unexpected tankmate!

[newfiedragon]

I bought a new plant for Goober the other day, and while I was at the pet store, I will admit to looking for a plant that had a snail on it. Found one, but it turned out that it was easier to get another one, so I did. A little disappointed about the snail thing, but oh, well!!!

I got home, and tossed the plant into the tank, threw the bag out, and enjoyed watching Goober investigate his new plant for a while. Later, when I was going to bed, for some reason I thought to check the bag that I had thrown out in the trash, just in case. All I saw was some water and roots at the bottom, and a dead leaf about halfway up the bag. Just out of curiosity, I touched the leaf through the bag, and it turned out to be an itty bitty snail!!!!!!! I quickly took him out of the bag (he'd been out of water for a while at this point) and tossed him into the tank.

He's a cute little guy...when I can find him! Turns out he's the exact same colour and size as my gravel! GAH! Unless he's on the walls or a decoration, it takes forever to find him!

Does anyone have any idea how long it takes for snails to grow? I'm hoping he gets bigger quickly so it'll be easier to find him.

[Oldfishlady]

Not only will the snail grow but it will reproduce, I am sure you have more than just one, I like snails and feel that they are part of my little ecosystem, but they can get out of hand especially if you over feed...more you feed the faster they grow and fast they reproduce. If you don't get the uneaten food out of the tank and leave it for the snail you can risk fouling the water if you have 5g or less size tank.
To power grow your snail, put it in its own bowl and feed it lettuce, algae wafer or betta food and make daily water changes until it gets to the size you want and then add it back to the betta tank, or leave it in the betta tank and let it grow and feed off the dead plant matter...

[SemioticSleep]

My aunt bought a plant and now her tank 10 adults and 3 baby snails. I did take one from her tank and brought it home to put into my female betta tank unfortunatly my betta is really aggresive and keeps trying to eat him so I took him out and put him into a jar for now ;p

[newfiedragon]

Does anyone know if bettas will eat snails? Cause I haven't seen the snail in my tank for a few days. And my snail's only small.

[Jakr959]

If its small enough, yes. They are just like shrimp, which I preferr because they dont crawl out of the tank and die. That might have been that case, they will crawl up the glass, clime out of the water and die.

[newfiedragon]

I'm assuming my betta didn't eat the snail, because usually he won't eat anything even pellet size. I have to break his pellets up to make him eat them, or he spits them out.

It's possible that he crawled out, but my tanks got a good cover. Sadly, I can't remember how big he is, so he might have gotten out through the slits in the top of the cover (it's a Marina goldfish kit tank).

I hope not...

[Alienbetta1]

I hope its okay.

[newfiedragon]

I haven't seen the snail for days now, so I'm figuring he made a mad dash for freedom and got out of the tank somehow.

[Phoxly]

Bettas will eat snails, bettas like to swim around the bottom of the tank and mine would eat debri that looked like old food, if it tasted bad they'd spit it back up. :(

[newfiedragon]

I thought it might be possible that my betta ate the snail, but he usually spits out anything bigger than half a pellet. I usually have to crush his pellets to get him to eat them.