03-08-2013, 07:46 AM
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I should warn you, you can easily get 100 eggs per clutch. I would -highly- recommend you only let part of the clutch hatch to prevent overwhelming yourself. IF you do want to remove the clutch just use a little paper towel and gently tug/pull. I'd pull sideways. For artificial hatching you can either wrap in a damp (not wet) paper towel and place in an partly sealed zip loc baggie. And float in the tank. (I used this method). I have also heard of people setting them on pieces of canvas (the craft kind) or tooth picks with a bit of water in the bottom of a container. Again floating in a tank.
I really do recommend you dispose of one or part of both clutches. I knew someone who let a couple of clutches hatch and was quickly overwhelmed. I will share a useful bit of advice when it comes to apple snails and eggs. Quote: 1. Do you have enough room?
Yes, it's wonderful to know that the conditions in your tank have spurred your young lovers into mating and laying. Yet when you consider that most clutches contain up to 200 young hatchlings that will eventually demand a minimum of 2 gallons of tank space each, can you afford to hatch the whole clutch?
2. Do you have the proper foods?
Contrary to what the LFS may tell you, only the young hatchlings eat algae and that's only until they are large enough to travel to another food source. So you'll have to come up with some proper foods and that will cost you a bit. Not bad when it's only a few snails, but much harder when it's dozens and dozens of snails.
3. Do you have enough filtration?
Snails eat a lot and poop a lot. Experience has shown that you need to at least double the filtration on your tank. Otherwise you will be doing many, many water changes to keep the tank within normal limits.
4. Do you have a home for your snails?
After they've gotten to be pea-sized they are ready to be shipped or traded to the LFS. Do you have these contacts in place already? Do you know how to properly ship snails? And more importantly now...do you have a permit to ship them?
If you've answered no to any of the above, then maybe you better reconsider hatching the whole clutch. You can break off a piece of the clutch and try to hatch a smaller, and more manageable, amount of snails. The extra clutches can be disposed of in a responsible manner (not outside near ponds and water sources). This way you can still share in the excitement of raising snails, without some of the mishaps of having too many.
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