# Yellow apple snails yes and no's for planted tanks



## john.shephard25 (Oct 13, 2011)

Hi, I just got 8 YAS so I was interested about your opinion on keeping them on heavily planted tank.


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## ashes2ashes (Apr 7, 2011)

WoW! Hope you have a big tank! Those guys poop a LOOT lol. They should have at least 2.5 gallons per snail. Anyway, Apple snails/Pomacea Bridgesii don't eat plants, so you are safe there. The one thing I have had issues with while keeping them in heavily planted tanks is that they dig up plants. If the plants are rooted well then it should be fine, but if they are just sitting under the gravel and not yet well rooted, the snails are going to turn them into floaters in no time. Also, they like to try and climb on crypts they are too heavy for and sometimes end up crushing them or causing damage to the leaves when they do that. For the MOST part, they are fine in heavily planted tanks. I have briggs (apple snails) in my heavily planted tanks, you just want to watch out for your more delicate crushable plants and also for anything not rooted or tied down. 

Apple snails are a lot of fun to have and to watch...also to breed, so have fun with them and congrats on the new critters. =)


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## christian_cowgirlGSR (Aug 2, 2011)

I have 4 pomacea diffusa in my 10 gallon planted tank and 3 in my 5 gallon planted shrimp tank. I've only seen them eat dead plant material, never live plants.


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## christian_cowgirlGSR (Aug 2, 2011)

FYI: Pomacea Bridgesii have been renamed to Pomacea diffusa.


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## Mr. Appleton (Jul 1, 2011)

Maybe mine is just weird, but I caught mine munching on downoi in my tank. 

To the other tank he went!


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## ashes2ashes (Apr 7, 2011)

christian_cowgirlGSR said:


> FYI: Pomacea Bridgesii have been renamed to Pomacea diffusa.


Yeah, but they are still commonly and more widely known as bridgesii or briggs, so I still call them that. I think even most of us that are totally aware of the name change still say "Briggs" when referring to them. It's just habit after doing it for such a long time. But yes, the scientific name was changed.


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## john.shephard25 (Oct 13, 2011)

Wow, lots of answers and good ones, I like that.BTW I bought them cause I have lots of dead leaves since I trim my plants every two weeks or so and sometimes I have problem with amonia and nitrite levels.I was hopping that they eat some of those leaves.My YAS are small for now but they do grow fast I had three before I got them a week ago and they are double in size from new ones which are from the same place bought.And they are fun.Another question: 
Those nerites snails, do they eat algae?


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## ashes2ashes (Apr 7, 2011)

Yes. Nerite snails eat almost solely algae. Occasionally you can catch them on a veggie or a wafer, but they are picky about prepared foods where as apple snails need prepared foods with lots of calcium for shell health. The apple snails will enjoy things like blanched zucchini, spinach, green beans and algae wafers as well as prepared foods like snail jello, but nerites tend to just be kind of like a cleanup crew for the algae. Apple snails are much more lazy...mine tend to make much more of a mess than they clean lol. They are cute though.


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## john.shephard25 (Oct 13, 2011)

I saw here some nerita snails that are actually red.I've never seen them in that coloration.We get them here only in that common color of brown with those "stitch" marks.Do you get them in your pet shops with those red colors?


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## szenic (Aug 15, 2011)

Hmm, interesting that they shouldn't eat live plants. Mine has destroyed my dwarf lily as well as other aponogeton sp.  He cleared up the algae really well though.


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## leviathan0 (Oct 6, 2007)

Diffusa wouldn't eat plants, but there are other species of Apple Snails that will. Non-diffusa species don't pop up much in the fishkeeping hobby anymore since the interstate ban, but you may still find them here and there.


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## szenic (Aug 15, 2011)

Mine was the "golden apple snail" they sell at petco. So I guess I ended up with the species that eats plants...


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## ashes2ashes (Apr 7, 2011)

szenic said:


> Mine was the "golden apple snail" they sell at petco. So I guess I ended up with the species that eats plants...


The gold apple snails they sell at petco are diffusa. They don't eat plants. They are bad about digging them up and crushing them by crawling on them, but they don't eat them. Some of the apple snails that WILL eat plants are Canas, Columbian Ramshorns, Some spixis will...especially if they have hybridized with the Columbian Ramshorns or Marisas. Regular old Diffusa don't though, and they are pretty lazy about algae too unless it's diatoms. When I first got into this hobby I was way more interested in snails and the aquatic frogs I had than shrimp or fish, so I kept, bred, and learned about every kind of aquatic snail I could get my hands on. I had to have non planted tanks for some, while I keep others in my plant tanks. To this day I keep Diffusas/mystery snails in pretty much all my planted tanks and the worst they do is dig up and crush. A lot of people think they eat plants when they get some plant deficiencies and end up with some dying places on the leaves and the snails eat the dead plant matter, so you end up with a hole. Alternately, I also see a lot of people who keep other snails like rabbit snails who WILL munch plants or Cichlids like Mbunas who are also plant destroyers and think the apples are eating their plans not realizing it's the fish or other snails that are eating the plants. 
Hope this info helps you and the OP as well. If it is still alive and kicking, there is a website called Applesnail.net that has LOADS of helpful information on it about the types of apple snails, their genetics, their native habitats, and how to keep them. I don't mean to write you guys a novel here, but I really love my snails, and enjoy talking about them. =)


