What Kind Of Habitat For Baby Snails

[Guppy-Frog-Girl]

I went to the pet store today and they gave me 2 baby apple snails with my fish purchase. They are very tiny... smaller than a pea. Probably about 4mm long. I tried to put them in with the guppies but they kept picking on the snails so i took them out and put them in a water planter, with one of those vine plants that live in vases..... was wondering if I can actually keep them in there long or do I have to find another place for them soon? I read they grow quickly. Can they feed off the plant roots or do I have to feed them something else too?

[Courtney]

You should put them in a tank with a heater, cause yes they usually do grow fast and they like heat, a filter would be nice too, but as long as you keep them cleaned out, and no they can not live on plant roots, they need to be fed, mine love algea wafers, peas, green beans ( canned and rinsed) corn, and things like that, if they are Apple snails probably a Cana snail, they will get as big as a baseball maybe a little bigger, mine live with my guppies and they do great, maybe wait till they grow a little then put them with your fish, oh you can goto www.applesnail.net for any help..

[MyraVan]

Mostly, I agree with what Courtney said, especially the feeding, except that as long as your room temp is not too cold, they will do fine without a heater. There's a tradeoff: if you keep them warmer they're a bit more active, but they also have shorter lives.

Actually having them in the water planter is not too bad an idea, as long as the plants are growing well. Their roots will be in the water and will absorb a fair bit of the waste that the snails give off, so while you'll still have to change the water, you won't have to change the water as often as you would if they were in a vase with no plants. Keep testing the water for ammonia to make sure your water changes plus the plants taking up ammonia are enough to cope with the wastes the snails give off.

[Guppy-Frog-Girl]

K thnx for the advise, They are still really tiny though, But I think I should buy some snaily food today. and keep them in the planter til they get about pea size... The fishies pick at them too much... any more comments would help too.

[garfieldnfish]

Apple snails eat veggies (zucchini, cucumber, grapes, etc) along with all kind of fish food. They grow faster on carnivore food but basically will eat it all. They also need a lot of calcium for good shell growth. If your water is hard it should be ok, if not you can add some liquid calcium (Kent makes it, you find it in the marine section) or some cuddlebone, meant for birds. Applesnails can breathe both the oxygen in the water or take it directly out of the air, so they will be fine in a container, a rubbermaid would do well. I raise mine in those, no heater but I use an airstone to keep the nasty film from forming on top of the water.