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What kind of snail is this?


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I'm guessing this little guy hitched a ride in on a plant a couple of weeks ago and it's finally big enough to maybe be identifiable. Would anyone know what kind of snail this is? 

20240609_182925.jpg.73a5dea82c2210a7e36f2d8940edb63d.jpg

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On 6/9/2024 at 9:33 PM, xanify said:

I'm guessing this little guy hitched a ride in on a plant a couple of weeks ago and it's finally big enough to maybe be identifiable. Would anyone know what kind of snail this is? 

20240609_182925.jpg.73a5dea82c2210a7e36f2d8940edb63d.jpg

Looks like a mystery snail. @xanify

Edited by Tlindsey
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@bryanisag thanks for that. Was going to suggest bladder snails as well. I have those. But honestly had no idea of the difference until now. Size being similar? The chirality of the shell. Wouldn’t have thought to look there.

So @xanify bladder snails it is. Expect more. Don’t worry, they never get big, they’re mostly a nuisance. They never impact my water quality, as far as I know. Could be a good excuse to get a dwarf chain loach or a couple of assassin snails

another thing you could do is remove it now and cross your fingers. Or possibly do a reverse respiration treatment on the plants, if it’s not too late 

Edited by Tony s
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Bladder snails can reproduce asexually, so yeah, you'll likely get more. They do eat algae and excess food, though, so I like mine as long as I keep them to a reasonable population. The good news is that the population is easy for you to regulate: if you feed "too much" their numbers go up; cut back and they're numbers will shrink. In a way, they're a good quick visual indicator of "am I feeding too much?"

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On 6/10/2024 at 2:07 PM, Rube_Goldfish said:

Would a mystery snail be able to hitchhike unnoticed, though? Bladder and pond snail eggs are very small; mystery snail egg clutches would be hard to miss, but I suppose a single baby snail would be able to do it?

Idk, maybe. But seems more likely that a bladder or pond snail could hitchhike. 

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On 6/10/2024 at 2:07 PM, Whitecloud09 said:

Idk, maybe. But seems more likely that a bladder or pond snail could hitchhike. 

That's what I'm thinking, too. My experience with mystery snails is limited to intentionally introduced adults, so maybe it's easier than I think for a baby mystery to sneak in, but pond/bladder egg(s) just seem a lot more likely to me.

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On 6/10/2024 at 1:07 PM, Rube_Goldfish said:

Would a mystery snail be able to hitchhike unnoticed, though? Bladder and pond snail eggs are very small; mystery snail egg clutches would be hard to miss, but I suppose a single baby snail would be able to do it?

Baby mysteries are teeny tiny when they first hatch. Smaller than a sesame seed.

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On 6/10/2024 at 2:11 PM, Katherine said:

Baby mysteries are teeny tiny when they first hatch. Smaller than a sesame seed

yes, they are. I hatched 1 clutch and ended with about 140 snails 😁. so, could it be mystery. yes. Is it? probably not. simplest explanation is bladder snails

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On 6/9/2024 at 9:33 PM, xanify said:

I'm guessing this little guy hitched a ride in on a plant a couple of weeks ago and it's finally big enough to maybe be identifiable. Would anyone know what kind of snail this is? 

20240609_182925.jpg.73a5dea82c2210a7e36f2d8940edb63d.jpg

Looks like my pond or bladder snails, but they make good snacks for the fish 

 

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On 6/10/2024 at 9:51 AM, Rube_Goldfish said:

Bladder snails can reproduce asexually, so yeah, you'll likely get more. They do eat algae and excess food, though, so I like mine as long as I keep them to a reasonable population. The good news is that the population is easy for you to regulate: if you feed "too much" their numbers go up; cut back and they're numbers will shrink. In a way, they're a good quick visual indicator of "am I feeding too much?"

Yep, looks like a little bladder snail to me, too. I have them in all 3 of my tanks to one degree or another. I like having them around, because they’re good scavengers. If you regard them as being overpopulated, you could reduce and/or change the food you’re offering. You could also introduced snail-eating fishes. If you don’t have a pre-filter on your HOB, they also tend to get killed at the intake. So, I don’t find their numbers to be a problem.

Edited by AtomicSunfish
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