What types of snails (and microfauna) can i stock my tank with?

[clownbaby]

I have a 30 gallon tank, currently stocked with one mystery snail. I plan to add pygmy cories and a honey gourami, and while this is understocked, that is just what I want!

However... I am in love with snails. THEY ARE SO SO SO CUTE. My dream pet is a Giant African Land snail (to have a nice herd of them, actually.) Hopefully they will become un-invasive and legal for owning in the United States at some point in my life. Anyway, my one mystery snail is named Leroy and I love him so much. He is cherished by me. I love snails, I love love love love LOVE them!!!!! 

I would prefer not to have a population explosion, but I've heard of bladder snails recently and they are so cute. Will they breed like crazy? I also know nerites can only hatch in brackish water, but I am so lost about what kind of nerites to get. Are there any other snail species? I just love them so much. They are so cute!!

 

I also really want to stock my tank with some microfauna. Tiny itty bitty fellas. THEY ARE JUST SO CUTE!!! I know of copepods, daphnia, detritus worms... but that's it. Any tips on different microfauna species? And where can I obtain these critters? Gosh, I love them. 

[Rube_Goldfish]

On 3/21/2024 at 3:15 PM, clownbaby said:

I have a 30 gallon tank, currently stocked with one mystery snail. I plan to add pygmy cories and a honey gourami, and while this is understocked, that is just what I want!

However... I am in love with snails. THEY ARE SO SO SO CUTE. My dream pet is a Giant African Land snail (to have a nice herd of them, actually.) Hopefully they will become un-invasive and legal for owning in the United States at some point in my life. Anyway, my one mystery snail is named Leroy and I love him so much. He is cherished by me. I love snails, I love love love love LOVE them!!!!! 

I would prefer not to have a population explosion, but I've heard of bladder snails recently and they are so cute. Will they breed like crazy? I also know nerites can only hatch in brackish water, but I am so lost about what kind of nerites to get. Are there any other snail species? I just love them so much. They are so cute!!

 

I also really want to stock my tank with some microfauna. Tiny itty bitty fellas. THEY ARE JUST SO CUTE!!! I know of copepods, daphnia, detritus worms... but that's it. Any tips on different microfauna species? And where can I obtain these critters? Gosh, I love them. 

Bladder snails will breed, whether you want them to or not. You can't control it directly, because they are hermaphrodites and can self-fertilize. You can indirectly control their population with the amount of feeding: more food means more snails. (In fact, I use their population level as a sort of barometer on how much I'm feeding.)

There are also rabbit snails, pond snails, piano snails, spixii snails, and assassin snails, and probably more that I'm forgetting. Assassin snails eat other species of snail, by the way, so you'll likely want to avoid those. There are also Japanese trapdoor snails; I don't know much about them. And Malaysian trumpet snails, which look cool but spend most of their time burrowed into the substrate, which can be useful but sort invisible.

Nerites and mystery snails are the easiest to control in terms of breeding. I think rabbit snails eat plants, but that's half-remembered; don't take my word for it.

You might also like scuds and seed shrimp, rhabdocoela and hydra.  I'm still learning about a lot of these micro critters myself, but I've heard Carolina Biologics is a trusted source, as well as fellow hobbyists. And a lot of them will just sort of show up on plants if you don’t take steps to prevent that. Bear in mind that lots of fish eat most of these small creatures, so if they share a tank with fish, you might not see much of them.

I'd classify shrimp differently than those other small animals, but if you like little creatures, you might like shrimp, too, like Amano shrimp or cherry shrimp.

[Bsquared]

You will probably end up with some type of bladder/ramshorn/pond snail at some point just by adding plants to your tank. As long as you are not overfeeding, their population will grow to a point and then level off. If you are looking for another easily identifiable/name worthy snail a nerite would be a good choice. They won't breed in freshwater but there are tons of different variations and colors to choose from. Their one downside is the eggs that get laid everywhere and can be tough to remove.

[Tony s]

If you want snails for the sake of snails. And who wouldn’t. Try aqua huna or dans fish for pictures and descriptions. I’d give you a couple more sites. But we’re not allowed to per forum rules 

[AllFishNoBrakes]

The only snail I can think of that hasn’t already been mentioned are Ramshorn snails. 

Edited March 22 by AllFishNoBrakes

[Tony s]

Got to add turbo snails. Military helmet snail. And white wizard snails 🤣

[Guppysnail]

Snails are so awesome.  
I would get Leroy a friend or two.  They lay eggs on the glass above the water so population is easily controlled. 
As far as Nerite type.  Choose the ones you like the color of.
Some very fun snails that you can see have babies without getting overrun with babies are livebearing snails.  There are rabbit snails @Lennie . Japanese trap door snails.  
You can click on the links in my signature to see more on 

Taia naticoides Piano snails 

Filopaludina martensi White Wizard snails 

My recommendation if you are stocking the tank with other snails avoid the ones that are labeled “pest” bladder, pond, ramshorn or Malaysian trumpet.  Snails need to be offered their own food not just algae and whatever the fish miss. Blanched vegetables, algae wafers, calcium foods to keep the shell healthy.  
When you are Feeding Leroy and whatever others you decide on that food will get gobbled faster by the “pests” than your pet and the “pest” will over populate.  
I love all snails including “pest” snails. I’ve run enough snail tanks to know the outcome though.  
 

[Guppysnail]

As for the microfauna as your tank matures the microfauna appear.   The my come in on plants, eggs come on food. 
I always start with adding ostracods seed shrimp. Then along come copepods and daphnia. The detritus worms will find their way in after that.  
I am the oddball I enjoy several types of hydra.  They are fascinating predators that hunt the microfauna.  It is an entire micro universe in our tanks.  If you have access to a microscope it does not need to be high powered, scoop up a drop of the debris in the substrate. It a soap opera going on down there. 

[Lennie]

On 3/22/2024 at 1:43 PM, Guppysnail said:

Snails are so awesome.  
I would get Leroy a friend or two.  They lay eggs on the glass above the water so population is easily controlled. 
As far as Nerite type.  Choose the ones you like the color of.
Some very fun snails that you can see have babies without getting overrun with babies are livebearing snails.  There are rabbit snails @Lennie . Japanese trap door snails.  
You can click on the links in my signature to see more on 

Taia naticoides Piano snails 

Filopaludina martensi White Wizard snails 

My recommendation if you are stocking the tank with other snails avoid the ones that are labeled “pest” bladder, pond, ramshorn or Malaysian trumpet.  Snails need to be offered their own food not just algae and whatever the fish miss. Blanched vegetables, algae wafers, calcium foods to keep the shell healthy.  
When you are Feeding Leroy and whatever others you decide on that food will get gobbled faster by the “pests” than your pet and the “pest” will over populate.  
I love all snails including “pest” snails. I’ve run enough snail tanks to know the outcome though.  
 

Thanks for the tag Gup!♥

 

I personally would not keep mystery snails with any other big snails if the one you have is a male. God, these guys literally try to mate with any snail and bother them too hard. I saw mine bullying rabbit snails and viviparus.

 

If your mystery snail is a female, then other big snails are okay to have. Rabbit snails like it warmer, so it may shorten the lifespan of mystery snails a bit. And mystery snails are big and fast, and has a really good sense of finding food, so may outcompete other slower species, like rabbit snails. The speed difference on moving and eating between a rabbit and mystery is huge.

I think the best buddy to a mystery snail is another mystery snail. Good thing is, mystery snails come with so many colors and their population is super easy to control, just like Gup mentioned. I usually feed their clutch back to the tank and they eat it for nutrition