Mystery snail regrets...eggs

[PineSong]

So, this morning I found one large and one small clutch of mystery snail eggs on opposite sides of my tank above the water line.

We had our last snail for about three years and never had eggs, so this is a first. And not a happy one.

I don't need more snails, but I am so uncomfortable with the idea of removing the clutches and disposing of them.  I am also uncomfortable with the idea of 30 snails in my already overstocked 20g tank.

I don't know how long they've been there because I almost never lift the back of the lid. I am sure the longer they are there the less comfortable I will be with removing them. Just since lights out, I have seen the snail go to each clutch as if she is checking on them or perhaps scouting locations for more? Maybe she will eat them back up and spare me this nightmare?

I wish somebody would come over here and do it for me. I need a mystery snail fairy to come take them away.

I now regret having the snail at all, if I am going to have to do this repeatedly. 

How often will it happen? Do snails go through something like menopause and eventually give up producing eggs? 

How long before this no longer bothers me to do, experienced snail people?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guppysnail]

Unfortunately it will happen every few days sometimes every few weeks others. Keeping your water line less than an inch from max slows it but does not prevent it. I understand your feelings I experience this. Keeping my girls separate from my boys has slowed it but not stopped it. I’m at absolute maximum capacity so can no longer allow mine to hatch either. It’s very uncomfortable.  
it still bothers me a bit but not as much. I tell myself it is the responsible thing to do. If I allow it to hatch it can quickly overwhelm both the mechanical and biological filter causing harm to all my inhabitants.  They are not parental towards the eggs. The behavior you are seeing is grooming for another clutch. They often lay near one another and always scout/clean  the area a day or so before hand. They only become social once hatched. So you will not be hurting mom’s feelings.  

Edited October 12, 2021 by Guppysnail

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

I personally look at it like harvesting chicken eggs. If you get them soon enough they are not viable anyway. Have to do it with the bladder snail sacks I find too. Best to do it then than cull little babies. 

[mynameisnobody]

I have no idea if this would or wouldn’t work, but what about introducing 2-3 assassin snails? These guys would have a field day munching at baby snails and you’d be feeding another animal. Just a thought. 

[PineSong]

On 10/12/2021 at 5:13 AM, Guppysnail said:

Unfortunately it will happen every few days sometimes every few weeks others. Keeping your water line less than an inch from max slows it but does not prevent it. 

Thank you for understanding how it's uncomfortable. I think you've identified part of the "why now" issue; I used to keep my waterline higher but last week suffered a very distressing loss of a guppy who jumped out during the night and dried out on the kitchen counter.  Due to MTS with QT tanks, I am completely out of pothos to cram into the space between the lid and the rim, and I couldn't find the plastic strip to cut it down. So I dropped the waterline until I could get more pothos/cut the plastic strip to accommodate my filters. I guess mom snail was just waiting for that waterline to drop and voila! 

 

 

 

[PineSong]

On 10/12/2021 at 8:19 AM, Manny said:

I have no idea if this would or wouldn’t work, but what about introducing 2-3 assassin snails? These guys would have a field day munching at baby snails and you’d be feeding another animal. Just a thought. 

I hope it won't come to that. Other than this mystery snail, I have a freakishly low number of snails in this tank given the number of locally purchased floating plants I've added and the number of baby bladder snails I have seen I would have expected a snailpocalypse by now but it hasn't happened. Fingers crossed it won't.

I removed the two clutches and raised the waterline this morning so I'm hoping mom snail will go back to her old eggless self.

[Torrey]

On 10/12/2021 at 10:51 AM, PineSong said:

I hope it won't come to that. Other than this mystery snail, I have a freakishly low number of snails in this tank given the number of locally purchased floating plants I've added and the number of baby bladder snails I have seen I would have expected a snailpocalypse by now but it hasn't happened. Fingers crossed it won't.

I removed the two clutches and raised the waterline this morning so I'm hoping mom snail will go back to her old eggless self.

If she doesn't, look at it like an aquatic farm: collect the eggs and add to repashy, like making a custard for the tank Inhabitants. 

My big momma endlers have achieved balance in most of my tanks. Apparently snail caviar is an endler aphrodisiac 🙄

The zebra danios help keep the endler population in balance, and everyone seems pretty happy. 

[PineSong]

I guess she did not like the raised water line when she had egg laying on her mind. FIrst thing this morning I found her two feet away from the tank, just sitting sealed up on the kitchen counter.

I popped her back into the tank and made my way bravely through the closet of doom to find enough plastic versa-top strips to seal the tank shut, which is what I should have done three weeks ago when I took out the pothos for other tanks. She came out to cruise around the tank about half an hour later so hopefully she's no worse for the wear. I'm glad she didn't make it to the floor.

[Guppysnail]

On 10/16/2021 at 2:53 PM, PineSong said:

I guess she did not like the raised water line when she had egg laying on her mind. FIrst thing this morning I found her two feet away from the tank, just sitting sealed up on the kitchen counter.

I popped her back into the tank and made my way bravely through the closet of doom to find enough plastic versa-top strips to seal the tank shut, which is what I should have done three weeks ago when I took out the pothos for other tanks. She came out to cruise around the tank about half an hour later so hopefully she's no worse for the wear. I'm glad she didn't make it to the floor.

I have had 2 take strolls across the carpet to the other side of the room at by forgetting to close the lid. They were no worse for the wear.