Wizard Snails

[Goldie Lover]

Hello All,

Does anyone have any personal experience with feeding Wizard Snails, please? Any suggestions for keeping Wizards happy campers in your tank(s)? I've been doing internet research, but there's minimal out there, and I feel a lot has been copy and pasted from 1 source.  Thank you for your help!

[Ken Burke]

I have Japanese trapdoor snails the really look like wizard snails, but I just feed the tank.   I think @Guppysnail has some experience, snails are kinda her thing. 
 

send pictures when you can

[Cinnebuns]

I used to breed Japanese trapdoor snails for a long time. They are the same thing just a different morph. You are right, there is a severe lack if info out there about them. I was able to find a decent amount but it took awhile and some digging. I have learned a ton since breeding them for about a year. What questions might you have?  Shoot any and all at me!

[Guppysnail]

I’ve had mine almost a year. They eat calcium chips from Crayfish Empire like they can Never get enough. I use various foods from Crayfish empire algae wafers and high protein meat wafers and blanched veggies. The most notable thing is they don’t eat fresh foods for me.  Once it starts to get mushy and yucky they feast. 
 

[Goldie Lover]

PLEASE BE PATIENT WITH ME, I'M HORRIBLE WITH ANY TYPE OF COMPTER. Just trying to navigate and post on.        C.A R.E. is a real challenge to me.  I DO appreciate y'all's time, advice and photos. THANK YOU!!

Right now my tank doesn't have a lot of algae. So I know I'll need to supplement my Wizards.  Even though my tank's been running for over a year I do get brown algae on my Anubias from time to time, but that's not enough to support even 1 adult Wizard. I have 2 Wizards ordered.

Normally,  I do a ton of research before getting any new critter.  However, it became obvious that while a lot of folks sell them, most places are sold out of them.  I'm in NC and it's March with a huge amount of cold air between me and the Wet Coast.  I found a breeder in Florida that had Wizards so I jumped at the chance.  From NC south we're having a mild winter, so I risked shipping at this time of year.  Besides,  all I'm coming up with is the same info, sometimes word for word (copy and pasted) for some single source. 

ARE Wizards like Mystery Snails...sliding, voracious tummies that will try about anything?  Or are they like Nirites that won't touch anything but algae and biofilm?  

Currently I have a 55g tank, with a 65g rated HOB and 100g rated SunSun cannister filter with a UV sterilizer, Black Diamond Blasting Sand as substrate (like coarse, black sand), low light plants (wisteria, water sprite, dwarf pennywort, octopus plant aka pogostemon stellaris spelling? and anubias.  I have 3 Calico Fantails...1 medium size and 2 small, and 2 Nerites, one of which insists on residing in my HOB. 

I'm feeding a wide variety of foods, but my Goldies are little piglets and clean up every smidgen of food offered. I feed frozen: brine shrimp and blood worms, freshwater plankton when I can find it,  veggie tabs, shrimp pellets, API Goldfish pellets, organic blanched: yellow squash, zucchini.

I do my best to keep my nitrates <40. I have to buy distilled water and remineralize it, as my well water has WAY TOO MUCH IRON.  Since covid hit, distilled water can be a pain to find in my area and the price has doubled, now.  I can usually do a 50% (22g) every 2 weeks. Ideally I like to do 11g a week. 

I have a new 75g tank that I'd to set up, but that would require even more distilled water per week which would be pushing my ability to locate it, for now. 

On 3/8/2023 at 8:06 AM, Guppysnail said:

I’ve had mine almost a year. They eat calcium chips from Crayfish Empire like they can Never get enough. I use various foods from Crayfish empire algae wafers and high protein meat wafers and blanched veggies. The most notable thing is they don’t eat fresh foods for me.  Once it starts to get mushy and yucky they feast. 
 

THANK YOU!!! Crayfish Empire here I come😊💖😊💖

[Goldie Lover]

On 3/7/2023 at 10:58 PM, Ken Burke said:

I have Japanese trapdoor snails the really look like wizard snails, but I just feed the tank.   I think @Guppysnail has some experience, snails are kinda her thing. 
 

send pictures when you can

Thank you!!! @Guppysnails found my post and gave me some sources. Thank you for the heads up!

On 3/7/2023 at 11:36 PM, Cinnebuns said:

I used to breed Japanese trapdoor snails for a long time. They are the same thing just a different morph. You are right, there is a severe lack if info out there about them. I was able to find a decent amount but it took awhile and some digging. I have learned a ton since breeding them for about a year. What questions might you have?  Shoot any and all at me!

ANY information would be greatly appreciated.  My Wizards are due tomorrow.  Supposedly, I'm getting a male and female, but you know how that goes...

