I have had our tank up and running a bit over a week. Everything has been going well as far as I can tell. I did my 50% water change and then the 100% water change yesterday. Once that was done, I noticed a blackish dot on the wall of the tank. Checked it out up close and it seemed like a tiny snail?! A day later and he seems to be MIA, but a new, even tinier one is scaling the walls as we speak.
Where the heck did these guys come from all of a sudden? Were they perhaps attached to the plant I had bought? And if they were, why are they only making themselves known now? I was/am baffled to say the least
Otherwise, "Fishy" is doing well. I finally have witnessed him eat...for the first week he wasn't interested in the pellets whatsoever. I guess his hunger got the better of him! Anyhow thanks in advance and sorry if this is a repeat!
Fertilizer might help but the anachis the snails probably came with assassin snails they will eat waste and other snails but for them you need burrowing space.
Yep snails ride in on plants a lot :P They're also very good at hiding! I think tiny stowaways are cute myself, so I tend to let them stay as long as I don't recognize them as a species that will eat up my live plants. If you decide to let them stay, you may want to put algae flakes in the tank for them to discourage them from munching on plants. Some snails do only eat detritus, but if they're tiny it's hard to tell what they are sometimes.
What type of substrate/gravel/sand do you have in the tank, how much/what type of light are you using, and have you given the plant any fertilizer or root tabs? Also, have you tested the tank water's ammonia level?
Yep they came off your plant and I put some live plants in my tank a month and a half ago and just now are the tiny little snail starting to show up, they are pond snails. Put a piece of lettuce or cucumber in the tank before bedtime and check it first thing in the morning and remove if any snails are on it, do that every night till you stop seeing the snails. Do not over fed your Betta give him only what he will eat you dont want any extra food in your tank for the snails to eat. Ho much light does your plant have ? I have this plants and its doing well with a 10 watt
fluorescent light .
My Betta ate a snail last week, he got to it before I could get it out but he seemed to enjoy it..lol I was worried he ate the shell but he didnt, he was over the moss ball and I pulled it out and looked and there was a tiny empty shell on it, so its okay if your Betta eats any but you dont want him to eat to many and get bloated.
babystarz - I am using fairly average "pebbley" gravel I bought in bags from the pet store, a 15-watt incandescent light for about 6-8 hours per day. No fertilizer, I guess I just assumed the plant would survive in the water alone...d'oh! And no ammonia test yet, it's an area I've slacked on so far with the fish and I know it's bad. I think I'm seeing another trip to the shop in my plans today!
I don't mind the snails for now...they are really teensy so it's impossible for me to tell what they are. If they can coexist with Mr. Fishy then I am okay with that!
Perseusmom - How interesting! The lettuce won't be bad for the betta? Will he even attempt to eat it?
Last edited by kimmysticks; 08-29-2012 at 01:19 PM.
I dont kill my snails, I had and extra gallon tank so I put them in there and feed them algae wafer and fish food, I condition their water also as just tap water would kill them I think. But if they are pond snails they will start laying eggs and there would be to many on your tank. Pond snails are little with football shaped shells that was gold or green or both at least mine are. Their eggs look like small cluster of clear jello and they will lay them on plants, at the water line, decorations, etc .
I have never tried it myself might have to if I start to see more snails in my tank, but other use this method and no I dont think your Betta would try and eat it but he will most likely check it out so keep and eye on him and no even if he did I dont think it would hurt him.
Last edited by Perseusmom; 08-29-2012 at 01:21 PM.
babystarz - I am using fairly average "pebbley" gravel I bought in bags from the pet store, a 15-watt incandescent light for about 6-8 hours per day. No fertilizer, I guess I just assumed the plant would survive in the water alone...d'oh! And no ammonia test yet, it's an area I've slacked on so far with the fish and I know it's bad. I think I'm seeing another trip to the shop in my plans today!
I don't mind the snails for now...they are really teensy so it's impossible for me to tell what they are. If they can coexist with Mr. Fishy then I am okay with that!
Perseusmom - How interesting! The lettuce won't be bad for the betta? Will he even attempt to eat it?
Yep in order for plant to get the correct nutrients, you'll need a fertilizer since you're using gravel. If your pet store carries Flourish by Seachem, that's the best fertilizer you can find on the market :) A small bottle will last you forever with a 2.5 gallon tank; you'll only need to put in a drop or two every other water change (and ideally you should be doing a 50% change 2 times a week until you know the plants are filtering ammonia well, then you may be able to reduce to once per week if you have enough plants).
And I strongly recommend getting an ammonia test kit, with so many living things in the tank it's crucial to monitor ammonia levels.
Tank plants are totally a learn-as-you-go type of thing :P If you kill your first attempt at a planted tank, don't assume you can't handle plants. Sometimes a certain type of plant just won't work out.
Check out the eBook Betta Fish Care Made Easy
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