Huge WC Mystery Snails

[Wailua Boy]

Our streams and reservoirs are loaded with introduced fresh water clams(Corbicula fluminea) as a kid would keep them in aquariums. In the taro growing districts you will find apple snails, I have heard of them being collected as edibles but they are considered a major pest by the taro farmers

 

[TroyMIfishkeeper]

Never had much luck with freshwater mussels, they would live4 to7 months then die, maybe not enough zooplankton?

Could be. To feed them I usually grind up fish flakes into a powder and put them in the water, almost immediately the clam's siphon-thing extends and it begins feeding. I also have numerous plants in the tank, so maybe it's feeding on the plant matter as well?

 

[Deadliestviper7]

I doubt they fed on plant matter as I tried to keep mine in planted tanks, it's good to know about the crushed flake deal

 

[Siddons11]

Oh that's nothing. You should see the ones that are all over the south Florida canals. Easily the size of a baseball.

 

[Deadliestviper7]

I once was swimming and felt something under my foot , I pulled up a huge mussel that was almost as big as my hand, I put it back so it could keep growing, I've heard that if left undos turned oysters basically live forever and can grow to 3 feet, maybe mussels r similar

 

[TroyMIfishkeeper]

I once was swimming and felt something under my foot , I pulled up a huge mussel that was almost as big as my hand, I put it back so it could keep growing, I've heard that if left undos turned oysters basically live forever and can grow to 3 feet, maybe mussels r similar

Hmm, interesting. I am considering collecting some more freshwater mussels sometime, the one I have is a thin oval shape but I have also found ones that are a bit more circular, curious to see how those will do in captivity.

 

[Deadliestviper7]

Yeah there is a lot of variation, just don't collect endangered ones

 

[lifesabichir]

Are you guys sure these are mystery snails ? True mystery snails (apple snails) have a breathing siphon, that they use to take in air at the water's surface. Does your snail have a breathing siphon ? If it does not, it is not a mystery snail.
Here is what the mystery snail siphon looks like.

I see them all over some lakes here. They aren't true mystery snails but read they go by Chinese mystery snail or trap door snail and they give live birth.

 

[TroyMIfishkeeper]

I see them all over some lakes here. They aren't true mystery snails but read they go by Chinese mystery snail or trap door snail and they give live birth.

Yeah, I was just about to post that I believe they're actually Japanese trap door snails. I saw a picture online and it appears it's an exact match.
The live birth is interesting, I didn't know there were snails that did that... Now I'm curious if the little snails that would occasionally show up in my tank were from the plants I was buying, or if they were offspring? LOL

 

[lifesabichir]

Yeah, I was just about to post that I believe they're actually Japanese trap door snails. I saw a picture online and it appears it's an exact match.
The live birth is interesting, I didn't know there were snails that did that... Now I'm curious if the little snails that would occasionally show up in my tank were from the plants I was buying, or if they were offspring? LOL

Yep. They also need a male to give birth. The mother has the babies, grabs them with her tentacles, and removes the membrane and set them free. They only have between 4-20 at a time. It's really neat to watch. I live in Michigan as well and see them all over lakes edges. Biggest I ever found had a shell 3 inches long.