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How long to leave plants before introducing apple snails?

Myrtle

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21 Aug 2008
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Basingstoke
Hi,I wasn't sure where to post this so hope this is OK! My tank is now cycled and yesterday I added 3 otos and 3 apple snails (all doing very nicely :D ). However... I was under the impression that apple snails only ate dead or dying vegetation but my apple snails (from MA) are voraciously munching through my Vallis :( . I wasn't too sure whether the Vallis would be OK in my tank when I put it in (50l/14 US g, 2 x 15w T8 lights and Nutrafin CO2 System) but does this mean that it's dying or simply that the apple snails haven't read what they're meant to eat? They've also taken a few lumps from the java fern and the Bacopa (which I was also unsure of!) but only one or two bites!
I wondered if maybe I should have given the plants longer to establish before adding the snails :? (they were in for at least a week before I put the snails in).
Any ideas or suggestions very welcome!
 
Hmmm, one say Yeay and one say Nay! Should I have let the plants establish more before introducing them or will that have made no difference? I put a slice of cucumber in there yesterday and they've not left it alone! Hopefully they'll eat that instead of the plants now!
 
misscaretaker said:
Hmmm, one say Yeay and one say Nay! Should I have let the plants establish more before introducing them or will that have made no difference? I put a slice of cucumber in there yesterday and they've not left it alone! Hopefully they'll eat that instead of the plants now!
Mine ate a couple of leaves off things when there wasn't any other tasty food for them. Either add veg or algae wafers to distract them from your plants and you should be ok.
 
Hi.Apple snails in my experience are not for the planted tank.I bought 6 of them & they destroyed my plants(all were healthy plants)no matter what i did.Have got rid of them replanted tank.I have 6 nerite snails now & they are great.They have clean up my algae,look ten times better & best of all they don't eat plants.
 
Hi.Apple snails in my experience are not for the planted tank.I bought 6 of them & they destroyed my plants(all were healthy plants)no matter what i did.Have got rid of them replanted tank.I have 6 nerite snails now & they are great.They have clean up my algae,look ten times better & best of all they don't eat plants.
 
You folks are aware that there are more than one type of apple snail? Pomacea bridgessi don't eat live plants (apart from things like riccia) but do eat dead or dying vegetation. The other varieties of apple snail (including the giant ones) absolutely love a nice live plant to munch on, and will make short work of a planted tank.

I have bridgessi (sometimes refered to as brigs) and they haven't touched any of the plants in either of the tanks they are in (apart from some dwarf riccia). I do however feed a lot of foods that contain algae and vegetable matter as both of the tanks I have apple snails in also contain dwarf shrimp. Any mostly vegetarian animal will start in on live plants if it's their only source of vegetable matter, even a platy.

Ade
 
if your apple snails are feeding on living plants then they dont have enough to eat... they eat ALOT, far more than one might think.

weigh down some cucumber (take the seeds out first as they make the tank cloudy) for them and theyll leave anything alone.
 
Matt Holbrook-Bull said:
if your apple snails are feeding on living plants then they dont have enough to eat... they eat ALOT, far more than one might think.

weigh down some cucumber (take the seeds out first as they make the tank cloudy) for them and theyll leave anything alone.

The algae pellets from Snailshop are good as well, my apple snails absolutely love these, devouring them in double quick time.

Ade
 
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