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Quesiton about Nerites

7K views 20 replies 4 participants last post by  dancelady 
#1 ·
I have three nerite snails, the tiger blood version, and every now and then, I would see one hanging on the shell of another. I have taken a picture of them, and even though it might be a bit fuzzy, what I would like to know is that does it mean that it's some kind of mating thing between them or if one is just hitching a ride on another.
 

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#2 ·
Could be mating, the other could be cleaning algae off the shell too, I've seen them do that as well. Either way, if they are mating, you aren't going to get their babies so I wouldn't worry of it :)
 
#4 ·
lol, most likely! Snails of all sorts do that all the time so I'm not surprised either. I'm sure it will eventually get hungry and find food elsewhere :)
 
#6 ·
I have a FW tank which has many baby snails

BTW, I put a Nerite by itself into a FW tank and shortly thereafter I got many snails that hatched out and eventually bloomed to 30 or so. I have some snails in another FW with a little salt as I have Mollies, and more snails hatched in there, too. I googled the eggs and saw how they were attached to a plant, and sure enough I had them waiting to hatch. Took less than a week. So if you DON'T want snails, be aware that a single one can already have mated, and you could be the happy owner of more. It is the Ramshorn that don't have babies unless you give them just the right conditions. I have a couple of these that are growing like weeds, but no extras are expected, as they are in different tanks.
 
#8 ·
Nerites can't hatch in freshwater, if you have a brackish or saltwater tank then yes but full blown freshwater, they won't hatch.
 
#9 ·
Maybe change your mind on Nerites

I put my Nerite snail into a pure FW tank, which also had Hornwort plant, moss and Philodendron in there. The eggs showed up in a nebulous blob on a plant, which the snail laid, for sure. There were no other fish in there, except for some cat babies very tiny. So perhaps your understanding or literature is not correct, if you have tap water that is hard, and use the non-chlorine treatment, but nothing else (not brackish), then the Nerite snail CAN lay eggs in that water.... and they can hatch to many babies. I am not kidding. I also have these baby snails from another parent in my brackish tanks, which have hatched and are also doing well.
 
#10 ·
Well I can tell you first that the eggs are not laid in a blob like other snail eggs, they will look like little seeds on things like the glass or driftwood, they tend to lay on the flatter surfaces rather than plants. Here's a quote about taking care of Nerite babies:

"Alright time to get down to the good stuff with directions.
1. Pick a item(s) with some good algae mounted to it. Place this item where your Nerite well be. FRESH SALT OR BRACKISH WATER. What temp isn’t important. What quality should be at the best possible. I personally like using drift wood. Driftwood has tons of algae for these baby to feed.

2. Wait a few days. Until you see a good amount of eggs on item/decor. These eggs look like little sesame seeds. WARNING DONT TRY TO REMOVE THESE EGGS BY SCRAPPING THEM. You'll pop the shell. Wait about 72 hours to get a nice size decor with eggs on them.

3. Set up a small tank. I’m using a 1 gallon tank to nurse the babies nitrites. A air bubble line that is set very low 1bubble ever 2 seconds. Also a marine/saltwater (freshwater salt wont work). Why salt and no brackish. The reason is once these Nertie are born at this stage they need all the calcium and mineral to develop a health strong shell. Which well increase the level of survival as juveniles. I had little luck with brackish water. My percentage increased about 80 percent when I’ve hatched Nerite in fully saltwater tank. I usually fill the saltwater level just enough to cover the decor/driftwood.(this is where youll place your decor cover with eggs)

4. Usually about every 3 days I well perform a 50 percent water change. Don’t want your snail to die from bad water. This is easy to do. Don’t be lazy takes less then 5 mins.

5. Once your eggs are hatching. Theyll hatch at a very slow rate. You’ll see that they're very small larvae. You can feed them algae that's on your décor or driftwood. If not you can head to your local aquarium or pet shop. And purchase some algae chips.
Chop these algae chips into small fine grains. And drop them in your tank. Feed them by eye. If you don’t see any food. Give them food.

