A lot of fish keepers want to diversify their aquariums, and for that purpose, they add small snails into the tanks. Snails are a great species because they not only diversify your tank but also help you clean it as they are natural cleaners of the fish habitats. Freshwater snail species live in freshwater habitats around the world. The major food source that these snails consume is the algae that grow inside the rivers, streams, lakes, canals, and ponds. When it comes to keeping the snails in the tank, there is a divide between aquarium owners, as some like them and some want them out as soon as possible.
This is because these small crustaceans help clean the tanks, which is a good thing but these snails can grow very quickly in numbers. These crustaceans do not need a partner to breed, because they are hermaphrodites. Each snail has both male and female sex organs, which allows it to reproduce by itself. This causes a huge population burst, and they can overtake your entire tank if you are not careful in dealing with them. For that reason, a lot of fish keepers want them out of their tanks. Apart from kicking an entire generation of snails out of your tank, other measures can help you control the population of snails inside your tank. Here is a list of these measures that can help you deal with the snail eggs in your tank.
What Can You Do With Snail Eggs In Your Aquariums?
As you know that the snails reproduce using the eggs, you will notice these eggs in your tank during the breeding season. Most snail species produce colorful eggs, and it helps you identify them easily. You can control the population of snails inside your tank by properly dealing with the eggs of snails in your tank. So, if you have found eggs in your tank and you are not sure about what to do with them. Here are a few things that you should do.
1. Use Them As A Food Source
There are a lot of fish species that like to eat the eggs of snails as a portion of food. So, you can use these snail eggs to provide food for your fish species in the tank. It will help you actively control the population of snails in your tank. A similar phenomenon happens in nature as well. There are smaller fish species that eat the eggs of snails to control their population in their natural habitats. This is how these fish species prevent a population burst. You can use this same method for dealing with the snail eggs in your tanks. You should introduce these snail egg eater fish species in the tank full of snail eggs.
These fish would eat all the eggs and it will prevent the outburst of the population. This solves your problem most inherently. Here is a list of the fish species that eat snail eggs.
- Koi Fish
- Clown Loaches
- Kuhli Loaches
- Cichlids
- Goldfish
These species of fish love eating the eggs of snails. So, if you have a problem with snail eggs and an expanding population of snails in your aquarium. You should try and introduce one of these species into your tank. These fish would eat the eggs, clean your habitat, and prevent the snail population from growing further. Apart from fish species, some snail species eat the eggs of other snails. These include the Assassin snails, which not only eat the eggs, and babies, but also other snails as well.
Introducing the fish may be the best idea for the tank where the snail population is growing, but it is not the only solution here. Other solutions include finding the snail eggs, getting them out of the tank, and putting them in any other tank where the snail egg eater fish are present. When you put those eggs in the egg eater fish’s tank, they will eat those eggs and hatchlings. Any surviving members of the snail population would also be eaten away before growing into a large snail.
It is one of the best solutions because it allows you to see how these creatures interact with one another and will also allow you to observe the food chain specifics of different fish, and snail species. It will be a learning experience for you and will also help you save money on fish food. Using snails and snail eggs as a food source for the fish is a common practice among many experienced aquarists. They like to keep these hatchlings and snail eggs in a special tank where they allow them to hatch, and grow.
Once the population boom starts, they scoop the eggs and feed them to their fish. This is an effective strategy if you want to feed your fish species the most natural diet that it gets in its habitats. This will help you save money on buying the food for your fish, also you can sell the eggs of the snails to other fish keepers who might want them to feed their fish.
2. Sell The Eggs:
This might sound strange, but it is true. You can sell the eggs of snails. There is quite a large market for these eggs. Even aquarium species of the snails such as mystery snails, and apple snail eggs are also popular. These eggs are used for different purposes.
For example, if you are selling the exotic species of snail’s eggs, your buyers would want them to hatch and grow into exotic snails that they can keep in their tanks or they could sell them. Also, the snail eggs are used as a delicacy in many regions, where people like to eat snail eggs. But if you are a small aquarist, this is not an option for you. Because the sale of snail eggs only happens if you have large quantities of snail eggs. But you can try this, if this works for you, you will be able to make some profit off of it.
3. Dispose Them Before Hatching
This is something you should only do if you are tired of cleaning your aquarium because of the snail population and snail eggs. You should collect the eggs of snails in your tank, and dispose of them as humanely as possible. You should only dispose of those eggs that have not hatched, but if you want complete control over the population of snails in your tank, it is advised to dispose of the baby snails as well.
Some aquarists advise that you should dispose of the grown snails in your tanks and let the babies grow into adults. This is also an effective solution but to make it work, you will have to kill about 50% of your snail population. This method is more effective because the baby snails would not be able to repopulate the tank for the next few months, and they will live longer as compared to those who are already spawning.
