Snails in the aquarium – Species, posture and information: In addition ornamental fish, shrimp, i.e. invertebrates and crabs, there are also snails, which very often find their way into an aquarium. Be it as an algae eater or just to beautify the pool. In our snail guide, we tell you what types there are, what they need for keeping conditions, what they cost and where you can buy them.
Snails as a plague
This article is not intended to deal with the rather undesirable snails in an aquarium, but rather with the snails that are kept intentionally and attempts are also made to reproduce them in breeding. We'll come to snails, which cause a plague of snails, in one further articles to speak. One should therefore be impartial on the subject of snails and first find out whether there really are species that are not based on explosive reproduction.
If you have a plague of snails, help is here
- 8 Very good algae eater – clean windows and decorations in the aquarium
- Socialization with very many species possible without any problems. Peaceful! Also do not eat aquatic plants.
- Keeping an aquarium from 30 liters is possible without any problems. Uncontrolled propagation is 100% impossible. Lavas only develop in salt water.
- Very good adaptable aquarium snail which is also very suitable for beginners. It should not be missing in any ecosystem
- RED RACING SNAIL: Group of 3 Red racing snails, the perfect biological algae police for your nano aquarium or aquascape instead of anti-algae agents
- FOOD: Neritina waigiensis prefers to eat algae films, slimy algae, dust algae, diatoms, spot algae and small-celled green algae, but also bacteria and microorganisms
- REPRODUCTION: Does not reproduce in the aquarium, larvae need brackish water, so no overpopulation or snail plague is to be expected
- PH VALUE: Can be maintained at pH values above 6,5, GH up to 30°dH and 20-28 °C, and is also great for socializing
- AQUARIA: Up to three red snails can be kept permanently in aquariums longer than 40 cm
Are snails useful too?
This question can be answered with a clear yes. There are many species such as the tower snails or the ramshorn snails, which do not use the beautiful aquatic plants, but which eat algae. This is precisely why so many aquarists keep snails. Algae eaters such as fish can thus also be supplemented by snails.
But snails can not only serve as algae eaters. There are also other reasons for stocking in a community shrimp or species aquarium. Many of these small animals are considered true omnivores. This means that they can also fill up on leftover food, which would otherwise heavily pollute the water. There are also species that use the dead leaves.
Predatory snails – The special snail?
Before we come to very useful snails, we would like to introduce a representative who always causes a lot of excitement in the forums and Co. There is a lot of discussion about the predatory snail, because it is considered a scavenger and also eats its comrades, whereby they do not eat each other, but can find a taste for other conspecifics such as the post horn or the tower snail. To what extent they also use fish and shrimp remains very controversial. Again and again one reads of reports where shrimp should be on the menu. But we think that's quite unlikely, because when you see the nimble shrimp you wonder if a snail is really coming into play here. Maybe they were already dead or sick animals. Nevertheless, the snails cut a fine figure with their special shape and their very beautiful appearance, not only in the shrimp tank.
Of course, if you have an overstock of snails, you can also think about it Snail Eating Fish to use. The puffer fish in particular feeds on snails, but loach species also like to have snails on their menu. Here, of course, the holding conditions must be observed. These fish usually grow very large.
- 8 Very good algae eater – clean windows and decorations in the aquarium
- Socialization with very many species possible without any problems. Peaceful! Also do not eat aquatic plants.
- Keeping an aquarium from 30 liters is possible without any problems. Uncontrolled propagation is 100% impossible. Lavas only develop in salt water.
- Very good adaptable aquarium snail which is also very suitable for beginners. It should not be missing in any ecosystem
- RED RACING SNAIL: Group of 3 Red racing snails, the perfect biological algae police for your nano aquarium or aquascape instead of anti-algae agents
- FOOD: Neritina waigiensis prefers to eat algae films, slimy algae, dust algae, diatoms, spot algae and small-celled green algae, but also bacteria and microorganisms
- REPRODUCTION: Does not reproduce in the aquarium, larvae need brackish water, so no overpopulation or snail plague is to be expected
- PH VALUE: Can be maintained at pH values above 6,5, GH up to 30°dH and 20-28 °C, and is also great for socializing
- AQUARIA: Up to three red snails can be kept permanently in aquariums longer than 40 cm
Snail species in the imagination
Now we would also like to introduce some snails that are regularly available in stores. There would be, for example, the tower snail or the ramshorn snail. Both are certainly the most widespread species in our domestic aquariums. The bladder snail or the limpets in their various forms can also be found very often for sale.