6. Once you see a nice shine to the shell on your snail, its time to move them. This process can take weeks. I don’t recommend one or 2 days. They'll die on you. Purchase a small measuring device. The measurement I am using is ML. For my one gallon tank. I would treat about gallon of freshwater(for people out there that don’t know what Im talking about treating your water. Neutralizing water from harmful chemicals using(Tetra Aqua Clear (or any other brand).Simply ever morning take out 10ml of tank water. Replace 5Ml in the morning and 5ML at night. For a full month. This step is only for freshwater tanks. For brackish or salt. Just lower the level of salt until you reach your tanks ppm. For a safe entry.

Enjoy your new NERITES. Usually i breed about 100 a month and sell them to my local pet shop."
 
#11 ·
I followed most of your directions

I had a 2.5 gal tank with FW but nothing on the bottom, no driftwood, no flat anything, except the bottom of the tank (no substrate). I was placing Cory eggs in there to hatch out when ready. I had the moss/algae and a few plants floating around. Because the Corys are so tiny, I wanted to be able to see them with a magnifying glass when they hatched, which happened over a period of weeks...

Meanwhile I put the snail in there to clean up the unhatched eggs and debris. The snail did a good job, and all of a sudden I realized there were more snails than just the one I started with. Now I had no snails before that, not even hidden on plants. I used my own plants, at first. I checked all over the tank, and the only place the eggs were was on a piece of Hornwort. No question that was the eggs. Now the Hornwort had been with me for 6 months... so no eggs came in with it when I put it in the catfish tank. The snail did lay her eggs, and they hatched. So there are variables in any tank, and this was my own. I gave the snail no real place to lay her eggs, so she picked the only thing available. Because of the moss on portions of the bottom if she laid eggs there, that was also possible.

I did everything else, had a slight bubbler, had algae, had baby cats, and nothing beyond. I really was trying to hatch some Corys, not snails. But conditions told the snail, this is a good place for you to lay your eggs. So she did. And because it got hot lately, the snails bloomed into many, can't even count them. Their shells look firm and solid, they seem to be in fine shape. For every normal event, there are others that one doesn't plan on... I will keep them vitalized with calcium and minerals, and feed them plenty of algae, shrimp, and such.

Last thing, these were sold as Nerites, is it possible that they are NOT, and are a different type of snail -- not Ramshorn -- but I can say that they match the pix of Nerites, even the brown zebra look to them, and they are a smaller size of snail.
 
#12 ·
But it still remains that they do not lay their eggs in a blob like Bladder's will do. Can I get a pic of the snail because this just does not sound at all like what I've read and experienced with Nerite snails. And Nerites would chose the glass over a plant still from what I read.
 
#13 ·
It is not Bladder snail, nor Apple, inca, mystery, etc.

I have eliminated all the snails sold at Petco, except the Nerite, and they are FW sold there. It certainly matches the Nerite snail they sell. The eggs are not a blob, they are laid in a nebulous, clearish "egg-chamber" that will keep them in one location. It is hard to describe, but it protects them as they develop. I have seen similar "chambers" with other egg-laying specimens before. It disappears when the eggs are ready to hatch.

I will post a pix of the snail, when it wanders around where I can photograph it. And the many babies so you can see them.
 
#14 ·
Yeah, I know the snails live in freshwater without issue, they can breed and lay eggs but it's just not possible that they will successfully hatch in completely freshwater.

These are what the eggs will look like


It sounds to me like you are talking about this kind of blob:
 
#15 ·
2nd photo is it

Yep, that is what it looked like, the 2nd photo. Kinda nebulous with the eggs showing up in it. Exactly. Only in my tank, it was on some Hornwort for lack of anything else to lay on. The snail was probably mad at me for not giving it some good places for the eggs. My Hornwort was just laying there on the bottom, so I suppose it was the best place for the eggs to be.

So what kind of snail is it? Not Nerite? If it isn't, then Petco will have to stop calling them Nerites. The babies have a brownish shell, some are getting the stripes, but it is not too clear how they will look when grown up. Rather small just yet. But not even close to the other snails that I have googled, except for Nerite.

