This article will touch more on this below. Some species of apple snails Pomacea are voracious herbivores that will decimate a planted aquarium in short order. Apple snails have also caused damage to crops in certain parts of the world after being inadvertently introduced into the wild. However, the majority of apple snails in the aquarium industry make great aquarium scavengers and usually leave plants alone.
There is only one way snails get into our aquariums — we put them there. But, you might say, I've never purchased a snail in my life and suddenly they are showing up! The most common ways unwanted snails enter our aquariums accidentally are via eggs or juveniles hitchhiking on plants or decorations, or in gravel cultures transferred from one tank to another.
Many snail eggs are transparent and are often attached to the undersides of plant leaves, making them difficult to see. Juveniles of red ramshorns and pond snails can be very tiny and hide easily, especially in fine-leaved plants. There are ways of eliminating snails and their eggs which will also be discussed below.
Malaysian Trumpet snails are often transferred in used gravel intended to help start the biological cycle in a new aquarium, but they can come in on rocks, plants, driftwood and decorations, as well. MTS are known to live in buckets of used gravel for over a year! Even after rinsing the gravel thoroughly, they can still be alive and well, ready to start reproducing in their new home. Sometimes called Inca snails, Mystery snails Pomacea spp. Bodies are usually black or pinkish-orange with neon orange spots around the head area.
Shells can be tan or olive with dark stripes, maroon, white, golden yellow or blue. They eat soft algae, dead plant matter and make great scavengers in peaceful community tanks. There are several theories about how Mystery snails got their name, but a popular one is that when they were first introduced into the hobby, no one knew what kind of snail they were; it was a mystery. Scientists have described two species popular in the aquarium industry — Pomacea bridgesii and Pomacea diffusa , with P.
Mystery snails have gills as well as a lung, with a sort of siphon tube that allows them to breathe air by coming to the surface. A secure lid should be used to prevent them from climbing out of the tank. Breeding is not difficult; mystery snails are gonochoristic, meaning you need a boy and a girl for it to happen.
In addition, the female must be able to leave the water to deposit her eggs, which appear as a honeycomb-like cluster on the tank wall above the water line or attached to the underside of the lid. Babies hatch out in 2 to 3 weeks, depending on temperature, and drop into the water.
Nerites Neritina spp. They come in different colors and patterns, including one with horns! They are among the most beautiful of all aquarium snails. They are relatively small, they don't eat plants and their waste contains bacteria that is beneficial to the digestive tracts of shrimp, making them perfect for planted aquariums and shrimp tanks. Nerite snails are not difficult to breed, but the larvae require brackish or saltwater to develop, so there is little risk of them overrunning an aquarium.
They are thought to live at least 3 years, but there are reports of 5 years from hobbyists. They love to crawl out of the water, so make sure you have a secure lid on your tank! A relatively recent addition to the hobby, Rabbit snails Tylomelania spp. Native to Sulawesi, Indonesia, some species can grow up to 4 inches in length, and they are thought to live up to 3 years. Some aquarists mix crushed coral into the gravel or place coral in their filters to achieve the correct water chemistry.
Rabbit snails feed on soft algae, dead plant matter and other detritus, but they will also eat sinking pellets, algae wafers and other fish foods that fall to the bottom. There are also a variety of shell types that you can come across. While the conical structure is the most common, it can often be different. Here are a few common snail shell types you can find:. The sculpturing of the shell is another way that you can use to identify the different snails.
In most cases, you can see the characteristics with the naked eye. However, in some cases, it might need some magnification. Here are some key things to note about shell sculpturing:. Whenever you come across a snail, you are bound to find a slime trail as well. There are two different forms of excretion common to snails. The first type is not adhesive, but rather translucent and the other is slightly thinker and more condensed. While this does not relate to any specific snail, the type of secretion left behind by the snail depends on the way it is stimulated.
