Baby mystery snails

[RyanU]

Looking for some advice and understanding to make sure I'm taking care of them correctly. Two days ago my clutch started to hatch so I helped it along and made a make shift breeder box out of a tupperware container. I am gong today to purchase a real breeder box. I have been putting crushed flake food in in the morning and a pleco wafer in in the evening after changing the water out in the little container. This morning I noticed all the snails were clinging on to the top of the lid or on the side out of the water. Is that normal or should I be concerned. I know the make shift breeder box isn't ideal that's why I'm getting one or two today. 

 

Any help with what I can do to give the best chance of survival would be great.  

 

TIA

[Grace Shvodian]

I bred mystery snails a year ago or so and I just let them drop into my aquarium. They lived in my gravel substrate until they were big enough to venture out into the main area. I think as long as you have an established tank with no predators, you could just let them roam. The babies grow super fast and it's really cool to see. 

[RyanU]

I have a few mollies that seem to eat anything they see. And a gourami that is the same. That's why I wanted to house them in a breeder box until they were big enough to not get eaten

[H.K.Luterman]

As long as the humidity in the tupperware container is really high, they should be ok until you replace it with a submerged breeder box asap. Just be aware that baby mystery snails have a very high mortality rate, so you may lose some. It won't necessarily be anything you had done wrong, it's just their nature (that's why they make SO MANY eggs).

[RyanU]

OK. Can I assume that if they are clinging to the side they are still alive and will fall off of they die

[Huntsss]

46 minutes ago, RyanU said:

OK. Can I assume that if they are clinging to the side they are still alive and will fall off of they die

AFAIK that's usually the rule of thumb when it comes to snails.

[RyanU]

OK thanks

[Sombat]

Congrats RyanU. I too just had a few clutches on my tank. I intend to let Nature take it’s course and not interfere to see the survivor rate. So far there are three clutches and don’t want to be overwhelmed. I have my main tank of 75 gallons that I will eventually relocate the babies to but for now the clutches will hatch in a 9 gallon Fluval Flex with one betta. I am hoping the betta will leave the hatchlings alone. 

[RyanU]

That tank looks awesome. I'm sure with one betta your survival rate will be pretty good.

 

My main tank has mollies which eat everything in sight and a gouarmi which does the same. I had some Molly fry hatch a few weeks ago I can assume and didn't realize it. When I was cleaning my tank this weekend I saw one lone survivor that's about the size of a pinky nail in length.

Being my first viable clutch i wanted to try and save as many as I can. From Wendy I can count it looks like I have about 30.

[RyanU]

Quick question. Some of the snails got knocked out of the breeder box. I manged to find one this morning on some gravel. Should I move it back into the breeder box for safety or just let it be. 

[SWilson]

Usually when we see a lot of mystery snails cling to or near the surface there is an issue with the water parameters.  They are like canaries in the coal mine that way. Have your tested the water in your temporary cup?

we’ve hatched quite a few now doing what you’re doing, removing the clutch and hatching the babies out into their own container or breeder box.  

you are doing great, just keep feeding them and keep the water clean.  For the lone escapee I think you can do whatever feels right. You can test to see if your mollies leave it alone, then you’ll know for future reference. Or if you don’t feel good about that catch it back into your snursery 🙂

[RyanU]

I have been watching them closely. I actually found 3 of them all tucked away in the gravel. I saw one on the glass and a Molly came up and snatched it off the glass and spit it out.