I also have some bigger snails that are Ramshorn, I believe. Separated, not in same tank, and will stay that way. They are way too big to produce more of the same.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Yep, that is what it looked like, the 2nd photo. Kinda nebulous with the eggs showing up in it. Exactly. Only in my tank, it was on some Hornwort for lack of anything else to lay on. The snail was probably mad at me for not giving it some good places for the eggs. My Hornwort was just laying there on the bottom, so I suppose it was the best place for the eggs to be.

So what kind of snail is it? Not Nerite? If it isn't, then Petco will have to stop calling them Nerites. The babies have a brownish shell, some are getting the stripes, but it is not too clear how they will look when grown up. Rather small just yet. But not even close to the other snails that I have googled, except for Nerite.

I also have some bigger snails that are Ramshorn, I believe. Separated, not in same tank, and will stay that way. They are way too big to produce more of the same.
Nerite snail (unless it looks like the ramshorn on the site below). Ramshorn eggs.
Red Ramshorn.co.uk - Breeding Ramshorn Snails
 
#17 · (Edited)
I am so confused...

My snail babies are BROWN with a little white on their shells. They are not Ramshorn, don't look anything like those babies, and I didn't have the same type of eggs. My eggs were laid on the Hornwort on the bottom, and developed into very many at once, all looking like Nerites. I probably have fifty now in the catfish tank, as they keep increasing.

The Nerite was the only snail that I put in the catfish tank, and I only put one in each additional tank. Now I seem to have a bunch of babies in every tank that I put the original Nerites in. Most are less than 10 (at the moment), but I see them all looking the same. They are small, don't move much, and don't have the shell of the Ramshorn.

My 2 Ramshorns are bluish grey, are very big, and move fast even with a bunch of baby Mollies eating from their shells. I am sure they haven't reproduced. They have been in separate tanks for months.

Please someone help me figure out what type these are... (pix to come)
 
#18 ·
My snail babies are BROWN with a little white on their shells. They are not Ramshorn, don't look anything like those babies, and I didn't have the same type of eggs. My eggs were laid on the Hornwort on the bottom, and developed into very many at once, all looking like Nerites. I probably have fifty now in the catfish tank, as they keep increasing.

The Nerite was the only snail that I put in the catfish tank, and I only put one in each additional tank. Now I seem to have a bunch of babies in every tank that I put the original Nerites in. Most are less than 10 (at the moment), but I see them all looking the same. They are small, don't move much, and don't have the shell of the Ramshorn.

My 2 Ramshorns are bluish grey, are very big, and move fast even with a bunch of baby Mollies eating from their shells. I am sure they haven't reproduced. They have been in separate tanks for months.

Please someone help me figure out what type these are... (pix to come)
How 'bout Malaysian Trumpet Snails? Their eggs look similar to Ramshorn eggs and come "prepackaged" on some plants, though I think you said you've had your plants for a while.
 
#19 · (Edited)
I only have 2 plant types, Hornwort & Philodendron

I used my own Philodendron, but I did buy the Hornwort, which was in a big vat of many different types. If any snails came in, it would be from the plethora of plants in that vat. Hornwort could just have been the transporter of the snails.

However, I just googled the Neritina natalensis sp. "Tracked Snail" which is the type of snail that I have. And in another tank, I have a Zebra Nerite Snail. I am certain that is what I bought from Petco, they match perfectly. So the eggs looked like the picture, but they were Nerites, and hatched here in my Catfish tank. Finally!

It is interesting that the babies are brownish now, only a few weeks or so old, but they have some white already which helps me to pick them out from the moss. And they like to hang out on the Hornwort and Philodendron leaves, the side of the tank, and the tube of the air bubbler. If the babies grow up and AREN'T Nerites, then they came in on the Hornwort... and the Nerite was just around to welcome them...
 

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#21 ·
New eggs in my baby snail tank

Well, now I have more of those snails coming up, and I took a pix of them on the side of the tank. Shortly I will put the pix in here just so everyone can see what they look like. I am sure these are Nerites. The original adult snail was still in there with the babies, and apparently is laying more. It looks very similar to the picture put in by lilnaugrim, the 2nd one. So if you have these, then you have more Nerites on the way. Be curious how long it takes to hatch in the warm weather, as the temp is higher than usual. How long does it take for them to grow up, from just hatched?
 
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