Did I Goof?

[Elle]

Went fish shopping yesterday, and in a fit of stupidity/enthusiasm I bought 4 monster apple snails. When I got them home, my husband banished them all from his 55 gallon planted tank because he thinks that they'd eat all his more delicate plants, so they're now in my planted 30 gallon tank with my 5 fancy goldfish. Right now the goldfish seem to see the snails as either not-very-interesting animated rocks or as an obstacle course in the way of getting to the veggie bar (I'm feeding the snails lettuce and other veggies in a sinking clip, and this is a goldfish bonanza). The goldfish are waiting to get upgraded to a much larger tank as soon as it's cycled (either 70 or 100 gallon) and as long as they aren't eating the snails and the water isn't too cold for the snails, the snails will go with them.

Things seem to be OK at the moment, but I'm a bit concerned that

a) the goldfish might start snacking on the snails;

b) The snails may cause a cycle bump. I do 80%-90% water changes weekly on this tank, but I'm not sure how much these guys will up the bioload.

What has other people's experience been with keeping golds and apple snails? If I have to I can set them up in their own 30 gallon tank, but I'd rather keep them in a community setting.

[Cynders]

You may experience both a and b. But your goldfish seem pretty content with them, sometimes they will pick at their eyes and kill them. As for letter b)......Apple snails poop as much if not more than goldfish. You will begin to see a lovely layer of 'sand' in the tank. I was shocked at how much they poo. You might be able to keep one in your goldfish tank without causing too much of a problem.

[Elle]

Gah. Maybe DH won't notice if I drop one or two into his tank by "mistake". I'm thinking that they might have to get their own tank. Just what we need...MORE fish tanks in this house.

What do they need in terms of filtration if they're in their own tank?

[Hidr]

First they don't eat healthy plants. They well eat the decaying plants. I use to keep them with my goldfish they never ate their eyes or killed them. But ya they are messy.

Second your goldfish tank is already WAY over stocked. So you have a couple choices. Get you a couple rubber maids or one really big one and move at least 3 goldfish out. Leave the snails in the tank they need a lid or may climbe out. Then work on getting at least a 75 gallon tank for goldfish and snails. Or take them back along with taking back or rehoming 2 of your goldfish.

Good luck

[johann_pond]

I would treat them as if you stocked a new tank with tropical fish.

I have 2 in with my goldies, and I think with there size the goldies leave them alone.

[Lupin]

"Monster apple snails"? Could you please post the pics? Your hubby may be right if these snails you got are Pomacea canaliculata. Only canas would strike me as monsters since they do grow to 3 inches and can decimate several plants in one night. If these are Pomacea diffusa, they should be fine in a planted setup.

My fancy goldies never ate the apple snails of any species. Should be fine to mix both (with adequate filtration and space) but in this case, I am just as concerned of the identification which might actually allow you to place them in the planted tank thus safely evening out your options.

[Elle]

Here's a pic (not mine, but the same snails):

They are cute little suckers, and forget about snails being slow...these guys can MOVE!

Mine are about 2" right now. They are eating the plants in a minor way - just dead stuff and algae off the glass so far, but we shall see. I'm feeding them lots of lovely veggies in the sinking clip (lettuce, spinach, cucumber), but I guess the dead java fern tastes better. The goldfish think that this is great, though...they're pigging right out on the snails' salad bar! At least it's healthy for them.

I've got a 100 gallon tank sitting downstairs that I have to set up and cycle once I clear the space for it - the planted 55 gallon is currently cycling, so I can't put anybody into it at the moment. The current tank is testing at 0ppm ammonia/nitrite, so for now I'm just doing huge water changes every couple of days to keep it clean.

I'm thinking the snails might be up for sale on my local fishlovers forum soon.

Edited November 9, 2010 by Elle

[number20121]

These should only go for decaying plants, that's what mine do. Or leftover fish food if they find some, I have seen them eating goldfish pellets and take care of some algae.

But as Tay said, these little buggers POOP. It seems like the material they eat multiplies before it gets pooped out. Seriously. I am keeping two myself and they are - other than all the extra poop - lovely. This is one of the reasons why my water changes are done completely in form of gravel vacuuming, to get rid of all the waste.

[Elle]

Yes, I vacuum ALL the gravel whenever I do a water change...seems to keep everything under control. They've been eating the leftover food as well as all the veggies that the goldies let them get to.

Two of them spent the night latched together...not sure if it was snail cannibalism or whether to expect a happy event...

Guess I'm going to be setting up the 100 gallon this weekend...but at least it has a big ol' canister filter.

Edited November 9, 2010 by Elle

[Lupin]

They're diffusas, Elle. Tell your hubby not to freak out. Return them to the planted tank.

Edited November 9, 2010 by Lupin

[Lupin]

Two of them spent the night latched together...not sure if it was snail cannibalism or whether to expect a happy event...

They should have put a sign "Do not disturb" on their door.lol They're actually sexing. Keep watch though. Some females don't like being at it for hours and may show signs of distress. If that's the case, move the male or female immediately as well as other females to prevent the males from fracturing their shells and even killing them in the process.

[Elle]

Oh, great. My goldfish tank has become a red light district! I separated them but they were back at it again today, so I think one of them is going into hubby's tank with the zebra danios. The other two don't seem interested.

Fed everyone a chunk of cooked carrot today...we'll see if it really does improve goldfish colour!

[Lupin]

It will if you feed too much carrots.

[Elle]

OK, the snails ARE eating the plants, even though they are stuffed with veggies. Which means that the planted tank is a definite no.

Since all of the tanks are planted except for hubby's teeny weeny shrimp setup, I'm rehoming 3 of the 4 snails to somebody off my local fish enthusiast forum who's previously had apple snails and keeps a mollusc tank. They should have a nice happy life with him, and my single snail won't have as much competition for food!

Right now the 3 snails are sitting on my desk in a plastic container with some lettuce to keep them busy...to the horror of my coworkers.

Edited November 12, 2010 by Elle

[Lupin]

Hmmm...Please post the pics of your snails, Elle. I need to be certain of what is going on with your snails.

[Helen]

they could also be pinching calcium off eachother like mine did once.. did all the snails come from the same tank from where you purchased?