If you mainly have an algae problem, you should take a closer look at the algae racing snail. This feeds exclusively on algae. Another algae eater in the form of a snail is the batik snail. The apple snails are a bit bigger. These are available in different versions. Mostly as a striped apple snail.
Slightly smaller at just 3 cm, the anthracite slug cuts a fine figure even in a 60 liter tank. The zebra racing snail would also lend itself to this. Blue ramshorn snails also grow to a maximum of 3 cm. These could also find their place in small aquariums.
Of course, as with ornamental fish, you should pay attention to the keeping conditions. Although snails are quite insensitive, there are still decisive differences, especially in the temperature range. When it comes to hardness and PH value, very large ranges are usually given in the profiles, so this does not pose a challenge.
In the case of snails, it is above all the shape of their shell that makes them so special. Are these like a kind of tower or like a little house. A word about sizes. Of course you should make sure that the size fits the tank. You wouldn't want to keep a snail with a size of up to 10 cm in a nano tank.
Use snails - water parameters and Co
But when it comes to casting, snails have a decisive advantage. These can be used right at the start as they are not sensitive to nitrite. A nitrite peak and thus the running-in can be skipped here.
There are usually no particular water parameters to be observed. Many of the snails are easy to keep from 6,5 to 8,0 PH value. The GH and KH values also play only a minor role. When it comes to temperature, there are also few requirements and values between 20 and 28 degrees are usually okay.
You should pay attention to the substrate if you want to use snails. Many species like to dig in and therefore love very fine granulations. more on the subject We have listed the substrate for you in our guide.
Everything about the substrate in the aquarium
Snails yes or no in an aquarium
Whether you want to keep snails in your tank seems to be a matter of attitude. For many, these animals have a rather negative connotation. Frowned upon in the garden and very often only associated with snail plagues. Nevertheless, they are very good helpers and if you have the nutrients and feeding under control, then there will be no problems in terms of reproduction. By the way, do they even know that there are even viviparous species of snails. However, the majority of all snails lay eggs. There, however, fully developed animals hatch.
- 8 Very good algae eater – clean windows and decorations in the aquarium
- Socialization with very many species possible without any problems. Peaceful! Also do not eat aquatic plants.
- Keeping an aquarium from 30 liters is possible without any problems. Uncontrolled propagation is 100% impossible. Lavas only develop in salt water.
- Very good adaptable aquarium snail which is also very suitable for beginners. It should not be missing in any ecosystem
- RED RACING SNAIL: Group of 3 Red racing snails, the perfect biological algae police for your nano aquarium or aquascape instead of anti-algae agents
- FOOD: Neritina waigiensis prefers to eat algae films, slimy algae, dust algae, diatoms, spot algae and small-celled green algae, but also bacteria and microorganisms
- REPRODUCTION: Does not reproduce in the aquarium, larvae need brackish water, so no overpopulation or snail plague is to be expected
- PH VALUE: Can be maintained at pH values above 6,5, GH up to 30°dH and 20-28 °C, and is also great for socializing
- AQUARIA: Up to three red snails can be kept permanently in aquariums longer than 40 cm
Our recommendation:
Try it. They occupy snails right from the start, especially in the case of a new installation. However, we recommend only occupying very few animals and paying close attention to how these animals behave. If they use plants, then they must change this. She should also make sure that any animal that has died is quickly removed from the water. Otherwise, snails can quickly pollute the water extremely. With these tips it is worth trying to keep snails in the aquarium.
Finally, of course, a reference to our guide on the subject of snail plagues. We have put together the most important information for you here.
If you have a plague of snails, help is here
You can find all questions in our forum