Thinking of getting a snail...

[Skittlz]

My Betta fish, Sherman, lives in a 10 gallon tank. Im thinking about getting a snail for the tank but Im not sure which kind to get. what is good for a betta? what are some different kinds and what do they do? If you have any information on snails for betta tanks please help. Thanks! :)

[doggyhog]

I recommend a Mystery snail.

I have one. They are a lot of fun!! Google mystery snail care and see if it's something you really want though. I will warn you, they poop a LOT. And they don't always clean your tank. My snail won't touch the current algae problem I have. He prefers his algae wafers and veggies. :)

Some bettas will nip at them though! So watch your betta closely.

[1fish2fish]

Yup.. I agree with DH. Another good snail is a nerite snail.. great algae eaters and smaller than mystery snails so you get less bioload.. drawbacks are you usually can't find them in a store.

[Skittlz]

i think the nerite snail is more what we are looking for. Do i have to care for it like my fish (not saying i wouldnt :P )? like get it its own food, little shelter area in the tank etc.?

Also my 10gal tank doesnt have a lid on top, would a snail jump out and run away or stay in the tank / on it (dont care if its outside the tank.. as long as its still on it, not on the wall or something lol. or ending up on my face at night)

[1fish2fish]

Nerites will leave the water if the parameters change. I would get a hood for any snail... not to mention bettas are jumpers and you never know when one of them will decide to make a leap of faith.

Unless you have a sufficient amount of algae your going to need to get algae wafers.. they're really cheap, found in the fish food section. You can also give your snails veggies.. they love them.

[xxabc]

Yup, like 1f2f said. Unless your tank is an algae pit (which it could probably clean anyways haha) you'll have to feed it some algae wafers. And I think sometimes people have issues with their bettas also eating the algae wafers.