Mystery Snail Babies

[Alec]

I just hatched some mystery snail babies. When, how much, and what should I feed them?

[Brandon p]

I normally let my mine falling the tank. When I hatch outside use. Those serving sizes are for humans. I use a tooth pick and drop a small amount. It goes a long way. @Guppysnailor @Chick-In-Of-TheSea can talk more about what they do and snello. Use it in my snello but I don’t make it often

Edited July 28, 2022 by Brandon p

[Guppysnail]

Dr Tim’s also makes spirulina powder for fish. I use that plus sera micron light dusting and hikari first bites as well as north fin fry. 
 

Snails are designed to eat biofilm, soft algae, diatom and detritus. None of these are present in a sterile breeder box. I just set up a small tank for a hatch. I squeezed out sponge filters and yucked it up. They eat non stop at this age. It is so incredibly hard to keep them fed and pristine water in a sterile box. I understand some circumstances prevent putting them in a seasoned tank. 
@Chick-In-Of-TheSea just did a fantastic job with a breeder box. I suggest you read their step by step day by day journal. It will tell you everything you need to know. It was also a fantastic fun adventure to read. 

Edited July 28, 2022 by Guppysnail

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Congratulations! Mystery snails are so much fun!

Hard boiled egg yolk is a great starter food. It won’t take much. Just a bit on the end of a bamboo skewer, swirl that around in the breeder box. Repeat until it looks like a light powder coating on the walls and floor. New babies usually seek out biofilm. Algae wafers are good too because they soften quickly. Break them up into little bits and scatter in the breeder box. You’ll want to get them onto a calcium rich food or supplement right away, for their shells (banquet block, crab cuisine, etc). I kept food in there at all times.

Breeder box should be cleaned daily. I used a turkey baster. The journal link in my signature line will take you to a lot of info.

 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

 

 

Edited July 28, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Alec]

Thanks guys! @Chick-In-Of-TheSea@Brandon p @Guppysnail

My snails seem to all be sticking to the side rather than down on the bottom with the food. Is this normal?

[Guppysnail]

On 7/28/2022 at 6:09 PM, Alec said:

Thanks guys! @Chick-In-Of-TheSea@Brandon p @Guppysnail

My snails seem to all be sticking to the side rather than down on the bottom with the food. Is this normal?

Yes.  They are seeking biofilm. If you dusted with egg yolk they are probably eating that. 

[Brandon p]

As long as you gave them something that’s what there eating. In water that food/film will stick everywhere. What until you see them surfing the top of the water upside down.

[Alec]

@Chick-In-Of-TheSea about how long should I feel them the egg for? They are coming up on a week old. 

[Guppysnail]

On 8/1/2022 at 9:35 PM, Alec said:

@Chick-In-Of-TheSea about how long should I feel them the egg for? They are coming up on a week old. 

I don’t use egg yolk. It’s mostly to get a quick coating on things in a sterile breeder. You should be fine. I use first bites, northfin fry and sera micron. The reason powders work well at this stage Is because they are tiny. They need to expend more energy to reach a wafer. The more energy and calories they spend trying to get to the food the less they have to grow. My visual on that (I’m a visual type person). It takes us nothing to cross our living room. It’s quite a trek for an ant though. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 8/1/2022 at 9:35 PM, Alec said:

@Chick-In-Of-TheSea about how long should I feel them the egg for? They are coming up on a week old. 

What I did is I gave egg yolk and then some other food that sinks (ie: algae wafers, crab cuisine, calcium).  When they were first starting out, they would only eat on the walls. Once they started eating things from the bottom, I discontinued the egg yolk.  

What I think helped encourage them to go to the bottom was adding a little java moss to the breeder box.  That's a food source for them too, and they would seek that out and attach to it.

On 8/2/2022 at 6:17 AM, Guppysnail said:

It takes us nothing to cross our living room. It’s quite a trek for an ant though. 

That's why some of the snail breeders suggest a breeder box.  It's a small area for them to travel to find something to eat.   Plus it is a smaller thing for us humans to clean as well.

Edited August 2, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Nik_n]

I never bred mystery snails but have been planning to start in the near future. I thought you could just toss in a piece of zucchini or cucumber like I did with plecos. Would that work or do they require powdered baby food?   

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 8/2/2022 at 2:31 PM, Nik_n said:

I never bred mystery snails but have been planning to start in the near future. I thought you could just toss in a piece of zucchini or cucumber like I did with plecos. Would that work or do they require powdered baby food?   

Powdered food is a first stage food, and they will graduate to veggies. They are about the size of sesame seeds when they are born.

