper. he'll eat about anything and he enjoyed the last two yellow back snails i put in. should i get more??