# Are spixi snails preditory?



## spypet (Sep 15, 2006)

can someone address this question?

can you keep Spixi and Ramshorn
together without risk of inbreeding,
predation, or conflicting competition?

or will Spixi emerge as top dog in
any tank with other small snails.


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## bugboykaufman (Mar 22, 2007)

I have a lot of Spixi snails and have seen them eating other Spixi eggs. I would assume that they would eat other snail eggs as well. I have never seen them eating live snails though.


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## spypet (Sep 15, 2006)

good to know. are Spixi eggs as easy to spot as Ramshorn egg deposits?
if so, it would be simple to rip the leaf off holding an egg clutch, to put it
where adult snails can't get at it such as a floating breeding cube.


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## oblongshrimp (Jul 26, 2006)

Spixi snails are predetory, they will eat both smaller spixi snails and other snails (according to a guy I know who was breeding them). I have also noticed the empty shells of smaller spixi's and other snails though myself. Spixi eggs are very easy to spot as they form a jelly like mass on moss or a plant. The mass is about the size of the snail itself so its unlikely you would miss it.


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## Caesar777 (Aug 25, 2007)

I saw a spixi with its face at the opening of a medium ramshorn's shell; not sure if he was actually IN it or just ON it, but it was suspicious.


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## spypet (Sep 15, 2006)

I can now confirm from my own observations that Spixi are predatory against Ramshorn. Several times I have caught a 1cm Spixi half way in a Ramshorn 2cm shell, while the Ramshorn had retreated deeper inside. I was hoping to keep them together in my invert tank, but I'll probably keep just the Spixi there, and move the Ramshorn back to my nano community tank. I like both my Spixi and Ramshorn, but will just have to keep them apart from now on  I noticed the Spixi have a defensive advantage over the Ramshorn, as the Spixi seem to have a flip top lid then can close over their shell, while a Ramshorns soft flesh stays exposed. Spixi move about 10 times faster than Ramshorn, so they probably have stronger muscles as well. This tank has no gravel, so I'm able to fairly test if MTS and Spixi have any problems with each other, and thus far they seem to coexist just fine. Spixi seem to treat MTS like another rock in the tank, and are seen cleaning the MTS shell without investigating it's contents.


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## tpl*co (Nov 4, 2006)

Hey, I see this as a good thing for keeping ramshorn explosions down (when they populate out of control and then have a stinky mass die off, yuck!). I still have some ramshorns, but the spixis are keeping them in check. They are also killing some nerites though. I see some smaller olive nerites in the tank though so they can breed in fresh water.


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## spypet (Sep 15, 2006)

I can now confirm that Spixi may try to eat your MTS, but they won't 
succeed because the MTS shell is too hard and deep for Spixi to get in.
I've kept 7 adult Spixi in a slate bottom tank with a dozen juvenile MTS 
for over 2 Months now, and have not lost a single of either snail. 
In that same period, I lost 2 Ramshorn to these opportunistic Spixies,
before I finally had to remove the Ramshorn from this tank altogether.


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## paintworx (Sep 15, 2006)

*spixi snails*

I wonder if the spixis would take care of POND snails? Seems they also have a hard shell, but they multiply out of control ! Anyone have experience with that?

I have seen the spixis eating other spixi egg clutches- seems that they leave them alone until they are close to hatching.... at first I thought they were just scooting over the top of the clutch, but the clutches started disappearing. 

It would be great if they would eat the pond snails !


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## paintworx (Sep 15, 2006)

*spixis*

How did you do that? Is the clutch attached to anything? It looks like maybe a plastic cap that is floating with the clutch inside....?


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## crazie.eddie (May 31, 2004)

This is great to hear! I have allot of ramshorn snails, though thinner and smaller, that I've always been removing on a daily basis. It's nice to know that something will actually eat them, but will be safe for shrimps and plants. Now I have to look for anyone selling asolene spixi locally.


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## spypet (Sep 15, 2006)

crazie, Spixi don't eat the mini-ramshorns with those flat against the glass shells. I put 7 adult spixis in a 30gal tank full of those 3mm snails, and they didn't go for them even after weeks of waiting, and underfeeding the tank. I actually watched Spixis crawl right over those 3mm ramshorns without even a pause. 

in the end, the only way I could kill those little snails was to remove all my fish and spixis, drain all but 3" of the water, then treat all the plants and gravel left in my tank with a double concentration of H202, or 1 tablespoon of H202 per 2 gallons of water (still in my tank), twice over the course of a 24 hour period (with filter and lights left off). it sounds like a lot of work; but now all those little snails are finally gone, as well as whatever algae traces were there, and I didn't have to uproot all my plant formations.