4. Keep Them In Your Collection
A lot of fish keepers are also collectors, who like to collect unique aquatic specimens. If you are one of them, you should keep the eggs of snails. These eggs are a super rare collection of items that only a few people have. It is easy to keep them in your collection, all you have to do is to get them out of the water. This would prevent them from hatching and becoming babies. Then, you can secure them using a vacuum and then put them in your collection. You can also display them to your friends and people who are interested in snail egg collections.
5. Let Them Hatch In Your Aquariums
Another thing that you can do if you find snail eggs inside your aquariums is to let them hatch and grow into snails. If you like something unique in your aquariums, then you will love the presence of these beautiful, peaceful, and joyous creatures. These slow-moving creatures would be an interesting addition to your tank. There are fears related to the population outburst of the snails. But it can be prevented using multiple strategies.
Keeping a few snails in your tank will beautify your tanks and would make them look complete and natural. Also, the snails are good cleaners of the tank. Once they are in your tank, you can relax as they will clean all the algae that they can find anywhere in your tank. Also, these snails are a beautiful species that can live in both land and water-based environments. So, it will be an interesting addition to your tank that will allow you to learn about the behaviors of amphibious snails.
Popular Freshwater Snail Species
There are a lot of freshwater snail species that are very common in fish tanks. These freshwater snail species are known for their beauty, unique appearance, and peaceful, calming behavior. A lot of people want to put them in their aquariums to make them look more natural, and beautiful. Also, some people put them in the tank because the snails are known for being natural cleaners of the tanks. Here is a list of the most popular snail species that are commonly found in aquariums all over the world.
● Nerite Snails
Nerite Snail is one of the most common and most popular snail species in the world. These snails are known for their beautiful appearance, and algae-eating nature. Fish keepers want this species in their tanks because it has one of the most unique and beautiful appearances among all the snails. It is not a single species of snail but a group of freshwater snails. Here are a few details that you need to know more about this species of snails.
Species Facts: There are multiple species of these snails including black racer Nerite Snail, tiger Nerite Snail, horned Nerite Snail, and zebra Nerite Snail. Each one has the same shape, and size, the only major difference is the color on their shells.
Species Care: Nerite Snails require minimum care as they feed on algae inside the tank, and can breed by themselves without outside intervention. All you have to do is to provide them with a perfect tank and habitat.
Tank Size + Setup: The Nerite Snail species live in moderately hot, alkaline, and hard water habitats. For that reason, you need to create a tank setup that provides them with these living conditions. You can select a spacious tank of 5 to 10 gallons for a healthy population of Nerite Snails.
● Apple Snails
Apple Snail is also a very popular and common snail species that is used in aquariums throughout the world. Some aquarists pair them with small fish species, while some put them in separate tanks to observe their behaviors. It is one of the most beautiful snail species with a unique appearance and a colorful shell. It is also not a single species, instead of a whole family of freshwater snails that live in different parts of the world.
Species Facts: This is one of the most invasive species of snails in the world. It can take the whole aquarium within a few months to a year. For that reason, a lot of fish keepers advise creating a separate tank for them if you want to keep them in your tank. You can control their population by destroying their eggs.
Species Care: The care for these snails is also easy as they do not need special attention. Apple Snails are capable of finding food, which is abundantly present in most aquariums. It allows them to feed independently, but you can also feed them if you want to.
Tank Size + Setup: You can use a small tank of 5 gallons for this species of snails as they are very small. But if you are planning on keeping a large population, you should select a spacious tank. Tank setup includes putting plants, stones, soft sand, and fine-grained substrate in the tank and maintaining the parameters between the optimum ranges.
● Mystery Snails
Mystery Snails are also known for their beautiful outer shell, and algae-eating habit. It is a species of snails that originated from Apple Snails and has become a very popular choice among fish keepers. The outer shell in this species gives a red apple-like colored appearance, with stripes that go through the entire shell. Also, this snail has horns or spikes above its head. It is an interesting species of snails to have in your aquariums.
Species Facts: This snail comes from the same family as the Apple Snails, but is known as a separate species by many fish keepers. It is a small-sized snail that only grows about an inch.
Species Care: Similar to other Apple Snail family members the Mystery Snails also need minimum care to thrive in your tank.
Tank Size + Setup: A perfect sized tank for the mystery snails would be the one that is selected with expansion in mind. Smaller tanks would need to be upgraded in the future. So, it is better to select a larger tank. Tank setup in this species is simple, add fine-grained substrate, and stones in the bottom, and plant some aquatic plants. You will have to maintain the parameters such as temperature, pH levels, and hardness of the water to ensure the safety of these snails.
Identification – How Do Freshwater Snail Eggs Look?
It is very hard to know about the exact shape, size, and color of every snail egg because there are a lot of varieties of snails and each one has different shapes, colors, and sizes. But there are only a few species that are used in aquariums, and it is fairly easy to know the shape, size, and colors of these known species. But there are a few features that help identify the snail eggs. First of all, you need to look for the clusters of eggs. The snail eggs are found in small clusters. Each cluster can contain from 20 to 200 eggs.
