snails

[big bear]

ok just to let you know I am very new to this hobby but I love it. I am looking to add nerite snails to the tanks. I just would like to know if there is some kind of number per tank or gallon.

thanks for your help

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Hi @big bear Nerites are some of my most favorite inhabitants- there are some "rules" as you don't want to run out of potential food for them, Nerites don't really eat any commercial foods or prepared foods they pretty much subsist on the tank's biofilm and algae. So for example I only have 1 Nerite in my 4 gallon, and 1 Nerite in my Flex which is ultimately about 7 gallons. In one 20 gallon I have 3 and there is not a speck of algae so I won't add any more. My OTHER 20 gallon has quite a lot of algae/film and growth so I have about 5 Nerites. So the rule is: It depends! If you want further advice about what to do in your case, post a pic, how many gallons and what's in the tank! 🙂 

Edited January 24, 2022 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[BETTA999]

i woul say one nerite for every 1.5 gal 

[Levi_Aquatics]

I would do 2-3 per ten gallons. You could do a few more or less but that is what I usually do when I keep them.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

It's great to have a "per gallon" answer but, again, this depends on what's in the tank. For example, if you have Oto, or another algae eaters you have to consider this. If there are NO algae eaters it's another answer.  How old is the tank, are there any potential predators etc. Each tank will have a different answer.

Edited January 24, 2022 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[Jennifer V]

On 1/23/2022 at 5:06 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Hi @big bear Nerites are some of my most favorite inhabitants- there are some "rules" as you don't want to run out of potential food for them, Nerites don't really eat any commercial foods or prepared foods they pretty much subsist on the tank's biofilm and algae. So for example I only have 1 Nerite in my 4 gallon, and 1 Nerite in my Flex which is ultimately about 7 gallons. In one 20 gallon I have 3 and there is not a speck of algae so I won't add any more. My OTHER 20 gallon has quite a lot of algae/film and growth so I have about 5 Nerites. So the rule is: It depends! If you want further advice about what to do in your case, post a pic, how many gallons and what's in the tank! 🙂 

Excellent advice! I'm planning my 20L and was thinking two nerites and two mystery snails but I'll be more patient when it gets set up to see what I'm actually working with and who will be happy there. Thank you!! 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

@Jennifer V I'm glad that helps! Though I only mentioned how many and how big each of my tanks are- I did also take into consideration the Hillstream in my Flex and the Otos in a 20 gallon. How much growth is available and what each creature needs an unlimited supply of. So there really IS more to it than, how many per gallon. 🙃

[procyg]

Start small and you can always add more as you need it.  I would say 1 per 10 gallons is a safe start, but personally I go even smaller to ensure they have enough food than add one at a time to see how they do.

 

[tekjunkie28]

I would do 1 per 10 gallons if you have a lot of food available for them.  I have 1 in my 40 and it's still too clean somim moving him next time I see him.

[Jawjagrrl]

I was a bit nervous about mine initially because they were going into tanks that hadn't been set up terribly long - but I hit a big algae bloom around week 4 that made me feel better that they have enough to feed on.

I've have 2 in one 5gal setup (a long with any number of pest snails) since September 21 and they are doing great. I also have one in another 5 gal that also has a ton of pest snails and frequent algae issues because of where it is relative to southern exposure windows. They have never touched sinking pellets or any other food and I do still do some glass cleaning, but they are great at keeping my hardscape clean. After 4 months with no eggs I decided I had all males... but then they left their egg "glitter" in both tanks in December!