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## [email protected] (Apr 27, 2011)

Here's a really informative website on Apple snails. There are different species and some species prefer foliage while the others do not. On this site there is a guide to help identify the different types, and the care for each kind. I would say that you were sold a species that prefers foliage, as opposed to the other. When you buy Apple snails from the bigger stores, they rarely know the exact species they are, and will just sell them under "Apple snails". I have 37 Pomacea diffusa (bridgesii), with LOTS of beautiful green plants left untouched by the Apples. It just depends on what species you have.


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## ashes2ashes (Apr 7, 2011)

[email protected] said:


> Here's a really informative website on Apple snails. There are different species and some species prefer foliage while the others do not. On this site there is a guide to help identify the different types, and the care for each kind. I would say that you were sold a species that prefers foliage, as opposed to the other. When you buy Apple snails from the bigger stores, they rarely know the exact species they are, and will just sell them under "Apple snails". I have 37 Pomacea diffusa (bridgesii), with LOTS of beautiful green plants left untouched by the Apples. It just depends on what species you have.


That's the website I just mentioned. =) It's a really good one for apple snail keepers.


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## john.shephard25 (Oct 13, 2011)

Yes, I found it yesterday, it is informative.
Do you think that 8 snails are to much in 24 gallons? 
They do poop a lot.I don't want to have any problem with ammonia I can barely manage as it is.


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## [email protected] (Apr 27, 2011)

ashes2ashes said:


> That's the website I just mentioned. =) It's a really good one for apple snail keepers.


I know, we were typing our responses at the same time. Yours wasn't there when I started typing mine out, but was up there after I hit post It is a really great site to keep in mind for all Apple snail lovers, thanks.


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## [email protected] (Apr 27, 2011)

john.shephard26 said:


> Yes, I found it yesterday, it is informative.
> Do you think that 8 snails are to much in 24 gallons?
> They do poop a lot.I don't want to have any problem with ammonia I can barely manage as it is.


You should be good with 8 in a 24.


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## ashes2ashes (Apr 7, 2011)

8 in a 24 is good, but I wouldn't add more than that unless you are just raising babies in there. They produce a lot of waste, and on top of that their shell health is compromised the more of them there are to have to fight for the calcium etc.. in the water. You are good with that number though. You should post pics sometimes. I do so love Briggs. =)

TonytTrout - That's what I figured happened. You know what they say about great minds and all that.


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## john.shephard25 (Oct 13, 2011)

Yeah they are tiny like a third of an inch in size except for those that I bought earlier.As for pics I don't have a camera would phone pics do?They wont be great!


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## john.shephard25 (Oct 13, 2011)

I found some of my old pics that I up. on aquaticphotoghraphy.com.
These smaller ones showed up when I bought new plants they were also interesting but died off.


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## john.shephard25 (Oct 13, 2011)

C'mon Guys they are not THAT bad?!


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## john.shephard25 (Oct 13, 2011)

How do I feed these guys Calcium preferably by some DIY method?


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## ashes2ashes (Apr 7, 2011)

You can give them straight calcium tablets/vitamins, tums, veggies high in calcium. You can make them snail jello out of knox gelatin, powdered calcium, baby food, and fish food. Lots of ways to do it. =)
The pics are lovely! I really like that last one a lot!


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## gogreenpower (Aug 15, 2011)

I was under the impression that I had 2 male ones but I'm not so sure anymore?


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## [email protected] (Apr 27, 2011)

john.shephard26 said:


> How do I feed these guys Calcium preferably by some DIY method?





ashes2ashes said:


> You can give them straight calcium tablets/vitamins, tums, veggies high in calcium. You can make them snail jello out of knox gelatin, powdered calcium, baby food, and fish food. Lots of ways to do it. =)
> The pics are lovely! I really like that last one a lot!


You can also incorporate a cuddle bone in your tank, the same ones that people give to birds for their beaks.



gogreenpower said:


> I was under the impression that I had 2 male ones but I'm not so sure anymore?


