srushing Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Hello! Brand new to this site and just a few months into aquarium ownership. I got two mystery snails about 6 weeks ago, and one laid several clutches of eggs in our community tank. Three clutches were infertile but the last clutch is hatching. One confirmed baby so far, and several on the way. Do I just leave them alone at this point? I was definitely not intending to breed them, but I want to take care of them now that they’re here. (I do realize that I’ll have to take them out at some point so they don’t overrun the tank.) As an added wrinkle, I’ve had some baby bladder snails as a result of a live plant hitchhiker. I’ve been finding their empty shells, so I think something may be eating them or they’re dying some other way and coming out of their shells after death. Could the same happen to the baby mysteries?? For reference, in addition to the mystery snails, I have serpae tetras, blackline rasboras, sunburst platys, glow tetras, an otto catfish, and two kuhli loaches. Thank you for any help! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tlindsey Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 On 3/17/2024 at 10:37 PM, srushing said: I’ve been finding their empty shells, so I think something may be eating them Possibly the khuli loaches are eating the bladder snails. You can remove the small mystery snails when ever you like and hopefully someone will take them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tlindsey Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 On 3/17/2024 at 10:37 PM, srushing said: Hello! Brand new to this site and just a few months into aquarium ownership. I got two mystery snails about 6 weeks ago, and one laid several clutches of eggs in our community tank. Three clutches were infertile but the last clutch is hatching. One confirmed baby so far, and several on the way. Do I just leave them alone at this point? I was definitely not intending to breed them, but I want to take care of them now that they’re here. (I do realize that I’ll have to take them out at some point so they don’t overrun the tank.) As an added wrinkle, I’ve had some baby bladder snails as a result of a live plant hitchhiker. I’ve been finding their empty shells, so I think something may be eating them or they’re dying some other way and coming out of their shells after death. Could the same happen to the baby mysteries?? For reference, in addition to the mystery snails, I have serpae tetras, blackline rasboras, sunburst platys, glow tetras, an otto catfish, and two kuhli loaches. Thank you for any help! Welcome to the forum. On 3/17/2024 at 10:37 PM, srushing said: Hello! Brand new to this site and just a few months into aquarium ownership. I got two mystery snails about 6 weeks ago, and one laid several clutches of eggs in our community tank. Three clutches were infertile but the last clutch is hatching. One confirmed baby so far, and several on the way. Do I just leave them alone at this point? I was definitely not intending to breed them, but I want to take care of them now that they’re here. (I do realize that I’ll have to take them out at some point so they don’t overrun the tank.) As an added wrinkle, I’ve had some baby bladder snails as a result of a live plant hitchhiker. I’ve been finding their empty shells, so I think something may be eating them or they’re dying some other way and coming out of their shells after death. Could the same happen to the baby mysteries?? For reference, in addition to the mystery snails, I have serpae tetras, blackline rasboras, sunburst platys, glow tetras, an otto catfish, and two kuhli loaches. Thank you for any help! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srushing Posted March 18 Author Share Posted March 18 Thank you! Sorry, another question… If I remove the babies, do I care for them just like I care for the adults? I’m guessing I’d need a second tank setup? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Welcome! I had a clutch hatch in my 75g. For the most part, they’re still there. Probably 20 there now after having given 30+ back to my lfs. And 2 in every other tank as well. But I only had angels and corys and rainbows. So nothing that is particularly hungry for snail. The loaches are hungry for snail, and possibly a few other kinds of your fish also like snail as well. But definitely the loaches. So if you want them you’ll have to go ahead and remove them as you see them. treat them as adults, and make sure there’s enough food for them. Either a ton of algae or algae wafers is fine. Anything organic actually. The cure for no snail clutches is to make sure that the water stays as full in the tank as possible. The eggs won’t hatch if they’re submerged in water. So keeping the tanks full is the best way to not get baby snails 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnebuns Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 (edited) Welcome to the forums! I have intentionally bred mystery snails several times. I will warn you that their bioload ramps up pretty hard as they grow. Mystery snails in general have a high bioload and as the entire group if them grows together the bioload in the tank will grow exponentially. What size tank is it? I usually encourage people to raise a clutch of snails in a 20 gallon or larger for the clutch of snails alone, with nothing else in it. It may be a good idea to remove some babies as you find them and move them to another tank. If it was a small clutch it is possible to raise them in a 10 gallon but if you do, be prepared to do daily water changes once they get larger. On 3/17/2024 at 10:37 PM, Tony s said: The cure for no snail