Trying to start pond snail population with no luck!?!

[grewalsb]

I have a 2.5 gallon tank devoted only to pond snails. In the tank I have an air stone, filter, heater (currently not necessary due to heat from light sufficient enough) and light. I have one plant, gravel and a rock as decoration if you will. When I started this out about 6 months ago, I had eggs everywhere and a snail population you wouldn't believe. However, about 3 months ago and ever since I can't seem to get a population growing for the life of me. I can get free pond snails from PetSmart on the weekends and hope some will lay eggs but never seems to happen. The tank temperature is usually between 78-80 degrees. I also just added a shell about two weeks ago for calcium according to internet searches recommending to help.

The snails are food for my dwarf puffers in my 33 gal community tank. I have six dwarf puffers, two algae eaters (plecos), three cories, one irridescent shark, one weather loach, one bumble bee goby (I know he's suppose to be brackish), two paradise fish and maybe ten ghost shrimp. About one month ago I added a new piece of driftwood which takes up just about the whole tank but has nooks and crannies everywhere and makes my tank look amazing. Multiple live plants and two diffrent sized gravel. I've tried putting a whole population of snails in my community tank and hoping they latch onto the driftwood and lay eggs but no luck so far. They just seem to congregate into the filter and lay eggs there sometimes if I'm lucky.

Does anyone have any advice as to why I can't seem to get a population growing?? I've heard continually that pond snails are the easiest to populate yet somehow I can't do it. Any help at all would greatly be appreciated!!!

[ijedic]

More plants. In my physid tanks, they have an air stone, and that's it. There's not a lot of water movement, but there are a lot of plants. Hornwart, duckweed, azolla, anacharis, foxtail. They breed like mad. I also put a pinch of ground fish flakes in a couple of times a week, and do 2x's weekly water changes of 30%.

[garfieldnfish]

I have also a 2.5 gal pond snail tank for the Dwarf Puffers. I use neither light nor airstone nor a filter, but change out the water 100% twice a week. During that time I remove the plants (just floating plants, and java fern that sinks to the bottom but is not attached to anything), other then that I have nothing in the tank. Most snails are on the plants and I put those in a tubberware dish with fresh water. Then I drain the entire tank and refill with fresh water. I add liquid calcium, and a few drops of iodine to the tank and return the plants and snails. I feed them lots of veggies and fishfood, which without airstone and filter clouds the water, hence the many water changes, but I have no shortage of snails.
My applesnails have also given me 3 egg clusters during the past two months. The first one hatched and I kept the 50+ snails so far. The other two clusters are still developing. I am tempted to use them for puffer food. I can't handle another 100+ sails. LOL.

[drosera]

Pond snails are super easy to raise. I have to wonder what species you might be talking about when you mention them. If they really are typical pond snails, there could be a food issue, as stated. But even then, it takes a lot for them to starve, as they will eat almost anything.

Another possible reason is soft water with a very low pH. Water with insufficient minerals will erode the shells of the snails, killing them in time. I've seen this happen in my tanks a couple of times.

Good luck.

Chris