Intruder snail.

[Siotehcat]

I have a little girl betta, Princess Peach. She shares her 2.5 gallon with a snail, Bowser. I dont know what kind of snail he is, but hes big. Bigger than your average snail, I think. Anyways, so today I bought some new filter cartridges and some new plants. I clean out their tank, toss out some of the old plants, add new plants, etc etc. I give her some time to chillax and then give her some mosquito larvae. As I am feeding her, something on the glass catches my eye. What do I find? A little tiny snail!! Either he came in with the plants, or Bowser had a baby. Which is more likely? And should I be getting rid of this snail? I hear all the time about snails in tanks, and they never sound good. What would happen if I just let this snail be?

One more thing...

I had my eye on a 10 gallon tank, but I dont want any more fish. I have had Princess Peach since September, but I never wanted a fish. Her previous owner decided she was too much of a hassle and left her(and her fish bowl/cup) at the store I work for.I also worry that any other fish would upset her or stress her out. If we had a 10 gallon, it would only be for Princess Peach and Bowser... and maybe intruder snail. Is it still a good idea to have a bigger tank? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[MattD]

The 10 gallon is a good idea for your betta and his snail friend. There is never a reason to stay small - remember, your fish are captive. Also, if you do decide to upgrade to a 10 gal, always keep in mind that there is a bit more room for anything should a particular specie catch your eye - but not much. Do the research (or post here for firsthand advice) to determine whether your desired fish is suitable for your tank.

Are your plants live? If they are, it is quite likely that some nuisance snails have hitch hiked. I need to see an image of Bowser - try googling various common aquarium snails for an image if you don't have a camera. Just the shape of the shell is enough for us to ID it (in most cases).

A more accurate description of the intruder snail is needed as well, please. There are a ton of diff. snail species.

Good luck!!

[beetlebz]

if you upgraded to a 10 gallon, and left your 2.5 gallon set up for a "time out tank" for a week or two you could very easily add a couple more female bettas. female bettas are easy to mix as long as you have a refuge for one who gets picked on or for a time out if you have one agressive one. in my experience (9 so far) they have been very, very easy to keep together (though not just drop and play). Oh, and if you plan to add more fish, definitely spend a few dollars on the little plant packs. I got 2 packages for like 10 or 11 bucks each, and each had 4 plants plenty big for the 10 gallon. I have added more plants since, but I also currently have 6 females in that one tank :)

when I had 1 female in my 29 gal community (which at the time was only tetras, 1 powder blue dwarf gourami, and 8 cory cats) the betta hid ALL the time, because the gourami picked on her :(

oh and as for the snail, if its only 1 I wouldnt worry just yet. help me out here gang, but im pretty sure most all snails lay big batches of eggs. just make sure old snail and new snail dont get their thang on O.o

[Siotehcat]

Thanks, but I really dont want any fish. The only reason I got Bowser is because I didnt have a filter and I was under the impression that snails helped keep the tank clean. Either I was wrong, or he is really lazy...but I had to get a filter anyway. And the only reason that I agreed to take in Princess Peach is because I felt terrible that she was being hauled around in a glass and then dumped like garbage.

The truth is that I know little to nothing about fish, and If I had to care for more than one fish, I would probably fail.

[beetlebz]

hogwash! im sure you would be great at it :) but I understand not wanting any more fish. im sure princess peach will grow on you like one of the family though :)

[southafrica1001]

yea they are great fun to look after and once you get into the daily and weekly routines you find they arent hard, its just the starting up, that i found the hardest but then i did more research and things seem much better from when i started. i also didnt want fish but strangly my love for all things aquatic started a few months ago when i bought my aunt more fish for her tank yes i now a bit wierd but now i love it hehe

[Falina]

If you bought Bowser then I'm guessing he's a mystery snail, though without a photo I don't know fir sure. Mystery snails are the most common snail for sale. What colour is the snail? This could help us identify it.

The little snail has almost definitely came in on the plants. Myster snails lay egg clutches and have 100s of eggs at a time.

Your betta would love the 10g tank. Just remember to fully cycle the tank before you add him.