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## crazie.eddie (May 31, 2004)

Dang. That sux. I thought I finally had a natural solution. Oh well. I guess back to sucking them out.


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## Aquamanx (Sep 28, 2006)

I have Spixi's in my 20 Gallon planted tank... My problem is that they seem to be dieing... Should I be giving them some sort of Calcium? I have heard of using the "vacation feed tabs" that you buy for fish. I don't have any pics of them, but, their shells seem to be deteriorating rapidly! They don't look as nice as they did when I hatched them, & I don't seem to be having as many eggs/babies in the tank either. Is there a chance that my new aquisition might be eating them or something? The newest in the tank are 2 Black Kuhli Loaches... They are still young & I don't see them that often, go figure... I put them in a tank with dark substrate... :icon_roll 

Anyway, Thanks in advance for any help you might be able to give!

Sorry I didn't leave the parameters of my water. I'll have to get them tonight. I know for a while I neglected the tank when I bought my house & I was doing repairs to it... That probably has the most to do with it!


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## FrostyNYC (Nov 5, 2007)

Calcium supplements would work, even the pills that people swallow, drop drop one in the tank. Vacation feeders also work.

You don't mention your pH and hardness. Soft, acidic water will deteriorate the shells of many snails.


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## Aquamanx (Sep 28, 2006)

... Seeing it was Valentines Day, I didn't get to check the parameters of the water lastnight. I'll have to check it out tonight!

I did notice that I do still have about 10 Spixi's out of 20 or so left in the tank... I thought they had all perished except 4-5 of them. As far as the Calcium goes, will it effect the fish & Shrimp? I have Cherry shrimp, Ghost shrimp, a couple Cory's, a couple Ottos, a SAE, & a 4-5 Tetras of some sort in there. It is planted, with only one type of Hygro (I was told it was Sunset Hygro, but I have yet to see alot of the Red coloring that it _should_ have...). I'm looking into getting a coulpe more types of plants in the tank, now that I have time to care for it.

I do appreciate the help you guys are giving me! I hope you don't think I'm a Butthead! :icon_redf I just haven't had ANY time to do anyting other than getting the new house in order.


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## rain- (Mar 29, 2004)

There's also a nice amount of calcium in Sera Raffy Mineral pellets meant for turtles. But the most important thing is to keep pH over 7 if you want to keep the snail shells intact. Are you adding CO2?

Since you seem to have some inhabitants which would prefer pH under 7, maybe you should try to keep the spixis in their own tank in which you could use coral sand as the substrate which raises both pH and GH (in the long run the effect might lessen, but still it's better than just regular sand and easier than adding baking soda and calcium after every water change). Well, you might already have hard tap water and the pH stays over 7 naturally if you don't add CO2, then it would be even easier. 

But if you want to keep the snails in a tank with pH under 7, it's really important to offer them calcium in their food, Sera Raffy Mineral I mentioned is a nice one because it floats and usually only snails are interested in those floating pellets (well, shrimp will be too). Weekend feeders are the same, but since the sink, shrimp and fish will be interested in them too. 

There's also special home made snail food available from hobbyists in which they have added calcium and other yummies. You can find some at least from aquabid. 

Well, that's all I could say before seeing the water parameters.


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## Aquamanx (Sep 28, 2006)

OK. I only checked my PH & it was @ 7. Just under if anything... That would have to be the reason behind the eroded shells! I don't have room for an extra tank at the moment, so, I added a Vacation feeder to the tank, & I'll look into getting some calcium pills too, or I might find the Sera Raffy Mineral pellets, or someone on here (or aquabid) selling Snail food with calcium to suppliment...

Thanks for everyones reples!

On a side note, I found eggs in the tank this AM & transfered them to a breeder box in the tank. We'll have to see how they fair. Maybe I'll see some babies out of this egg sack. Still trying to find a nice place to put a small 5 or 10 gallon tank just for snails & shrimp.


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## PRESTON4479 (Mar 22, 2007)

I was wandering if adding calcium in the form of CASO4 to the water column would help the shells?

Any input would be appreciated.


Thanks


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## will5 (Sep 30, 2005)

PRESTON4479 said:


> I was wandering if adding calcium in the form of CASO4 to the water column would help the shells?
> 
> Any input would be appreciated.
> 
> ...


I don't know about that but you could use Kent's Liquid calcium at the regular does. It's meant for saltwater but can be used in freshwater with no I'll effects. At least no I'll effects that I have ever seen.


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## will5 (Sep 30, 2005)

Now my question. 

Would they be able to eat my olive nerites when I get them?


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