Eggs are covered with egg sacs to prevent them from breaking. When it comes to the color of the snail eggs, most common snail species give white, yellow, pinkish-red, and brown eggs. Every cluster of the snail eggs is covered with a jelly that holds them together in the cluster. Snail eggs that are nearing hatching, will have different colors. You will notice blackish dots inside the egg sacs. It is a sign that a snail baby is being formed within that snail egg. These are a few things that can help you identify the eggs of snails and do whatever you want with them.
Egg Laying Habits of Freshwater Snails – Where Do Freshwater Snails Lay Their Eggs?
Freshwater snails usually lay their eggs under the leaves, near the aquarium walls, in the bottom of the tank, and in caves or decorations that you have placed in their tanks. They try to hide their eggs from fish species inside the tank. So, you might find it hard to locate the snail eggs. But with some focus and attention to details in the tank, you can identify and locate the snails.
Conclusion
If you have found snail eggs in your tank and you are not sure about what you should do with them, then you are not the only one with this problem. It is a common issue in many aquariums. A lot of people love having snails in their tanks but some aquarists do not want them in their tanks. This is a difference of opinion, and the solution to the problem of snail eggs is that you have four to five different options, these include letting them hatch in your tank, or removing them and letting them hatch in a separate tank. Other options include disposing of the eggs before they hatch, keeping them in a collection, or selling them to those who want to buy the snail eggs. These are the only options that you have and you will have to make a selection quickly. This is because these snail eggs hatch quickly and then you will have to deal with the problem of snail population in your tank.
Frequently Asked Question
Question: Where Do Freshwater Snails Lay Their Eggs?
Answer: Freshwater snails mostly lay their eggs under the leaves of aquatic plants. But sometimes they try to hide these eggs in caves, between rocks. Some species of snails also leave their eggs out in the open. This habit depends on the individual species of snail.
Question: How Long Do Freshwater Snail Eggs Take To Hatch?
Answer: Freshwater snail eggs need some time to hatch. Unlike fish eggs that hatch within days, the snail eggs can take about two to four weeks to hatch. The exact time required for the hatching of snail eggs is also dependent on the species of snails in your tank. Some species hatch within 2 weeks, while some species can take up to four weeks.
Question: How Do Snails Reproduce In Aquariums?
Answer: Freshwater snails in aquariums can reproduce both sexually and asexually. This is because these snails are hermaphrodites, meaning that they have both male genitalia, and female genitalia. It allows them to reproduce asexually if there are no possible mates inside the tank. But if there are possible mates, these snails would prefer the mating process to reproduce sexually.
Question: What To Do With Young Snail Babies In Your Aquariums?
Answer: This depends on whether you want them in your tank or not. If you love having snails in your tanks, you should let the babies live in the tank. But if you don’t like their presence, you can kill them by introducing a snail-eating fish species in their tank. Other solutions include creating a separate tank and putting your snail babies in that tank.
Question: How To Take Care of Young Snail Babies In Your Aquariums?
Answer: Young freshwater snail babies do not need much attention or care. All you have to do is provide the perfect living conditions within the tank. Young snail babies learn to feed on algae as soon as they are born. Which means they can live and find food for themselves even from the start. This saves you the hassle of feeding them. But you can occasionally feed them to enjoy their feeding habits. The young snail babies like algae flakes.
Question: What Can You Do To Control Snail Population?
Answer: Multiple strategies can be used for controlling the population of snails in our tank. The first strategy is to remove the snail eggs from the tank and feed them to the fish species. The other solutions include introducing a snail-eating fish in their tank. Fish species that eat snail eggs, also eat snail hatchlings and grown-up snails. So, it would help you actively control the population of snails and would prevent their numbers from growing.
Question: How Often Do Snails Lay Their Eggs In Aquariums?
Answer: Snail species produce eggs rapidly and in large quantities. According to research, some species of snails can produce about 5 to 200 eggs every month. This allows them to quickly expand their population once they reach maturity.
Question: What If I Don’t Want Freshwater Snails In My Aquarium?
Answer: If you don’t want freshwater snails in your tank, you have two options. Dispose of the eggs, hatchlings, of snails and introduce snail-killing fish in the tank full of snails. The second option is to scop all the snails from the tank, dispose of them, or sell them to those who want them.
Question: How To Find Freshwater Snail Eggs In Your Aquariums?
Answer: Freshwater snail species are not known for being protective of their eggs. However, these snails try to hide their eggs as much as possible. If you want to find the eggs of snail species, you should look under the leaves of plants, inside the decorations, and near the rocks in the bottom layer. These are the common places where freshwater snails lay their eggs usually.
Question: Why You Should Have Some Snails In Your Aquariums?
Answer: It is a personal choice if you want some snails or not, but if you ask an expert, they would advise that you should have some snails in your aquariums. The main reason behind this is that the snail population adds beauty and a natural look to your aquariums and also helps you clean the aquarium. But you will have to control the population from increasing and overtaking your tank.
