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Author Topic: A Snail Tank!  (Read 1351 times)
Skwishee
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A Snail Tank!
« on: November 23, 2011, 06:02:58 PM »
Okay....

So I've planned as much as I can for Lucky, now it's just a case of buying some decor and waiting for the big tank!
Now my attentions have turned to planning for my snails!!

My little snail family has grown from 3, to around 20 XD
There are lots of little babies in my snail tub and my goodness, they are the most sweetest things ever! It's fascinating looking at them, all bundled onto the brocolli munching away.
Infact earlier I saw an adult snail gracefully float to the top, take in a bit of air, and then float his way back to the brocolli, all the while waving his antennae so delicately. It was truly a lovely thing to behold.

So I'm considering turning my 21 litre tank into a snail haven for my little family. I'm not too bothered if they over populate a bit, what harm could they possibly do in an empty tank?
I'm also thinking about adding a few larger species, any reccomendations? All I ever hear about really are apple snails.

Another thing, any tips on caring for snails?
At the moment I've been feeding my guys brocolli and peas, with the odd crumbled fish flake, so is it okay to carry on feeding them like this? At the moment I've been putting in a nice bit of veg and leaving it for several days as I imagine in the wild they would eat decaying matter anyway?

I'm also not sure wether to filter or not to filter? Do I even bother with airstones?

I intend to research a little, I've read quite a bit of information about my little guys, but maybe research some other breeds. Someone did mention to me having shrimp in the tank with them, which would be nice, but I have no idea what needs a shrimp requires, so I think I'll get Lucky and the snails sorted before I go venturing off too far XD

What do you guys reckon?
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Ron H
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Re: A Snail Tank!
« Reply #1 on: November 23, 2011, 10:10:48 PM »
fantailer posted some snail links somewhere? did you see those, maybe he has them bookmarked. cheers Skwishee
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fantailer
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Re: A Snail Tank!
« Reply #2 on: November 24, 2011, 05:19:41 AM »
Oh yeah those I'll post them.

For Pond Snails
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For Ramshorn Snails
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For Apple or Mystery Snails
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« Last Edit: November 24, 2011, 05:24:27 AM by fantailer » Logged
Skwishee
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Re: A Snail Tank!
« Reply #3 on: November 24, 2011, 06:56:01 AM »
Ah wicked! Thanks Fantailer ^_^
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scrivens345
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Re: A Snail Tank!
« Reply #4 on: November 30, 2011, 12:31:20 PM »
When you get your big tank, you can put your snails to work keeping it clean for you Grin
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Skwishee
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Re: A Snail Tank!
« Reply #5 on: November 30, 2011, 12:59:05 PM »
I was thinking that, but will they get enough food? I can't imagine there being that much left over food from Lucky?
At the moment I've been feeding them veg, but I can't do that in the bigger tank because Lucky will eat it XD

I'm not too worried if they take over the tank, I intend to use it for a good few years anyway and what's the worse damage snails can do, other than eat plants?

I was thinking of having a snails only tank, just because it'd be easier really XD Introduce an apple snail or two... Plus I don't know how Lucky will do with them, she's only seen snails once and tried to eat it  Roll Eyes
We both saw it at the same time and she swam really fast, bit at it and swam off, as I promptly removed it....
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Nossie
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Re: A Snail Tank!
« Reply #6 on: November 30, 2011, 04:06:48 PM »
There have to be a few flake fragments drifting away, and if you're growing a healthy carpet of algae on the back wall of the tank, the snails (and Lucky) will be just fine Smiley
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Skwishee
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Re: A Snail Tank!
« Reply #7 on: November 30, 2011, 06:22:22 PM »
How would you grow algae? I know my dads tank had an algae bloom from too much sun, but we'll be cleaning all of that off  Undecided
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Nossie
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Re: A Snail Tank!
« Reply #8 on: December 01, 2011, 03:21:15 AM »
You turn on the light for a bit longer periods of time, if you're not getting algae by keeping it on 10 hours, try keeping it on maybe 12 or so? Green algae will grow when you have a healthy tank, and are only welcome by goldfish who love getting it as a snack Cheesy
I only clean the front glass, for cosmetic purposes, but the more green algae you have on the walls, the better! Think of it as extra plants, it will absorb nitrates for nutrition as well, making the water quality better for Lucky Smiley

But it's never a good idea to put a tank in the middle of the sun, it's okay having it in a well-lit room, that'll be only better since the light will turn on more gradually like in nature, but not so that the tank is sometimes hit by the sun rays. Mostly because it can change the temperature to warmer, and it's not very healthy for goldfish with temperature fluctuations Smiley
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Skwishee
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Re: A Snail Tank!
« Reply #9 on: December 01, 2011, 04:31:40 AM »
Yeah the curtains in my room are closed all the time anyway (because my bedroom is on the ground floor) so her tank is never hit with direct sunlight. I imagine with my dads tank having lights though, algae will be a possibility.

