How to Take Care of Freshwater Snails
One great addition to your aquarium is a freshwater snail. These tiny slow-crawling creatures play a vital role in maintaining the ecosystem in a freshwater aquarium.
Most of the snail species are hardy and they dwell in water tanks with the same parameters as the fish. Yes, snails are compatible with living with other sea creatures.
Freshwater snails are good scavengers that help clean your water tank by eating dead plants, dead fish, algae, leftover fish food, and other waste and debris in the aquarium. Their cleaning skills make them the best companion to other aquatic pets in your water tank. These aquatic pets come in many shapes, colors, and sizes.
Best Diet for Aquarium Snails
Snail's diet is not that complicated as some other aquatic pets. They love to chew on decomposing debris in the water. They are considered omnivores so they can eat dead aquatic animals, dead plants, and other waste products that can be found in the tanks. They also love eating left-over fish foods.
Feeding Aquarium Snails
Nourish your snails by putting good vegetation in your fish tank. They love to eat any leafy or blanching veggies that grow naturally inside your aquarium. So far, their favorite snacks are algae. They love to eat algae growing on the walls of the aquarium or on the rocks.
They can stand consuming the algae all throughout the day. If there's no algae to be found, you can purchase algae pellets and feed them. These aquarium snails always put algae on top of their diet.
Snails and Its Aquarium
These types of snails love to dwell in community tanks with other organisms. But avoid aggressive creatures like crabs that may harm the snails. It is important to keep their water habitat free from chlorine. The preferred temperature of the water tank is 18 to 25 celsius.
The tank must not be placed in direct sunlight or artificial light. The lighting should be diffused since these snails are ectothermic. The snails will be stressed out and might get diseases when they are exposed to warm temperature brought about by the sunlight.
It is recommended to change 25% of the water at least once a week if you are not using a filter in your tank. You can do this by using a tap water that is free of chlorine. Bear in mind to add the water with the same temperature as the aquarium water. You can obtain this by leaving a water the whole night to equilibrate the temperature.
General Care of Freshwater Snails
Aside from eating algae, leftover fish food, and waste products, snails need a good amount of calcium intake for their proper growth and strong healthy shell.
A healthy shell should not have a crack or hole in their shells. This is a clear indicator that they have calcium deficiency and have been living in a bad condition.
In order to give them enough calcium and fix this deficiency, put in some crushed coral in your filter and then add some cuttlebone to your tank.
Aquarium Snails are both resilient and vulnerable at the same time. They are too sensitive to any sudden change in tank water. Any drastic change in their surroundings will trigger them leading them to distress.
They are also prone to parasitic infections. Having parasites in the snails is a result of poor care and unstable water condition.
It is hard to cure and it can lead to death to the snails. The deformity of the snail's shell is caused by low pH level in the water.
Facts About Aquarium Snails
The biggest among the freshwater snails is the Pond Snail.
Snails are omnivores and they can be cannibalistic.
When threatened, they scuttle inside their shells.
Some snails come out of the water to breath. They love stagnant water rather than flowing water.
Cautions
Snails are invertebrates and they are sensitive to copper. Lots of antiparasitic meds and fertilizers contain copper and it could kill the snails when these meds are used in tanks. Before using any medication to your tank water, be cautious always check the contents and warnings in the label.
Snails die when they are jammed into the filters. To avoid this to happen, cover your filter to protect them from getting stuck. You can use a small piece of nylon filter bag, a fish net, or a nylon stocking and cover to filter with the help of a rubber band.
How To Tell If Your Aquarium Snail Is Dead
The snail is most likely dead if its body is hanging out of the shell and not moving. If you can't see the body inside its shell and it feels light, then it has probably died. When a snail is dead, its body will shrink and will make the shell dull-looking.
There has to be proper care in considering the freshwater snail as an add-on to your aquatic family. If you feel like ready to have one in your tank, feel free to choose any of these snails from Aquafy.com.au.