Milliardo Peacecraft Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 I have a simple question and after looking around online I've found conflicting information on it, so I thought I would ask here. Do nerite snails sucessfully reproduce in freshwater aquariums? I've debated about getting some for my aquarium to nock down some of the algae but I'm not really wanting 100 snails in there. The 3 mystery snails are pretty easy to keep in check. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 nerite snails do not reproduce in freshwater. They will lay eggs. tiny white dots allover. but the eggs won't survive. mystery snails are easy to control, you just have to remove the egg capsules, or fill the tank up enough to keep them from laying. they wont survive under water. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnebuns Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 They will not reproduce in freshwater. They will lay eggs. Occasionally the eggs may even hatch, but the larvae cannot survive in freshwater. I'm guessing the conflicting info is either due to this, or bot articles. There are bot articles out there claiming you can breed them in freshwater. Also, nerites are a great choice for algae. Mystery snails will graze on algae a little but have a diet that requires eating other things so nerites are best for the job. I tend to prefer keeping both in a tank because the mystery snails do a good job of cleaning out other stuff like extra food and dead plant matter. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOtrees Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 (edited) Agree with @Tony s & @Cinnebuns 100%. Nerite snails require brackish or salt water for the eggs to hatch. So you will NEVER get baby nerites in a freshwater tank. You may however see lots of eggs. Snails as a group are very diverse, and have many reproductive strategies. Some species have male and female individuals, some species have individuals that have both male and female parts, and some are apparently parthenogenetic (females can make clones without sexual reproduction). Further, some lay eggs, while some give birth to live young. Nerites have male and female individuals. If you have a male, or a female who has never mated, you'll never see eggs. But a female that has "got jiggy with it" can produce eggs for a long time after that using stored sperm from the... encounter. And if at least one male and at least one female are in a tank together, you can end up with LOTS of eggs over time. The eggs don't fall off easily, so after a few months of laying, you can end up with a lot of eggs to scrape off things. It's easy to get them off glass with a razor or credit card, but wood and rocks are harder to clear. Edited February 26 by TOtrees 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 On 2/26/2024 at 1:22 PM, Cinnebuns said: cleaning out other stuff like extra food and dead plant matter Yes, and unfortunately, sometimes dead fish 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milliardo Peacecraft Posted February 26 Author Share Posted February 26 @TOtrees. Do you know of any fish that eat the Nerite Snail eggs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mynameisnobody Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 No and no Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOtrees Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 On 2/26/2024 at 5:25 PM, Milliardo Peacecraft said: @TOtrees. Do you know of any fish that eat the Nerite Snail eggs? Never heard of it sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnebuns Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 On 2/26/2024 at 12:28 PM, TOtrees said: or a female who has never mated, you'll never see eggs. Females can lay infertile eggs as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 Have been doing a little research on this. Apparently dwarf chain loaches and pea puffers will eat the eggs. Obviously can’t keep either in the same tank with nerites. Would be interested if anyone has seen this 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitecloud09 Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 Wow! That is amazing, u learn something new every day I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLFishChik Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 On 2/27/2024 at 7:13 PM, Cinnebuns said: Females can lay infertile eggs as well. This! I have had a single Nerite in a tank for 2 years and she will lay a sparse amount of eggs now and then, though not nearly as many when the two Nerites in my other thank - it always looks like it snowed in that tank 🤣 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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