| Snails |
I know that all you plant fanatics are cringing at the mere title of this one. Don’t panic! Snails
are good. :) They have many benefits in the aquarium, especially if you are planning to keep
and breed some shrimp or crayfish. Most snails will not eat your healthy plants. There are a
few we have that are known plant-eaters; relax, we label them in the care sheets as such.
Most snails will just eat the dead and dying plant matter, in essence cleaning up after your
plants. They will also eat any leftover shrimp or fish food. They have one other key benefit:
they create infusoria with their waste. These microscopic organisms are your baby shrimps’
first food. Some of the dwarf crayfish will also consume these upon hatching. They also
soften water…”What?!” you say…Yes, they soften it by removing the calcium needed to
build their shells. I have run some tests and found that an exploding population of Malaysian
trumpet snails could soften the water enough to crash the pH in only 3 weeks of maximum
productivity. Other snails have the same ability. Obviously there is a balance that is going to
occur when you do this. The main factors will be:
Amount of food available to the snails
Amount of calcium available to the snails
How many snail-eating predators are in the tank
How many snail-egg-eating predators are in the tank
It’s very useful to have snails, but they will need to be balanced with one or a combination of
the above. I’ll be working some more with setting up these miniature ecosystems. I have a
few going now and plan on experimenting with all of the inverts and their interaction in the
near future. Our individual care sheets can tell you more about the individual animals.
Aquaboys 2 cents
are good. :) They have many benefits in the aquarium, especially if you are planning to keep
and breed some shrimp or crayfish. Most snails will not eat your healthy plants. There are a
few we have that are known plant-eaters; relax, we label them in the care sheets as such.
Most snails will just eat the dead and dying plant matter, in essence cleaning up after your
plants. They will also eat any leftover shrimp or fish food. They have one other key benefit:
they create infusoria with their waste. These microscopic organisms are your baby shrimps’
first food. Some of the dwarf crayfish will also consume these upon hatching. They also
soften water…”What?!” you say…Yes, they soften it by removing the calcium needed to
build their shells. I have run some tests and found that an exploding population of Malaysian
trumpet snails could soften the water enough to crash the pH in only 3 weeks of maximum
productivity. Other snails have the same ability. Obviously there is a balance that is going to
occur when you do this. The main factors will be:
Amount of food available to the snails
Amount of calcium available to the snails
How many snail-eating predators are in the tank
How many snail-egg-eating predators are in the tank
It’s very useful to have snails, but they will need to be balanced with one or a combination of
the above. I’ll be working some more with setting up these miniature ecosystems. I have a
few going now and plan on experimenting with all of the inverts and their interaction in the
near future. Our individual care sheets can tell you more about the individual animals.
Aquaboys 2 cents
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Disclaimer: Some live animals may require special permits or may have restrictions on purchase and/or ownership. Potential
buyers of live animals should be aware of what federal, state and local laws apply to their area of residence before making a purchase.
Buyer assumes all responsibility for obtaining necessary permits and following applicable laws relating to their area of residence,
Aquaboy Aquatics is not responsible for any violation of such rules and regulations on the part of the purchaser.
buyers of live animals should be aware of what federal, state and local laws apply to their area of residence before making a purchase.
Buyer assumes all responsibility for obtaining necessary permits and following applicable laws relating to their area of residence,
Aquaboy Aquatics is not responsible for any violation of such rules and regulations on the part of the purchaser.
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| ATTENTION! We are in the process of moving too Pennsylvania. During the move I will not be shipping orders. This move has had its delays. I will not be responding to email or phone call during this period I apologize for any inconvenience. There is good news, Some of the species I carry are breeding well. The Dwarf Crayfish especially have been breeding well. I will also stock many more inverts. The new invert room is 2 times the size. Again I apologize for the inconvenience. Thanks, Mike Hall,AKA "Aquaboy" |