Also is it possible to stop temperature fluctuations by having a heater on?
Only I'm still thinking of where to put the tank and putting it so half the tank will have a wall and half of it the window, will the fluctuations be too much do you think? It is a large volume of water... hmmm
I think I need to have a play around with the furniture and see what else I can think of, I was contemplating putting the tank in the communal area of the house, but that room can be quite cold, so not sure how that would affect the tank....
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Nossie
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Re: A Snail Tank!
« Reply #10 on: December 01, 2011, 05:28:17 AM »
You could always try covering half the window where the tank stands? The bigger problem would be winters in case there's a lot of cool air coming from the windows, that would cool the water down unnecessarily, but the window can be blocked with a blanket or something during the coldest days/nights Smiley

Maybe a heater would be useful? They're not very expensive at all and they usually won't break Smiley (ours broke in thunderstorms... very lucky.) In case your room gets very cold during nights. You could set the heater on a minimum temp of 24-26 degrees Celsius and it should stay just fine, the heater will turn off when the water is the correct temp Smiley
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Skwishee
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Re: A Snail Tank!
« Reply #11 on: December 01, 2011, 06:11:49 AM »
My dads tank already has a heater (assuming it still works) as his tank was for a tropical set up  Smiley I'll have to investigate about whether I can adjust the settings. So the heater would come on, if the temperature falls to 23 degrees? That would be quite handy and wouldn't affect Lucky, as that kind of a temperature difference is no different than when I do a water change and the tank gets slightly cooler.

Plus I kinda want the tank to be next to the window, because then I can have the sofa next to it, so I can sit and talk to my fishy babies more! With the tank being set up in January, I'm sure I could find something, to put in between the tank and window, until March, just buy a pillow and shove it in between. Or just make sure the tank isn't flush against the window, maybe have a gap and pad the back of the tank with something.

I've never noticed a draft before in here and I spent a lot of this past weekend on the sofa making Mr Cowfish (the sofa is in front of the window), the room is usually pretty warm because my partners computer heats it up Cheesy Plus we do have the heating on in the morning and evenings when its most cold. Lucky's tank has stayed fairly consistently at 20 degrees Celsius in here.

But this sometimes makes little difference to the communal room, last night me and my house mate were sat in there with a mini heater and blankets Cheesy so I'd rather keep the tank in here!

And in the Summer, I imagine it won't matter if I have one of the windows open.
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scrivens345
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Re: A Snail Tank!
« Reply #12 on: December 01, 2011, 06:29:53 AM »
a heater typically operates from 18C to 32C and regulates to +/- 1C , just choose the right size for your tank.They range from 25W to about 300W. They aren't very expensive to run.
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Nossie
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Re: A Snail Tank!
« Reply #13 on: December 01, 2011, 06:35:00 AM »
Yes, it would Smiley Most heaters are very reliable, but since this one is quite old, you may want to check the temperature every day anyways Smiley
I have a heater for my tank, but I'm not using it, somehow, this goldfish house keeps the temp at a constant 26! Smiley Might drop a degree or two when I change the water but otherwise I haven't seen the temp changing since I set it up. Of course, it was 28 in the hot summer months, even if I had the windows open all day and all night. I enjoy that it takes care of itself to such a degree Smiley

Note that the lights may also keep the tank slightly warmer, so the 125 liter will probably do just great Smiley Especially is the little tank manages to keep a constant temp Smiley
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Skwishee
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Re: A Snail Tank!
« Reply #14 on: December 01, 2011, 06:57:20 AM »
Yeah plus I just looked at the windows and they are double glazed, so that will help too  Grin

I think I'll see how stable the temp. is with the lights on, maybe monitor it for that first week before I add Lucky. So check the temperature at set times during the day and see if it differs very much, then I'll know whether the heater is needed or not  Smiley
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scrivens345
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Re: A Snail Tank!
« Reply #15 on: December 20, 2011, 01:31:36 PM »
Curiouser & curiouser

This morning one of my snails was base jumping as usual, then he decided he had to go up again BUT rather than crawling up the glass the little perisher has sussed out that he can hitch a ride on the bubble-stream from my air-stone Shocked Shocked
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Nossie
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Re: A Snail Tank!
« Reply #16 on: December 21, 2011, 03:33:52 AM »
Smart rascals... Grin
Mine were just chilling on the stone, eating some algae that had grown on it Smiley
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Skwishee
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Re: A Snail Tank!
« Reply #17 on: December 21, 2011, 03:44:46 AM »
Haha Scrivens that sounds so cute! Snails riding on bubbles  Cheesy

My little guys just float up to the surface and some of the babies have grown have so much now!!
But the rascals are still laying eggs, I cleaned out the tub just the other day and already there's 3 more egg sacs in the plants!

