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Snail help

4K views 11 replies 3 participants last post by  Lupin 
#1 ·
Hello all, I had a couple of questions in regards to snails. I recently decided (possibly incorrectly) to get a companion for my girlfriends betta. I decided on a snail in hopes it would not show agression towards it...I placed the snail in the tank yesterday and the betta seemed not to pay it any attention today it seems it's missing it's antennae and also eating plants I just purchased! :D I'm wondering if anyone could identify this snail I've linked and possibly give any thoughts on the subject....Also, do the antennae grow back? :(

YouTube - Balzak and a Snail

 
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#2 ·
Lupin will have all the info you need on this topic. I remember him saying that they will grow back but you should remove whatever/whoever is attacking the snail. He'll chime in with the info as snails are one of his favorite topics!! :)
 
#3 · (Edited)
Could you please take more pics of its shell and then its face? Pomacea diffusa usually have smooth and well defined whorls on their shells. The sutures aren't sunken like a cake which in Pomacea canaliculata does. Diffusas also have orange mottles on their faces unlike the canas. I suspect yours is a cana but I need the pics to be really sure. Is the foot light or dark?

Here are some data of how to distinguish between the canas and brigs.
http://www.applesnail.net/content/species_genera.htm

Pomacea bridgesii is the old name of Pomacea diffusa.

As for the antennae, the antennae should regenerate. Isolate the snail. Your betta is the culprit for the damage. I never mix my snails with my bettas, just guppies as all my bettas tend to rip their antennaes and even attack their faces.

Which plants has it eaten so far? Diffusas prefer dead and decaying plant parts. They will occasionally eat plants with soft foliage but this is not often the case anyway. Canas on the other hand are voracious plant eaters chomping down any plant in their path. Juvenile canas are more voracious than the adults in my experience. Canas also grow to baseball size whereas diffusas can reach golfball size only.

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Aunt kymmie.:oops:
 
#4 ·
The only thing it has eaten (observed) is that leaf it's munching on at the moment. I have no clue what they are other than they are for low-level lighting... The foot is dark, darker than the snail...I'll take pictures nowish...be back in a second..
 
#5 ·
That's interesting. I had to examine my canas and none have dark foot. Many diffusas often have dark feet. Has it done any noticeable severe damage on any plants yet? The plant is perhaps dying. Your plant is a Mondo grass which is not a true aquatic plant so it will rot when submerged. I believe your snail is trying to eat the rotting leaves. From your details, it sounds like diffusa to me rather than cana.
 
#6 ·
Man it's really difficult to get a picture of the snail's head :p I think it's a little stressed. It's odd that you say these aren't true exotics...the petstore had them fully submerged. Bleh, so you think I should take them out? I will if you say yes. Here's my attempt at pictures....





I have more... at least the uhhh other stuff in there is real aquatic.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Your snail is amphibious equipped with lungs and gills. It can stay outside of water for quite some time as long as it is damp. They're best kept submerged with 2-3 inches space above the waterline for them to gulp air for their lungs using their breathing siphon.


Edit: I had a look on this one. I'm certain your snail is indeed a Pomacea diffusa.
http://www.applesnail.net/forum3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=18486
 
#9 ·
I believe you are correct with your identification Lupin, but I have two problems: There are no orange mottles on it's face; I know I can't focus well enough but the only coloration looks like zebra stripes around it's mouth...black. My second problem is the store I got this snail from only had this one freshwater snail "species" as they all looked the same just different stages of life...The largest they had were indeed the size of baseballs. The link you gave has a compelling argument which makes me lean in that direction....
 
#10 · (Edited)
What?! Baseball size?:shock: Did the store order all of them altogether? My reason to believe that it is a diffusa is its habit of eating the plant as evident in your pic and the spires. I had to reexamine all my diffusas including the dark footed ones. The dark footed ones have orange mottles near their mouth. Sometimes orange can be yellow. Are you sure your snail does not have the spots? Please take pics of the snails in your store with a ruler beside their shell.

If they were canas, the spire would be shorter than what was shown in the pic. If your cana has been around for more than 24 hours in your tank, your plants should show severe damage already. Canas can grow to baseball size. Diffusas grow no more than a golfball. Insularums reach softball size. Haustrums are a little bigger than the canas and all species of the canaliculata complex tend to be more pushy when it comes to foods.

Does your snail crawl around with its antennae intact?
 
#11 ·
I checked the body of the snail and no color was observed, only the black stripes....The smaller antennae are intact but the longer ones are only about half the length they were. It ate all of the leaf it was chomping on yesterday, but it took all night. I think the rest of the aquarium doesn't show damage as of yet because it's mainly staying in it's shell...probaby due to stress of the new environment and the betta....I'm currently out of town, but when I get back I'll bring a ruler to the LFS for you Lupin. :D They were all bought in the same batch though...
 
#12 ·
Usually, with diffusas, the body can be either dark or light but both colors carry orange to yellow mottled spots. I have not seen one without any mottled spots at all. Lighting and camera settings can influence the outcome of their appearance and colors. Canas do not take more than an hour to chomp down a leaf so your snail is a Pomacea diffusa.

My guess towards the alleged baseball size is that oftentimes, the measurement of the shell diameter is overestimated. There is a possibility they just mixed the brigs and canas together. A lot of LFS know nothing about apple snails and to the untrained eye, it is impossible to distinguish exactly which is which so they come off labeling the snails anything they could hear or imagine.
 
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