clutches is to make sure that the water stays as full in the tank as possible. The eggs won’t hatch if they’re submerged in water. So keeping the tanks full is the best way to not get baby snails This will discourage them from laying eggs but it cannot fully prevent it. Mystery snails can be pretty creative on where they lay their eggs. People have not only found clutches at the sides of filters but on household items like curtains and such. I personally would leave the water level down and just freeze and discard any clutches. Submerging USUALLY will drown them but it doesn't always. Sometimes a few will still hatch. Edited March 19 by Cinnebuns 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 On 3/18/2024 at 8:20 PM, Cinnebuns said: People have not only found clutches at the sides of filters but on household items like curtains and such Yeah, I’ve had on the backside of the tank several times. The only successful hatch I’ve had was in my 75 when I let the water stay down on purpose. For a normal tank, just keeping it full usually works fine. It’s not just a matter of drowning. Even if the tip of a clutch touches the water. It will wick up through the clutch and terminate the hatch. As far as ones outside the tank, they don’t stay hydrated enough to hatch. Even mine hanging on the outside of the hob dehydrated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 On 3/18/2024 at 8:20 PM, Cinnebuns said: I will warn you that their bioload ramps up pretty hard as they grow. Mystery snails in general have a high bioload and as the entire group if them grows together the bioload in the tank will grow exponentially You know, I’m not actually seeing that. I still have 20+ from my hatch still in the 75g. After having given 35 back to my lfs and putting another 20 in my other tanks. They’re in With breeding angels, a group of Bolivian rams, and a dozen skunk corys. The water parameters are very stable. But the filter is an fx2 which is being broken down and cleaned every 3 to 6 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnebuns Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 (edited) On 3/18/2024 at 8:30 PM, Tony s said: Yeah, I’ve had on the backside of the tank several times. The only successful hatch I’ve had was in my 75 when I let the water stay down on purpose. For a normal tank, just keeping it full usually works fine. It’s not just a matter of drowning. Even if the tip of a clutch touches the water. It will wick up through the clutch and terminate the hatch. As far as ones outside the tank, they don’t stay hydrated enough to hatch. Even mine hanging on the outside of the hob dehydrated There have been cases where people have had a clutch fully submerged and still hatch. It's not common but it can happen. If someone doesn't want a clutch to hatch its best to play it safe and make sure it's dead by freezing it. There's no downside to doing that. On 3/18/2024 at 8:38 PM, Tony s said: You know, I’m not actually seeing that. I still have 20+ from my hatch still in the 75g. After having given 35 back to my lfs and putting another 20 in my other tanks. They’re in With breeding angels, a group of Bolivian rams, and a dozen skunk corys. The water parameters are very stable. But the filter is an fx2 which is being broken down and cleaned every 3 to 6 months. 20 in a 75 isn't much at all. You wouldn't have problems with 20 ADULTS in a 75 let alone babies. Im talking about 80-100 in a 10 to 20 gallon. 20 - 50 is a small clutch. A medium to large clutch being raised in a smaller tank like 10 to 20 gallons you absolutely will notice a exponential spike in the bioload. I have seen numerous people attempt to breed a large clutch in a 10 gallon or even smaller and run into issues so I like to warn people. Edited March 19 by Cinnebuns Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 On 3/19/2024 at 3:35 AM, Cinnebuns said: You wouldn't have problems with 20 ADULTS in a 75 Yeah. That’s what I have. The hatch was over a year ago. Plus loses, plus 35 I gave away. Plus the 40 or so in other tanks. It was a relatively decent size clutch. All my other tanks have at least 2 per tank. I have clutches at least weekly. Sometimes it seems daily. Never had a clutch hatch I didn’t want. Which was once. That was more than enough. Maybe another one in a year or so they’re just so easy to prevent. Big clusters that look like praying mantis cutches. They’re just super easy to control. They pop right off. Or can be scraped off if they don’t come right off. Yeah, I can see problems with a clutch in a 10. Not sure why someone would do that. Unless to swap or sell. And then even though those snails are sort of free, the profit has to be next to nothing. Even for the rare color morphs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnebuns Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 On 3/19/2024 at 5:31 AM, Tony s said: Yeah, I can see problems with a clutch in a 10. Not sure why someone would do that. Unless to swap or sell. And then even though those snails are sort of free, the profit has to be next to nothing. Even for the rare color morphs. I've had people I've helped try to raise an entire clutch in a 2 gallon. So yeah, when I warn about the exponential growth of a clutch that's what it means. Of course you aren't going to notice that with 20 in a 75 but that's because you did it responsibly. Not everyone does. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 On 3/19/2024 at 1:49 PM, Cinnebuns said: but that's because you did it responsibly Ha! no, i did it accidentally. but I do like having them every where🤣 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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