There is someone in my neighborhood that told me trumpet snails are beneficial to add to your tank as scavengers. He mentioned that they breed easily, without any effort on your part, keep your substrate clean, and when your nitrates get high you will know because they go towards the top of the tank. He says you can put them in a tank that has sand or gravel and peaceful or aggressive fish. Does anyone have these? Is there truth in this? Are they really beneficial having?
Anyone have trumpet snails?
- Thread starter th3champish3r3
- Start date
th3champish3r3;4764492; said:
I feel that they are beneficial, they do a great job cleaning the bottom of your tank, but and a very big but here is the problem. They are live bearing snails so they breed like crazy.
If you feed your fish to much (over feed) you will end up with 1000's of them
That said, I do have them in a couple tanks and mine don't go out of control because I only feed my fish what they can eat.
They are neat looking snails, but they can be VERY hard to control..
Photo by Lupin.
Scientific Name: Melania sp.; Thiara sp.
Common Names: Malaysian Trumpet Snail; Malayan Trumpet Snail
Care Level: easy
Adult Size: 1-2 inches depending on the species
pH Range: 6.5-8.0
Temperature Range: 18-30 degrees Celsius (64-86 degrees Fahrenheit)
Origin: cosmopolitan
Temperament: peaceful
Compatible Tank mates:
Like all other snails, they tend to do well in a community tank provided there are no fish that will harass or eat them. Most of the loach species are unable to destroy these snails due to the shell structure and operculum (trapdoor) however there are species that have elongated snouts enabling them to penetrate through the defenses of the MTS. Puffers are still one of the top threats as they are capable of crushing through hard shells with their powerful beaks.
Diet:
MTS are not fussy eaters. In fact, the more abundant the food supply, the faster they reproduce. They will take well to vegetable matter, decaying organic matter, commercial foods and meaty foods with no problem.
Tank Size For Adult: As these proliferate rather quickly, there is no set guideline on stone as they will add up to the bioload faster than anything else can.
Lifespan: 2-3 years
Narrative:
Malaysian trumpet snails are one of the snails found to hike amongst plants, woods and other decorations. They have a potential to overcrowd a tank due to their ability to reproduce rather quickly beyond the aquarist's control as they are livebearers and are asexual therefore not requiring long incubation periods in comparison to other species.
Despite the fact these snails are considered a pest by most aquarists, they can prove themselves rather beneficial to planted tanks where they burrow around the substrate thus aerating it and preventing the substrate from getting compact which can choke the plant roots. They have been dubbed by some hobbyists as "earthworms of the aquatic garden". They are in general nocturnal and tend not to show up until dusk so if you really want to get rid of these, leave a lettuce overnight and you can simply drop the bait loaded with snails to the bin.
There are actually several species of MTS however due to various colors, patterns and shell structures, it has become increasingly difficult to properly identify the actual species of MTS. Thiara winteri is one of the rarely available species of MTS although there are a few more species that are often seen around but no one bothers too much identifying them anyway since almost all MTS have a similar disposition.
References/Links:
http://www.poppe-images.com/images/s...mily=THIARIDAE