# Anyone raise snails for their puffers?



## jread (Jan 2, 2004)

I'm trying to raise pond snails for my dwarves and got most of my ideas from this site: http://www.pufferfish.co.uk/aquaria/foods/snails.htm

The only problem is that they're not reproducing 

I have them in a fish bowl with calcium (cuttle bone) a java fern, and I'm giving them pelleted fish food to eat. The four snails I have in there are really healthy and are getting much bigger, but they're not reproducing at all.

What can I do to get them to speed things up? Put a light over them or something? Their water is kinda cold since there's not a light on them or a heater, that may be what's slowing them down. What do you think?

Kind of ironic..... most people try to kill snails and can't ever get rid of them. I'm trying to GROW them and I can't get them to reproduce...


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## wellbiz (Aug 6, 2003)

Some slow jazz, sub-dued lighting and a little liquor works... Oh did I say that out loud..... :shock: 


Seriously I think temp has something to do with it. You might try a bigger tank too maybe a 5 gallon with a small heater, a little HOB filter... I think to thrive snails need good conditions just like fish...

Jason


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## Daemonfly (Oct 1, 2003)

Hrm, not sure. My pond snails have no problem & theres quite a few egg patches in my 20g. Tank is 78-80 deg F & I leave plenty of algae on the tank walls for the snails to eat. I know that when they're eating well, mine reproduce well.


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## cich (Aug 5, 2003)

you can bloody-well have all mine!


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## jread (Jan 2, 2004)

cich said:


> you can bloody-well have all mine!


Are they common pond snails?


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## cich (Aug 5, 2003)

Yes.


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## Mori (Jul 23, 2003)

definitely heat them!

And pretend that you don't want them in there. That's the best way, really. Java ferns aren't good snail food either, but maybe that's why you have it in there? A filter could help. Try algae wafers for a snack--a food variety might be nice.

Can you get a chunk of water lettuce? it grows fast enough to keep snails happy and gives them a nice substrate for their eggs.


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

My snail farm is pretty easy... I took a large container (22 Gallon rubbermaid container) filled it full of water, old aquarium gravel and let it sit.

Every time I do a pruning I toss my dead plant material, old leaves, dying leaves, etc into the bin for the snails. The leaves break down and the snails devour them.

Whenever I need more snails to feed the loaches I'm set!


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

I don't raise snails intentionally, but...

There are always too many in my neglected 43 gal tank. It is full of plants and algae, temp is @70F, and every week I take out maybe 20 or 30 and put them with the Yoyos.

Also I have an 8 gal bucket outside that I use to keep/raise small qties of daphnias. It is full of snails too. It gets pretty cold this time of the year, for CA at least, often into the 30's. I don't remove any snails there, but I could.

Finally, in my pond there are plenty of them too. It would not be easy to harvest them, but it could be done.

Like Mori said... the trick is to pretend you don't want them :lol:


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## Ray1214 (Aug 6, 2003)

I guess I kinda do what gareth does, but I have an old 20 gal acrylic tank that usta be a sump for one of my reef tanks. I have pea gravel as a substrate and some swords growing in it but for the most part, I just throw water change water from the main tanks, replenish with normal declorinated tap water, and I have two 40 watt NO flourscent bulbs with one of those indoor garden lighting kits (Walmart had them for 20 bucks with bulbs and stands). Every so often when I feed my plecos zucchini, I throw in the scraps into the tank, and the pond snails multiply like crazy. MTS do to, but for some reason my mystery snails didn't really multiply. I think the mts ate the snail egg pods for the mystery snails. (I found an egg pod half decimated with a mts in the middle) Outside of the occasional feeder guppy or feeder livebearer, I don't keep any fish in that tank. It is int the basement and a 175 Ebo Jager keeps it at about 76-81 degrees. I do run three powerfilters on it, but not at the same time. I like to keep the filter material already loaded with bacteria when I reload them with carbon and replace my main tank filters. Oh yeah I do use sponge filters as well, but they are to have conditioned filters for killie babies. But I don't ever use carbon. I also dose about 2 drops of Kent's Iodide supplement once a month or so. I don't do anything about the calcium. 

Ray..


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