# Can a single pond snail produce more pond snails?



## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

If it is your normal ole pond snail, they can reproduce a-sexually, no other one is needed


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## Koi Kameon (Apr 25, 2010)

*if it's a ramshorn, it can do it by itself too*

but if it hasn't yet, maybe it won't.


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## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

It hasn't produced anything so far as I can tell, but it probably is only just reaching final size. When I first got it he was teeeeny tiny. He's bigger now, so maybe he's going to start making eggs then. 

SO. Are the beneficial or harmful in small numbers?


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

Bunfoo said:


> It hasn't produced anything so far as I can tell, but it probably is only just reaching final size. When I first got it he was teeeeny tiny. He's bigger now, so maybe he's going to start making eggs then.
> 
> SO. Are the beneficial or harmful in small numbers?


Depends if you like them or not. They are great in my tanks at eating leftover food, eating something that dies, cleaning algae on plants and glass.

Some people despise them though and go through extremes to get rid of them, some like them and keep them in their tanks. It's like spiders in the house. Some people freak and can't even sleep if they see a little spider, others leave them with their web to potentially kill hundreds of files and bugs that otherwise may be flying around their house. Comes down to preference.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Definitely comes down to preference.

But some of the positives that have already been mentioned really can't be overlooked. Pond and bladder snails make for terrific cleaners. Eating dead fish, dead snails, dead shrimp, dead leaves? Huge win in my book. 

They're super-fast at cleaning glass, too.


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## wetworks (Jul 22, 2011)

It is completely impossible to keep pond snails from breeding. You don't even have to have an actual snail- you can become infested just from a single egg. (Though, to be fair, there is never a 'single' egg- more like a hundred!) I fought and fought them in several of my aquariums, and eventually I gave up and have learned to live with them- or at least the ones my assassin snails have not eaten yet. They really don't do any harm, with the exception of clogging up my filters sometimes, and they do not harm my plants or fishes, so I do not militantly hunt and squash them any more. While you cannot keep them from breeding, by watching the amount of excess food that goes into your water you can impose a population limit on them. They will not reproduce enough to overpopulate is their food supply is strictly limited.


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## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

Well if they're beneficial then I'll be happy to have them in my tanks! :hihi: Someone told me they eat holes into the live plants before they eat the dead plants but after seeing the messy hornwort all cleaned up I started to wonder. I generally try to keep my tanks well fed without over feeding, so I think I will keep them into moderate control. I think they're pretty darn cute. :angel: I'd get something bigger but the prospect of tiny snails is just adorable to me. (I like spiders too. :hihi

Hopefully s/he will lay some eggs soon then. :icon_surp


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

I can almost promise you there are already eggs in the tank.

I put 50ish Pond & Bladder Snails in a container over night to prepare for shipping this morning only to wake up to find at least 20 clutches of eggs.



Bunfoo said:


> Hopefully s/he will lay some eggs soon then. :icon_surp


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## garfieldnfish (Sep 25, 2010)

I don't have pond snails and I don't want them, but I have mini ramshorns and MTSs and I prefer them by far to planaria, that might show up instead of the snails. So I consider snails a good thing. I hate planaria with a passion. Snails will tell you if you are overfeeding. If they multiply fast you need to cut down on the food. If you end up with too many MTSs, they can be sold on AB. Not really for a profit but there is always a market that will take the extras off your hands. I even saw auctions for pond snails on AB. That always makes me shake my head. But they sell.


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

garfieldnfish said:


> I don't have pond snails and I don't want them, but I have mini ramshorns and MTSs and I prefer them by far to planaria, that might show up instead of the snails. So I consider snails a good thing. I hate planaria with a passion. Snails will tell you if you are overfeeding. If they multiply fast you need to cut down on the food. If you end up with too many MTSs, they can be sold on AB. Not really for a profit but there is always a market that will take the extras off your hands. *I even saw auctions for pond snails on AB. That always makes me shake my head. But they sell.*


They are great food for some kinds of loaches and other fish so sometimes people need to start a breeding population just to have enough to feed their critters happily.


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## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

Well, I hope so! I emptied its jar into my plant cuttings tank. If there are eggs hopefully they'll show up soon. Even if I end up with too many I'm sure my goldfish would enjoy them. :hihi:


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## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

I am not sure, BUT, I think I may have seen another tiny snail. It was in the hornwort but when I went to find it I couldn't see it anywhere lol. Fingers crossed! :hihi:


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## chiefroastbeef (Feb 14, 2011)

I wish I had a big enough tank to house loaches that would eat my tiny pest snails... I need to feed less, but hard to resist feeding the fishies!


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## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

Sometimes I worry I underfeed. Once every 2 days and only a pinch or two for my tetra tank. But all my fish&shrimp seem happy and healthy and I don't have any serious problems with algae or pests. A little diatoms still but they're mostly gone now.


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## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

So...are we sure that acute bladder snails can breed by themselves? Still no babies, snail is still definitely alive and pretty darn healthy I think.


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## takadi (Dec 13, 2010)

I keep them because my corys and loaches love them. Crush them with your finger and the fish go nuts. Great "live" food


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## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

I would love too if there was more than one lol! I'm going to go to petsmart next time I'm in town and steal their pests.


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## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

I take it back! I was feeding the fry in the tank and happened to spot a clear bundle of eggs on my mystery red val. So happy! I'm hoping the fry won't eat newly hatched snails LOL. anyone know how long till they hatch?


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