I guess this just means their happy? Laying eggs all the time? Shame I end up destroying all their work XD
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fantailer
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Re: A Snail Tank!
« Reply #18 on: December 21, 2011, 05:55:38 AM »
Wow you guys must have a ton of snails!
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Nossie
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Re: A Snail Tank!
« Reply #19 on: December 21, 2011, 09:07:38 AM »
Oh my.. imagine how it'll be later when they'll get to rule Lucky's old tank! xD
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scrivens345
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Re: A Snail Tank!
« Reply #20 on: December 21, 2011, 11:12:01 AM »
I'm trying to get mine to lay eggs, but I guess my tank is just too cold for them. Undecided
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Skwishee
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Re: A Snail Tank!
« Reply #21 on: December 21, 2011, 03:26:42 PM »
Haha make that 4 egg sacs! Just spotted another one in there  Wink

Too cold? Well my snails live in a small tub of water, I imagine being small volume it must fluctuate in temperature quite a bit.
I feed them vegetables mostly, I'll stick in a bit of courgette or a piece of brocolli and that's normally enough to last them a week, I let them completely devour things, as I believe in the wild they feed on decaying matter anyway.

But then again you have different snails don't you Scrivens?
My little guys (from what I've read) can survive in stagnant or still water, so I don't have to worry about water quality so much and 100% water changes each week seems to suit them well. Saves me having to worry about cycling such a small volume of water XD

Nossie, I too wonder what will happen when they have an entire 21 litre tank at their disposal!
I'm considering having silk plants, that they can lay eggs on, so I could clean these pretty easily and not have to worry about breaking leaves off as I seem to constantly be doing that, when I'm trying to prise eggs away from the live plants in the tub!
It means I can keep some control on the population.

Possibly even have a few larger breed of snails. I was thinking apple snails, but I'm not sure they'd do well in a cold water tank, they prefer warmer water don't they? Being a tropical species I think?
« Last Edit: December 21, 2011, 03:29:49 PM by Skwishee » Logged
Nossie
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Re: A Snail Tank!
« Reply #22 on: December 21, 2011, 06:07:36 PM »
Fake plants would definitely be best for the snails, I bet it'll be really cute in the end! Smiley
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Skwishee
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Re: A Snail Tank!
« Reply #23 on: December 30, 2011, 01:07:40 PM »
Found an empty shell in the bottom of the tub today when I got home, R.I.P Mr Snail....

The others seem fine though! They wll be treated with brocolli later I think  Cheesy
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Nossie
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Re: A Snail Tank!
« Reply #24 on: December 30, 2011, 04:29:09 PM »
Such luxury! Cheesy
I don't know anyone treating their snails this nice! Wink
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Skwishee
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Re: A Snail Tank!
« Reply #25 on: December 30, 2011, 05:40:03 PM »
Well they are cute and so easy to look after! I feel that since finding out how others treat them as pests because their an 'eye sore', I just want to give my little guys a chance, the snails are simply beautiful, certainly not an 'eye sore' in my eyes!

I mean apart from over populating a tank, blocking a filter and in a pond theres the risk of the snails being a vector of disease (not really their fault), there is nothing wrong with them.
They rarely eat healthy plants and won't bother the fish (of course the fish may bother them!).
Of course I understand how they may be an un wanted resident of a tank  Wink Which is fair enough, to each their own  Smiley

With food I just chuck them in whatever I happen to be feeding Lucky! A nice chunk of brocolli will last them a good few days maybe even a week Cheesy I have also been tempted to feed my holiday blocks to the snails, I'm sure they'd appreciate it ^_^

I was kinda sad one died while I was away though  Sad
I remember cleaning a plant that had some gunk in it, thinking about it, maybe it was the remains of the snails body? Not really sure what caused in, it's unlikely the others ate it they are herbivores afterall.
Maybe I didn't leave enough food?  Undecided

I put the empty shell in a little box, it was so pretty and I never realised how pale it was without their dark coloured bodies filling it.

My brothers visiting with his fancy camera, I'll try and get some close ups for you guys to see them  Grin
Sorry for the rant XD
« Last Edit: December 30, 2011, 06:05:43 PM by Skwishee » Logged
Nossie
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Re: A Snail Tank!
« Reply #26 on: December 31, 2011, 05:54:06 AM »
Snails grow old too, maybe it's as simple as that Smiley
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scrivens345
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Re: A Snail Tank!
« Reply #27 on: December 31, 2011, 09:12:27 AM »
snails do eat dead snails Roll Eyes
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Nossie
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Re: A Snail Tank!
« Reply #28 on: December 31, 2011, 10:47:31 AM »
Most things living eat their dead, so it makes sense Smiley
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Skwishee
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Re: A Snail Tank!
« Reply #29 on: December 31, 2011, 12:03:47 PM »
Ah well, if the others got a meal out of it! Circle of life I suppose! Infact I have no idea on the life span of these snails... hmmm wonder what it is....
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