Hitchhiking snail

[Tá Mé Páedrig]

I've got a small (about half the size of a grain of rice) snail that I've discovered in my tank. I was wondering if anyone can recommend a good site for identification of said snail. I am 99.99% sure he came in on an amazon sword plant (though since the store has all there plants together that really doesn't matter, eh?).

Thanks for any help!

[Tá Mé Páedrig]

I've decided it's most likely a juvenile malaysian trumpet snail.

It's tiny and it's shell is mostly transparent. The shape of the shell at first almost looks like a Cowrie, but if you look carefully it has a bit of a spiral bud on the rear.

I haven't decided whether I want to let it live in my little aquarium... Do you think it can survive in a jar with a spirulina algae tablet for a few days?

[Jools]

I was wondering if anyone can recommend a good site for identification of said snail.

Try http://www.molluscan.com

Jools

[Sid Guppy]

kill it!

or keep it in a jar.

the biggest mistake is releasing it in any tank. Melanoides tuberculata (Malaysian Trumpet or BUrrowing snail) can multiply like crazy. Although they usually need to mate they're hermaphrodites, and occosionally do it with themselves too; in a few months there can be a couple of million, and nitrates will go through the roof.

Some people like them as scavengers, or substrate looseners, but this is the CATFISH forum, so there's other ways to do so. They do clean up indeed, but what goes in must come out.....all those million baby snails extract nitrates, ureum, ammonia whatever.

Waterparameters in an overrun tank are almost impossible to control. It took me years to rid myself of them in the breeding tanks; my showtanks still have them, despite snaileating fish and vigorous sandexchange.....

btw very few fish can handle them; the best one is Megalodoras, but it's too big.....

[Tá Mé Páedrig]

There was one the first day. Left it in the tank. Day two I noticed a second so I was like "alright maybe this isn't a good idea" so both snails go in a jar. Day three I see three more tiny snails. So I bought a dwarf puffer and put the two from the jar back in the tank as food. Now it turns out the store was selling asian puffers as dwarf puffers and I will eventually have a seven inch puffing monster.


I'm just glad this is my 13 L quarantine.

[Ron]

I also have problems with these snails in my show tank. I tried use Had-A-Snail liberaly while I had my fish in my new tank, but the substrate, rocks, and plastic plants were still in the old tank (so I didn't harm my fish), but I still have them. I imagine that they rode over on the fitler medium which I didn't want to change completely since I didn't want to have to cycle my tank.

I got some clown loaches in the hope that they might start to eat the snails. However, I got them small, but at a great price, and it will be a while before I can report on the effectiveness of them since they have a while to grow before I can add them with my larger fish.

[Tá Mé Páedrig]

Well, at the time of writing this the puffer has been in the tank for two hours. As soon as it noticed a snail on the glass it struck at it, ate it whole and is now actively searching the substrate for more. It actually strikes any odd shaped pebbles. Quite entertaining really.