[Guppysnail]

@Goldie Lover they are like incredibly SLOW mystery snails. Even in a tank with algae and such they need supplemental feeding. They startle easily and hide from bright light. If they are startled ir just pigged out it is not uncommon for them to close up for several days. Until I got used to it I would constantly worry over them sleeping for several days. 
I noticed awhile ago several new types of snails and fish start becoming popular and companies add them to their stock list as sold out when they add them. I can only guess this is to keep you coming back to their site to look at other things. It’s quite annoying. 2 sites I watch weekly have done this one day nothing the next an add as new item-sold out. 
You are not alone on the computer illiterate team. I’m right there with you. 🤗

[Lennie]

Such a beautiful snail! 

I would love to have some if I had a chance! We sadly don’t have them anywhere.

Best of luck with your new friends! Would love to see some pictures if you’d like to share here when you get them

[Goldie Lover]

On 3/8/2023 at 8:52 AM, Guppysnail said:

@Goldie Lover they are like incredibly SLOW mystery snails. Even in a tank with algae and such they need supplemental feeding. They startle easily and hide from bright light. If they are startled ir just pigged out it is not uncommon for them to close up for several days. Until I got used to it I would constantly worry over them sleeping for several days. 
I noticed awhile ago several new types of snails and fish start becoming popular and companies add them to their stock list as sold out when they add them. I can only guess this is to keep you coming back to their site to look at other things. It’s quite annoying. 2 sites I watch weekly have done this one day nothing the next an add as new item-sold out. 
You are not alone on the computer illiterate team. I’m right there with you. 🤗

Hmmmm....never thought about that as a marketing tool...er...ploy.  It sure makes sense,  though.

Thanks for the heads up about pigging out and sleeping.  They just arrived and I'm floating them as we "speak".  One was attached to the bag the other closed up on the bottom. 

[Goldie Lover]

On 3/8/2023 at 9:51 AM, Lennie said:

Such a beautiful snail! 

I would love to have some if I had a chance! We sadly don’t have them anywhere.

Best of luck with your new friends! Would love to see some pictures if you’d like to share here when you get them

Thank you!!! I appreciate the wishes: )

I got mine off eBay...they are floating to temperature acclimate right now.  They shipped from FL.  Packaging was good, delivery speed and costs were very reasonable, and they have a good stock of them, according to eBay. They arrive a day early, too!

[Lennie]

On 3/8/2023 at 6:57 PM, Goldie Lover said:

Thank you!!! I appreciate the wishes: )

I got mine off eBay...they are floating to temperature acclimate right now.  They shipped from FL.  Packaging was good, delivery speed and costs were very reasonable, and they have a good stock of them, according to eBay. They arrive a day early, too!

Naming one Gandalf, I hope 🙂

[Goldie Lover]

Gandalf is my reserve name incase I was sent 2 males.  My first choice was suggested by a close friend.  We are both Hagrid lovers. My first female choice is Minerva as in Minerva McGonagall.  I don't have a reserve female name, yet, incase I was hipped 2 females.  I asked for 1 male and 1 female. 

[Lennie]

On 3/8/2023 at 8:06 PM, Goldie Lover said:

Gandalf is my reserve name incase I was sent 2 males.  My first choice was suggested by a close friend.  We are both Hagrid lovers. My first female choice is Minerva as in Minerva McGonagall.  I don't have a reserve female name, yet, incase I was hipped 2 females.  I asked for 1 male and 1 female. 

(Queen) Jadis, The White Witch from Narnia? 🙂

[Goldie Lover]

Do you know if she was good or evil?

[Lennie]

On 3/8/2023 at 8:11 PM, Goldie Lover said:

Do you know if she was good or evil?

She is evil.

[Cinnebuns]

On 3/8/2023 at 7:09 AM, Goldie Lover said:

ARE Wizards like Mystery Snails...sliding, voracious tummies that will try about anything?  Or are they like Nirites that won't touch anything but algae and biofilm?  

I would say there are somewhere between the 2. Nutrition wise it's more similar to mystery snails but they don't have as huge of an appetite. 

On 3/8/2023 at 7:09 AM, Goldie Lover said:

one of which insists on residing in my HOB. 

It might actually be a fear response. If may be scared of something in the tank and doesn't want to be in there. I had one regularly leaving the tank after adding kuhlis. I plopped it into another tank without kuhlis and it was fine. 

On 3/8/2023 at 7:16 AM, Goldie Lover said:

Supposedly, I'm getting a male and female, but you know how that goes...

They are live bearers. They give birth to 2-20 snails every 9 months. This means you cannot prevent babies from coming like you can with eggs but you also will not get over run. 

Sexing them is easy. Males have 1 long straight antenna and 1 and 1 short curlled one. Females have 2 long straight antenna. 

[Goldie Lover]

Thank you!

Looks like he sent 2 females. 1 is definitely female (Hermione). She's almost acting like a Mystery Snail.  The other is snuggled down into the substrate, but while still in the bag,  it sure looked like matching antenna. 

When I find my AWOL Nerite, again,  I'll try him in a Betta tank, but it doesn't have hardly any algae. I've never had Nerites eat anything but naturally occurring algae.