# Can You Mix Snails?



## Filtration Formation

Hi. I'm new to keeping aquatic snails and i would like to ask some questions. Can snails be mixed? e.g. an apple snail and a zebra snail in the same tank. What other large species of snails are there other than apples, zebras and assassins? Will apple snails eat my crystalwort? and finally will snails eat blanched vegetables? Thankyou. Any help i will be most grateful for any help.


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## Tex Gal

I think you can mix most snails. Many snails will eat blanched veggies. There are two kinds of apple snails, I believe. Briggs are the safe kind. The others will eat your plants.

Maybe someone else will chime in and help you more. Do some google research. There's lots of info out there.


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## riseabovethesun

I'm pretty sure you can mix most snails and they will eat the vegs. I think the only thing is to watch for assassin snail mixing, I hear you can keep them with like nerite snails because nerites have a 'trap door' and are stronger than assassin snails, plus they're not the typical size that assassins eat. But that isn't a fact, freak accidents happen.

I'd steer clear of ramshorn, pond, and mts type of snails just because of their mass reproduction and possibility of eating healthy aquatic plants if you have a planted tank. That's what my assassins are busy eating right now.

But I don't see why you couldn't mix snails...


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## Filtration Formation

Thank you very much i purchased 4 apple snails yesterday.


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## orisuechris

I wouldn't but then again I am so biased when it comes to nerites. Those guys are such hard workers it makes me proud !


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## Newt

MTS do not eat living plants and serve a good purpose in burrowing thru and lossening substrate.

Nerite snails leave lots of white eggs all over the tank. Havent found anything that will eat the eggs.


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## potatoes

I would not mix assassin snails with your other snails unless you just want assassin snails. nerite snails do leave alot of eggs (they dont hatch, but are unsightly) but they are algae eating machines! +1, MTS are good and wont overpopulate unless you overfeed


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## neilshieh

MTS are good for your tank... once you get overrun with them get 1-3 assassins, too many will completely kill off the population. most snails would only eat your dead plant matter or leaves that are dying. most species of pond snails are good... despite the popular belief that they all eat plants. the only snail i don't like are mystery(brigg) and ramshorn. mystery snails produce lots of waste and aren't very helpful algae wise (if you want something to eat uneaten food get cories or other fish/shrimp) and ramshorn have egg sacs all of the walls it looks ugly.


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## Franco

The golden apple snails/cana apple snails (Pomacea canaliculata) will eat pretty much all plants. Mystery snails/zebra snails/brigs (Pomacea bridgessi) will much on some plants a little but wont destroy them. There are like a dozen species of apple snails but those two are the most common. All snails mix well except for assassins as they eat other snails and should only be used to control overpopulation. My softball sized cana snails even used to eat little ramshorns and pond snails when they came across them but I am guessing it was by accident. Don't feed the cana snails meat intentionally or they will get a taste for it and attack other snails and sleeping fish. They can swallow a guppy in about 10 seconds.
Ditto on MTS being awesome.

If you fall in love with apple snails like I did years ago, check out www.applesnail.net Their forum is the foremost authority in anything apple snails. Alas, I caught the planted tank bug so I am no longer a "snailor".


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## mfgann

MTS are great.. trying to figure out how to get the MTS population to grow and the bladder snail population to shrink at the same time in the same tank is puzzling me :/

You can get MTS for free if you find a petstore that has them in the tank, usually. I just asked for a few when I was buying some otos. The clerk was dumbfounded, as one of his chores all day was to kill the snails. He was more than happy to part with several.


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## Newt

Most MTS come out at night when the lights are off.....otherwise they stay buried in the substrate. They are livebearers, too.


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