# Do I want nerites or ramshorns?



## mgamer20o0 (Mar 8, 2007)

the horned nerites are a smaller species and are smaller then full grown ramshorns. the coronas black horned green horned species are all smaller then the other larger ones like the zebras tigers red spot and so on. they dont breed in fw which is a plus. the ramshorn if over fed can lead to a explosion. my nerites tend to lay the eggs on anubias or my driftwood. there are some species which seem to lay a ton more eggs like the olives. nerites are amazing algae eaters the ramshorns not really. both will leave the plants alone.

personally i would go with the nerites. their plus for me outweigh the down sides. i keep some in any and every one of my planted tanks. though i can be seen as biased on the subject...


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## jetajockey (Aug 23, 2010)

I think I'd go with nerites for both looks/variety and population control. Ramshorns are manageable if you don't overfeed but they can boom in no time at all.


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## Nue (Dec 27, 2009)

I would have to agree on the Nerite's. Ramshorns don't seem to be good algae eaters anyways. A few Oto's are also a great addition.


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## Moe (Jan 22, 2004)

I would go with Nerites, they are excellent algae cleaners.


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Get a handful of horned nerites, they are about the size of a pond snail, great little guys, and a couple of tracked nerites. The horned nerites can get on the small plants, and the tracked are an algae eating powerhouse. I do not see tons of eggs either.


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## Option (Oct 2, 2010)

As for the eggs they lay, are these typically edible to the fish? Because if so, then the egg laying wouldn't really bother me.


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

They really are not that big, and I only notice them on the driftwood. Thy are pretty hard to remove so the fish do not even notice they are there. They look like little pink pearls to me. I just leave them as is, because there is really not to many of them and they do not last too long.


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## Dave-H (Jul 29, 2010)

I had nerites and I had TONS of eggs, and they got kind of ugly after a while. So, I retired my nerites except one, who chugs around happily but doesn't produce eggs. I also have MTS and they are reproducing like wild.


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

If your water temperature is kept under 80, I like my japanese trapdoor snails. They eat a fair deal of algae, and are very attractive. Here is one keeping my fissidens clean:


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## Clint (Oct 7, 2010)

Ok, I'll go with nerites, and maybe one trap door snail for fun.

Are the trap door snails very easy to get as well? Never heard of them until recently.


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

fairly easy, i have loads. They do live births, and aren't very prolific, so they dont explode in population like others


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## Clint (Oct 7, 2010)

> *Trapdoor Snails.* The trapdoor snails (livebearing snails kept in fish ponds) also look much like mystery snails. Trapdoor snails, unlike the Ampullariae, breathe underwater thru their gills. They are also destructive plant eaters in your aquaria. Trapdoor snails do fine in plant-free aquaria. Pond keepers use them to control algae."


Am I going to regret ordering some trapdoor snails along with my nerites?


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Youyre easy to keep in check.ll likely end up with some rams sooner or later. They dont reproduce as hevily as pond snails. IMO theyre easy to keep in check. Nerites will eventually die and need replaced. If your worried about algae control id get a few ottos to take care of that. no small snail eats as much algae as an otto for the size.


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## jerilovesfrogs (Oct 22, 2010)

i vote nerites! i have about 12 of them (in dif tanks) and they help clean out the most stubborn algae! yes they do have little white eggs that they lay on things. they even have climbed on the back of my golfball size mystery snail and laid eggs on him! lol but i love 'em, they are cute and very hard working. 

imo, do not get ramshorn on purpose. you'll regret that. to me, they are more pests than "pets". and it's true, you'll probably end up with them sooner or later.....due to them coming in on plants. unless you do bleach dips i suppose.


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

My japanese trapdoor snails have never eaten any plant, nor do they look like mystery snails. I'm not sure where you dug that quote up from, but it's entirely false.


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## we4wieners (Oct 9, 2010)

How many nerites could I put in my 20 breeder? I currently have one in there, he is ALL over the place. He's probably faster than I am.


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## Clint (Oct 7, 2010)

mordalphus said:


> My japanese trapdoor snails have never eaten any plant, nor do they look like mystery snails. I'm not sure where you dug that quote up from, but it's entirely false.


lol, it was on some older snail site google gave me, but it was the only one that said that out of the 10 or so I visited, I didn't take it too seriously. :hihi:
You can tell by the pictures that they don't look similar, I think the author confused another type of apple snail with trapdoors.

late night boredom at it's best


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