[fish_4_all]

I have seen almost everything you have seen with my ramshorns and it is facinating. Especially the times when they ski under the water.

You might try giving them some romaine lettuce that has been microwaved for about 30 seconds. This will give them a lot of the needed nutrients, especially calcium to keep them going. The different colors could be a sign of calcium problems but without a pic I am not sure.

 

[fish_4_all]

You can get the malaysian trumpet snails online most of the time. Usually 100 for a few bucks. Make sure to keep them fed well enough that they don't try to climb out and to keep your water pretty clean. Snails don't like dirty water at all, even less than fish do.

 

[fish_4_all]

Mine always hatched within 7-14 days of being layed. As for number that can be layed, who knows! I know in the summer is was faster and in the winter my population dropped because the temps were much lower.

 

[fish_4_all]

Don't forget the romaine lettuce, my Colombian ramshorns loved it and bred very well with it.

I thinki am going to try mystery snails just because I want to be able to control the eggs. I have never dealt with them before so it should be fun. The extra eggs will become loach food and so will the extra babies.

Keep us up to date on how it goes. We need a few more good accounts of success and even the failures.

 

[fish_4_all]

The ammonia is a bad sign, it is definately time for a water change as the snails are at the top and they will start dying in mass numbers if you can't get the ammonia back to 0 for extended periods of time. Don't overfeed them and get a good water change done. If you have to put a piece of nylon over the end of the tube so that youdon;t suck up the babies but you can easily put them back if you let the water sit for a short time and they start climbing the sides of the bucket. Make sure to use Romaine or leaf lettuce and not Iceburg lettuce.

 

[fish_4_all]

The water content is one of them. Also, iceberg lettuce has a chemical in it that can actually make the tank turn rancid if it goes sour. I tried it to make green water and to condition some water to collect mosquito larva and it turned really nasty.

If the lettuce is shredded small enough the fish will eat it. I never tried but my fish picked at it all the time. My BN plecos would take chunks out of it when I had them.

The main reason for the romaine is the high amounts of calcium it has in it. I don't know the calcium content in leaf lettuce but I think romaine has more. This helps with the shells of the snails. The iicebergalso doesn't last as long in the water before starting to decay and start to make a mess. If you don't "blanch" the romaine it can last 36 hours or more.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. I never take anything personally, well almost never. 8) If you need more information and reasons ask them. We can sometimes become complacent with advice and leave out the reasoning behind a statement so asking is always good.

 

[fish_4_all]

Get Zucchini instead of cucumber, it last a lot longer and is easier to deal with. Cucumber seems to mush a little easier and makes a bigger mess.

 

[fish_4_all]

You can give them a try, maybe you have some there that are better than the mushy ones I get localy. When I used them they always turned to mush unless I used Girkins as they are called which are only available for like 2 weeks localy.

If you find a cucumber that stays together really well please share that info here.