# Baby Gold Mystery Snails turning brown



## cjp999 (Nov 18, 2008)

I've had a couple of gold mystery snails for about 4 months now. I'm not sure of the exact species, but they are a bit over 1", deep yellow shell, light yellow flesh, and pink/red eyes. After looking at applesnail.net, I'd say I probably have Yellow _Pomacea canaliculata._

A little over a month ago, one of them laid eggs, and about 3 or 4 weeks ago, about 120 baby snails hatched. Initially they were all pale yellow. But now some are either changing colors, or I have a new snail infestation. Here's a recent picture:

snail2.jpg


The snails in this picture are about 3/16th on an inch in size. From what I can tell, their shape is the same as the yellow baby snails, and so is their behavior. The only other grown snails I have are nerites I got 2 or 3 weeks ago, and a few MTS isolated in a different tank. Any idea what these snails are?

BTW, I'm certain these are not just baby snails that were born brown instead of yellow and I didn't initially notice. The yellow snails were born in a tank with black gravel. I siphoned about 80 of them out with 3/16th hosing, so I know I was only grabbing yellow ones. If there had been any brown ones, I would have easily seen them in the container I siphoned them into. The snails I siphoned out I moved to 3 other tanks, and I'm seeing the brownish snails in all 3 of these thanks now.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

those look like pond snails. You have another species in there.


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## cjp999 (Nov 18, 2008)

mistergreen said:


> those look like pond snails. You have another species in there.


If that's the case, they must have survived the PM soaking I gave my new plants a few weeks ago. I definitely don't have any adults in my tanks.

I thought pond snails ate plants? These guys are eating algae on the glass.


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## Lupin (Nov 21, 2006)

Pond snails do not eat plants but they do eat the dying parts. I'd get rid of them if you don't want a vast number of these.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

I've notice smaller snail sp. can hitchhike with mystery snail too...
pond snails are harmless. But if you don't like them, just squish them with your fingers.


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## cjp999 (Nov 18, 2008)

I've had the mystery snails for too long for pond snails to have hitch a ride with them. I've been removing them with a turkey baster. Since they move around a lot, and there are no adults to lay more eggs, I think they'll all be gone shortly.


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## Roser (Jan 13, 2008)

I'd disagree about pond snails not eating plants. When I accidently introduced them, they made a particular note of munching big holes in my swords and dwarf lotus plants (and not just they dying parts, sadly). Other than that, they don't bother any of my plants. Like so many other things though, there are probably more than one species that people end up with, and some may be more or less of a pain. Either way, if I had the chance to do it again, I'd prevent those darn snails from taking over by getting rid of them.


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## Phoenix-cry (Dec 25, 2008)

Yeah, those look like pond snail...when mystery snails lay eggs they lay them out of the water in a purple mass so you really notice.

I crush them when I see them for my fish to eat. Although crushing them can cause them to release eggs. It only takes one to make a thousand so it is best to destroy them when you see them and not think "Awe, it's just one snail".


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## Lupin (Nov 21, 2006)

Roser said:


> I'd disagree about pond snails not eating plants. When I accidently introduced them, they made a particular note of munching big holes in my swords and dwarf lotus plants (and not just they dying parts, sadly). Other than that, they don't bother any of my plants. Like so many other things though, there are probably more than one species that people end up with, and some may be more or less of a pain. Either way, if I had the chance to do it again, I'd prevent those darn snails from taking over by getting rid of them.


Perhaps the foliage is soft. Snails do target soft foliage but for the most part, they really don't eat plants unless opportunity arises.


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## cjp999 (Nov 18, 2008)

Phoenix-cry said:


> Yeah, those look like pond snail...when mystery snails lay eggs they lay them out of the water in a purple mass so you really notice.


I realize that, and mine did lay eggs out of the water, although they were a salmon color. I have a 120 baby yellow mystery snails now (and they are in fact yellow, not brown). However, the brown ones pictured above starting turning up a couple weeks after the yellow, so I wasn't sure if the yellow snails hard started to turn brown.



Phoenix-cry said:


> I crush them when I see them for my fish to eat. Although crushing them can cause them to release eggs. It only takes one to make a thousand so it is best to destroy them when you see them and not think "Awe, it's just one snail".


How small can they be when they lay eggs.


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## FishGirl65 (Apr 26, 2008)

I had a "gold" pond snail that I thought was a mystery snail and I let it live a good long time when I finally realized it wasn't a mystery snail. Who knows how many eggs that snail laid...

Anyway, I'm very careful to check the shape of the shell before getting rid of them now. Mystery snails are definately more round, pond snails - oval. When they're small sometimes I have to hold them up to a light to see the outline of the shape.

When the mystery snails are laying eggs and I want to keep the babies, I move the eggs to a floating styrofoam piece in another aquarium that doesn't have a pond snail infestation. I don't have to deal with who's who then.

Perhaps someone has a better answer, but I've found that pond snails can be quite small when they start laying their egg jellies. The bigger snails just seem to lay more eggs at a time.


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## Phoenix-cry (Dec 25, 2008)

Ah, i didn't know that you had a true snail egg nest. most people just assume new snails must be pond snails. I'm not sure how large a pond snail has to be before it is sexually mature, my guess is 1/4 of an inch or so since that would be about half the size of a large adult.


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## cjp999 (Nov 18, 2008)

Phoenix-cry said:


> Ah, i didn't know that you had a true snail egg nest. most people just assume new snails must be pond snails. I'm not sure how large a pond snail has to be before it is sexually mature, my guess is 1/4 of an inch or so since that would be about half the size of a large adult.


Grrr! I already have eggs, and these little buggers aren't even pea size yet.


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