Favorite snails discussion?

[lmhicks101]

I have 3 Nerites and about 10 bladder snails and counting. What are your guys favorite snails and why? 

Edited October 19, 2021 by lmhicks101

[Guppysnail]

[Zenzo]

I love nerite snails for their versatility in both fresh and brackish water tanks as part of my algae clean-up crew.

I like Malaysian trumpet snails for similar reasons (fresh and brackish), and because they are underneath the substrate during the day. They also do a great job of cleaning up anything organic or decaying on the substrate of the tank. 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Mystery snails are my favorite snail wet pets. Nerites are my FAVORITE clean up crew.

[laritheloud]

All of them. 😆 In my various tanks, I have mystery snails, rabbit snails, nerite snails, thorny nerite snails, bladder snails, malaysian trumpet snails, ramshorn snails, Japanese Trapdoor Snails, and one Colombian Giant Ramshorn Snail. My rabbit snails, Japanese trapdoor snails, and "pest" snails have all bred, and I caught my mystery snails in the act today and I'm hoping to discover some egg clutches soon. I love my inverts so much!

I think right now it's a tie between my clumsy rabbit snails and my Colombian Giant Ramshorn for my favorites. Rabbit snails have the cutest snaily faces! I wouldn't recommend getting more than 1 of the giant ramshorn snails at a time, though, as I've heard they are quite... ravenous, and you might have a problem if they breed. The one in my 10 gallon has been fine, though, and I haven't noticed any sizable damage to my plants.

Edited October 18, 2021 by laritheloud

[lefty o]

nerites are the only one's allowed in my tanks.

[Atitagain]

Mystery snails are definitely my favorite and ivory color is so beautiful.

[Dwayne Brown]

I love the mystery snails, I have a selection of different colors and they are absolutely wonderful pets. They have a lot more personality then most snails and are much more active. 

[Odd Duck]

Love them all, but mysteries for the win in the personality department, nerites of all kinds for scrubbing.

[lmhicks101]

So I’ve seen a lot about mystery snails on here. I was under the impression that those were just a place holder name for snails you haven’t identified yet. What’s he draw to them? 

[Guppysnail]

On 10/18/2021 at 6:41 PM, lmhicks101 said:

What’s he draw to them?

To me they are beautiful, graceful, fascinating  and fun. Same draw as any aquatic pet. 

[Colu]

I like Malaysia trumpet snail they dig in the substrate keeping it clean  Ramshorn and nerite snails are good for algae control bladder also a good part of the clean up crew each one has a roll to play in your tank if I had to have one it would be Ramshorn snails

Edited October 19, 2021 by Colu

[Streetwise]

I love bladder snails. They are productive members of my aquariums, and they always seem to be in balance with the plants and fish.

[Patrick_G]

Golden Mystery snails for me. They have been part of our family’s tanks since the days of artificial plants. 

[dmurray407]

I recently got my first snail, so I am low on snail experience. I had some algae and folks said nerites were the best for cleaning, so that's what I got. this little guy (I hope) is amazing. He's been in my 10 gal tank for less than a week and he has completely cleared 2 walls of algae. And he's cute, too!

[lmhicks101]

My 3 Nerites are all over the place. I have a floating log for my betta and came home to one just chilling in there. I also have bladder snails that like to attach to the duck weed then end up out in the middle of the tank until I save them. 

[PineSong]

On 10/18/2021 at 7:15 PM, Guppysnail said:

To me they are beautiful, graceful, fascinating  and fun. Same draw as any aquatic pet. 

I love how large mystery snails get, and how their tentacles wave dramatically around the tank as they glide along. They look like they are conducting opera. I have one golden and one ivory and I can't decide who is prettier.

I am also fond of my little ramshorn snails because they are super cute. I have had trumpet snails in the past and found them creepy, although I appreciate their work in the substrate, I do not like their faces so much.

 

[Helan]

It really depends for beauty I will choose nerite snails,for practicality I would choose nerite snails

[KaitieG]

I love the different colors of mystery snails and they're one of my favorite things to watch in the aquarium...but their lifespan isn't as long as nerites for me.  

[Griznatch]

As others have said, Nerites for workhorse cleanup duty & Mystery snails for pure entertainment 🙂
I have a rabbit snail I got a couple months ago but I rarely see him, so hard to say how much I like him 🤨

Edited October 19, 2021 by Griznatch
punctuation

[Streetwise]

This thread is a love letter to snails.

[Chad]

I kept Nerites initially but the eggs made out of titanium and super glue annoyed me too much. Mystery snails were a wonderful surprise. Very active which translates to a fun personality (mine dive bomb from the top of the tank to the floor and surf my Java moss). Honestly, snails have been the best surprise. Were added to be cleaners initially but I enjoy them every bit as much as the fish now. 

[Fonske]

My top favorites are "pest" snails, pond and bladder ones. I just love my cleaning crew, they are useful, cute and have no issues like some other species. No gigantic poops, no unsightly eggs, no damaged plants - perfect for me... They don't look bad either.

[GardenStateGoldfish]

If I had to choose one as my favorite it would have to be the rams horn snail, ability to colonize, but looks nice. Amazing algae and food scrap eater and also keeps goldfish eggs clean and clear of fungus so very useful for breeding, also by the time the goldfish are getting bigger more rams horns are hatching and the goldfish can get a few love snacks 

[Odd Duck]

On 10/18/2021 at 5:41 PM, lmhicks101 said:

So I’ve seen a lot about mystery snails on here. I was under the impression that those were just a place holder name for snails you haven’t identified yet. What’s he draw to them? 

They got called mystery snails way back in the day because no one in the trade was sure exactly what species they were or where they came from.  At least that was the story back then.  Now they are known to be Pomacea diffusa AKA Pomacea bridgesii (older binomial) AKA spike topped apple snail.

They have quirks that other snails don’t or rarely do, like crawling to the top of the tank, hardscape, or plant, then turning loose and “parasnailing” down with their foot spread wide, somewhat controlling where they go.  They have been known to take naps after plowing through a bunch of algae or other food (food coma) and don’t care if a shrimp or another snail parks on them or not.

They also have been known to stay close to another snail that is sickly.  Whether that’s due to being companionable or because there’s extra biofilm around an ill snail for them to eat, no one knows.  Some interpret it as staying close to a friend, some doubt if they have that much brain power.  Either way, it’s cute and appealing to us.

Some just like their size (makes them a bit more pet like), some like the colors, some like their visibility - they travel over the entire tank.  They’re not the greatest cleaners, but they are fun to have in the tank.