[pbradley0]

I originally had the idea a few weeks ago to start breeding common pond snails to feed my future puffers. Cleaned out an old 10 gallon tank and added a few snails (now there are 19 in there) and some java moss. I also put an old aquarium light on top of the tank. I've been feeding them with flake food. All in all, a pretty simple setup.

Something that I didn't expect was that I have found these snails fascinating. There is such a variety of shapes and colors among my population. They are very active and are constantly moving about the tank. In addition, they have some of the most unusual behaviors.

Here are some of the observations I've found:

• -Some of the snails bodies are a flesh color while others a purple.
  -Some shells are black while other a gold. Other variations include black speckled and completely translucent.
  -They are constantly making the trek up to the top of the water to breath. When they are at the top, they occasionally scoot around the water instead of remaining stuck to the glass.
  -Occasionally I'll see two snails stuck to each other and moving about. I'm not sure if they're mating but it's interesting
  -I've also noted on several occasions that when one snail bumps into the tail of another snail, the snail that got bump starts wiggling his shell around. Kinda looks like he's swinging around a sword.
  -I've observed on three occasions a snail "levitating" to the top of the water. It starts out in the middle of the tank and then slowly starts floating to the top without crawling up the glass. It then reverses this journey after its stay at the top and sinks back to the bottom. This is very interesting to watch.
  -I think I've noted some eggs in the moss after only about a week and a half.
  -They devour the flakes in no time at all.

Anyway, I think these little critters are very interesting and fun to watch. I know it's hard to believe but I recommend trying it. It doesn't take alot of resources. I'm going to try to get ahold of some other species to add to the tank too. Maybe some trumpets and ramshorns.

I'd love to hear about others experiences with snails. I'm also happy to answer any questions anyone has. I think I'm going to have a hard time feeding these guys to my fish now

 

[pbradley0]

Update on my snail tank. There are eggs everywhere! The snails went crazy and laid eggs all over the tank last night. There are at least 3 groupings stuck to the glass. There are also 6-8 other groupings in the moss. Looks like I'm going to have a population boom here soon.

 

[pbradley0]

The snails keep laying more and more eggs. I have over 30 groupings of egg now each with 10-30 eggs. I think I'm going to have a population boom. Anyone know what the average incubation period is for pond snail eggs?

 

[pbradley0]

Mystery snails sound really cool. I'd really like to have some larger snails in my main tank. I haven't found a source of them yet though. None of the pet shops around here seem to have any.


Update on my snail tank. I have probably 60-70 baby snails on the top of the water scooting around now plus hundreds of eggs remaining. I tested the ammonia today and it is 1.5mg/L. Probably time for a water change. Only problem is that it's hard to find a place in the tank where there aren't any baby snails to get sucked up. I'm also considering adding a spong filter to start some biofilteration.

I've been feeding them algae waffers which they go nuts for. I'm also going to start with some lettuce.