 How long have you had them? If you have had them for awhile with no eggs, they might be the same sex. Sometimes they attach to each other to clean the shells of the others. Maybe try feeding more, as that makes snails breed more regularly when there is more food available to them.


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## john.shephard25 (Oct 13, 2011)

Thanks for the compliments,, you are very kind.Can I ask what is knox gelatin?
And about the snails aren't they hermaphrodites?


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## leviathan0 (Oct 6, 2007)

Knox is a brand of gelatin, commonly used to make jello. Just that in this case, you would be using it to make food for snails rather than for yourself.

Apple snails have separate sexes.


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## [email protected] (Apr 27, 2011)

leviathan0 said:


> Apple snails have separate sexes.


 Yes, they do. If you up the feeding you should know in a few weeks if they are the same sex or not, if there ends up being no eggs. 

Also, Apple's lay their eggs above the waterline. Not really positive, but them not having a place to lay their eggs might play a roll in it as well. If you do not have a few inches of tank above your waterline, try lowering your water level some and see if that helps. If you have a male and female they will breed given enough food, tank space, and a place to lay their eggs.


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## john.shephard25 (Oct 13, 2011)

Actually, few years ago I had a couple that was reproducing like crazy but I also had couple of Torokatum fish that kept eating the young, though it is amassing watching them hatching and the nest is quite cool, all most alien.I hope that my snails will reproduce, all though they are quite small for now but the rate they are growing ...who knows.My snails have a bit damaged shell, can I hope that it will, well, repair?


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## Soothing Shrimp (Nov 9, 2011)

If the shell is damaged along the edge, it will repair itself. If minor damage along the outside, it can also repair itself. If major damage on the outside, other interventions will have to be done.


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## john.shephard25 (Oct 13, 2011)

actually its the tip of the shell thats ''corroded'' the end of the spiral from outside.What other interventions can be done?


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## MBen89 (Nov 7, 2015)

I know this post is old, but I couldn't help it lol. I saw you mentioning, quite often, that they do not eat plants, but I beg to differ. I got a "mystery snail" from Petco which is in reality an apple snail (figured that out after some extensive research on the different shells and stuff). Anyway, it DESTROYED my planted tank. The snail is big, and reproduces asexually. It literally did not stop munching on my plants until not a single piece of green leaf was left. I tried diverting its attention by feeding it zucchini, fresh spinach, lettuce, cucumbers... you name it. It DID eat all of those things, but right after destroying the live plants. So either I have a snail that's not an apple snail, or you've had very good luck. What do you think? I am really annoyed because it did lay eggs and I have 4 baby snails left, and I can't just toss them out. So now they're all living in my cichlids tank and they feed at night with my plecostomus. These things get big FAST!! they're 5 times bigger than they were 3 months ago 0.o but I love them, so I am not going to dispose of them.


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## doylecolmdoyle (Sep 22, 2015)

Are there any snails that will not climb out of a tank, I have a rimless 10g that I would like to add 1 or 2 snails to and the apple snails I had climbed out at night time...


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## randym (Sep 20, 2015)

MBen89 said:


> I know this post is old, but I couldn't help it lol. I saw you mentioning, quite often, that they do not eat plants, but I beg to differ. I got a "mystery snail" from Petco which is in reality an apple snail (figured that out after some extensive research on the different shells and stuff). Anyway, it DESTROYED my planted tank. The snail is big, and reproduces asexually. It literally did not stop munching on my plants until not a single piece of green leaf was left. I tried diverting its attention by feeding it zucchini, fresh spinach, lettuce, cucumbers... you name it. It DID eat all of those things, but right after destroying the live plants. So either I have a snail that's not an apple snail, or you've had very good luck. What do you think? I am really annoyed because it did lay eggs and I have 4 baby snails left, and I can't just toss them out. So now they're all living in my cichlids tank and they feed at night with my plecostomus. These things get big FAST!! they're 5 times bigger than they were 3 months ago 0.o but I love them, so I am not going to dispose of them.


There are several different species of snails sold as apple or mystery snails. These days, the ones you find in pet stores are usually Pomacea bridgesii, the spike-topped apple snail. That is the one you want. It prefers algae, or dead or dying plants, and has even been known to starve to death in a tank full of healthy, growing plants.

It sounds like you have a different species. Pomacea canaliculata is also sold in pet stores. It looks very similar, and also comes in many pretty colors, but it's an underwater lawnmower and should not be kept in planted tanks.

If your snail is really big - the size of an apple - it's a giant apple snail, P. gigas. People who keep those feed them lawn clippings.

This page has some info on how to tell different species apart:

Apple snail (Ampullariidae) genera and species.

Also...apple/mystery snails reproduce sexually, and are not hermaphrodites. You probably got a female that was already pregnant. The female can store sperm and produce several broods from one mating.


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