As was previously mentioned, there are thousands and thousands of different snails. There are plenty of types you might come across. Some of the more common ones are:. Garden Snails are probably the most common snails you will come across.
However, snails have been distributed all over the world in the modern era. In terms of size, they will grow up to 1. These snails feed on a variety of different plants and fruits. Many people will consider it to be a pest. On the other hand, others will have it as pet.
The Giant African Land Snail is one of the largest snail species and they grow up to 8-inches. They are native to Africa, but the snail can be found all over the world. They are officialy considered as pest. The United States Department Of Agriculture has described them as being one of the most invasive species.
These species tend to destroy crops and vegetation very easily. The Mediterranean Green Snail is another common type of snail. Many people refer to it as the green garden snail. The snail is home to the Mediterranean and in Mediterranean parts of Europe. Their forward speed depends on the species, but usually, it is between 0.
Its slowness is another feature that has made it famous, and some people have known how to play with it. For example, in many places in the UK, snail racing is organized! Can you imagine waiting for them to reach the finish line? It does not last as long as it may seem. While moving, snails leave behind a trail of slime, a lubricant they produce to allow them to go on any terrain without injuring its body. They use their sense of smell to help them find food being their most important sensory organ.
You will find that snails are most active at night. They may come out during the early morning hours as well. The biological features of snails are fascinating. For example, most are hermaphrodites, which means that a single snail has male and female reproductive organs at the same time.
A few weeks after mating and laying eggs, the hatchlings emerge from their egg, small and defenseless against many predators that sneak around, such as beetles, birds, turtles and even other snails. There are exceptions. Some species have sex differentiation, so every individual is either male or female. The life expectancy of snails in the wild is about 3 to 7 years, but in captivity, they can live up to years or even more.
Snail shell is made of calcium carbonate and keeps growing as long as the snail grows. They keep adding more calcium carbonate to the edge until the snail reaches adult size. Some of its colors include gold, blue, tiger-striped, and white. Apple snails feed on vegetables, fish food pellets, brine shrimp, frozen foods, and dead fish or insects.
Also called the channeled apple snail, this species is a freshwater type and is native to South America. However, it has spread throughout the world.
In fact, it is considered a major agricultural pest in Southeast Asia. Golden apple snails feed on young emerging rice plants, as well as taro. Meanwhile, younger snails eat algae and detritus.
Perhaps one of the most popular freshwater snails for aquarium enthusiasts, mystery snails are an excellent addition to any aquarium because of their colorful shells and ability to clean up waste and excess food. Aside from algae, mystery snails also feed on fish pellets, biofilm, and blanched greens such as cucumber, kale, spinach, and zucchini. Also called the paradise snail, this species is a large, freshwater snail that is popularly used as a biological control agent in aquariums , as well as in the wild.
The common whelk is a large, edible marine snail with a shell that is white, red, or yellow in color. Because this species eats live bivalves, it greatly benefits from starfish feeding since it feeds on the bivalve remains abandoned by the starfish. In turn, the common whelk is prey to several fish and crustaceans. In some parts of the world, they are also considered as a menu item. This is a small, edible snail that is native to the rocky shores of the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. In history, this snail is considered an essential source of food in Scotland.
Today, it is now considered as a delicacy in African and Asian cuisines. Not only that, periwinkle snails are also used as bait when catching fish. The common periwinkle snail is omnivorous , and would mostly graze algae, though it may also eat small invertebrates, such as barnacle larvae. This species can live in freshwater tanks, and is considered an excellent algae eater.
Assassin snails are useful animals, eliminating pest snails in your aquarium by eating them. They are good at controlling the snail population in the area where they are kept. A native to southeast Asia, assassin snails are carnivores that feed mostly on other snails. However, it is said that they can eat dwarf shrimp if they get the opportunity, so be careful when housing them with dwarf shrimp. Unlike most snails that have soft and gelatinous skin, rabbit snails have rough and wrinkled skin, hence their nickname elephant snails.
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