[Alec]

My snails are a week and a day old now. They're doing great and have probably doubled in size. Right now they are in a 3 gallon tub with a filter. I am going on vacation next week and plan to have a relative feed my fish. I'm worried the snails will be okay. I would have my relative feed some powdered food and algae wafers. Will this be enough for them without any water changes for a week?

[Alec]

I had a pretty good first clutch. I have probably 3 times what is pictured on other sides of the tub. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 8/4/2022 at 9:28 PM, Alec said:

My snails are a week and a day old now. They're doing great and have probably doubled in size. Right now they are in a 3 gallon tub with a filter. I am going on vacation next week and plan to have a relative feed my fish. I'm worried the snails will be okay. I would have my relative feed some powdered food and algae wafers. Will this be enough for them without any water changes for a week?

At minimum I would try to have your relative siphon out the uneaten food with a turkey baster each day.  You don't want uneaten food sitting there to rot or that could kill everybody. 

[Alec]

On 8/5/2022 at 9:41 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

At minimum I would try to have your relative siphon out the uneaten food with a turkey baster each day.  You don't want uneaten food sitting there to rot or that could kill everybody. 

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Unfortunately that would be too much for my grandma. I might have to see if I can take them along.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 8/5/2022 at 9:59 AM, Alec said:

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Unfortunately that would be too much for my grandma. I might have to see if I can take them along.

Do you know any local hobbyist friends?  Maybe you can drop them at their place?

@Guppysnail what do you recommend?

[Alec]

On 8/5/2022 at 10:05 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Do you know any local hobbyist friends?  Maybe you can drop them at their place?

@Guppysnail what do you recommend?

Unfortunately not. The one person I would trust to do it is my girlfriend, but she's coming along. 

[redfish]

@Alec  Silly question.  What are you going to do with all the snails long term?

[Alec]

On 8/5/2022 at 10:23 AM, redfish said:

@Alec  Silly question.  What are you going to do with all the snails long term?

Do you mean as far as enclosure/tank? Or with the snails themselves?

[redfish]

The quantity of snails.  What do you plan to do with so many?

[Guppysnail]

On 8/5/2022 at 10:11 AM, Alec said:

Unfortunately not. The one person I would trust to do it is my girlfriend, but she's coming along. 

If it is a flow through breeder box getting fresh water circulation in a seasoned tank they will be fine. Throw in a green bean and enjoy your vacation. I’m different than others I do not vac my bare bottom snail/fry tanks until critters are grown. As long as I’m not feeding to excess parameters stay fine. There is no difference if my critters eat food and then produce waste and ammonia for the tank to eat or if the tank eats the ammonia from food directly. Nitrates will rise but not enough to kill things while you vacation. 
the food releases most of what it will release within 12-24 hours. Once it’s just powdery mulm it doesn’t do much else. Here are my two. 
 

Mulm is not the beast it’s made out to be. Tons of microfauna grow and die in mulm providing snails fresh dead yummies. 
 

 

Oh break apart a zoomed spirulina nano black. That tides them over for awhile. Maybe break to 3-4 pieces. They must have a calcium source to eat at this age…and any age but it is critical this young. 

Edited August 5, 2022 by Guppysnail

[Alec]

On 8/5/2022 at 10:26 AM, redfish said:

The quantity of snails.  What do you plan to do with so many?

I'm not 100% sure. I'll probably keep a few and give some to my girlfriend for her tanks. Might also see if my local store would buy some.

[Alec]

On 8/5/2022 at 10:26 AM, Guppysnail said:

If it is a flow through breeder box getting fresh water circulation in a seasoned tank they will be fine. Throw in a green bean and enjoy your vacation. I’m different than others I do not vac my bare bottom snail/fry tanks until critters are grown. As long as I’m not feeding to excess parameters stay fine. There is no difference if my critters eat food and then produce waste and ammonia for the tank to eat or if the tank eats the ammonia from food directly. Nitrates will rise but not enough to kill things while you vacation. 
the food releases most of what it will release within 12-24 hours. Once it’s just powdery mulm it doesn’t do much else. Here are my two. 
 

Mulm is not the beast it’s made out to be. Tons of microfauna grow and die in mulm providing snails fresh dead yummies. 
 

 

Oh break apart a zoomed spirulina nano black. That tides them over for awhile. Maybe break to 3-4 pieces. They must have a calcium source to eat at this age…and any age but it is critical this young. 

 

Right now they are in their own 3 gallon tub. With a small internal filter. So unfortunately no fresh water moving through.