# Unusual snail....



## muddyfox (Mar 3, 2006)

Hi,

I've found a snail I've never seen before in my planted tank. It seems to eat algae (no plant damage yet). Is this little chap OK to leave or should I remove it before I get a real problem?

It's about 1 to 1.5 cm long (with body extended beyond the shell.) Here's a picture:









(sorry it's not focused well - my manual camera has a powersupply problem and the auto focus on this one is easily confused!)

Any help would be very much appreciated,

Thanks,

Muddy


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## Shrimp&Snails (Mar 27, 2006)

It looks like a Physa acuta.


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## h4n (Dec 23, 2005)

ya i got few of those they grow very quick, never knew what kidn they were either.


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## theteh (Jan 19, 2006)

I think it is Physa species, I have similar type in my aquarium and you can see their eggs development photos here (Middle section of the gallery):
http://www.theteh.com/./html/extreme_macro_closeup.html









More aldult snail photos here: http://www.theteh.com/html/my_aquarium_plants_and_inhabit_12.html

They laid their eggs on leaves and sometimes on the glass and eggs develop quickly into baby snails in just one week. However, in my tank with sparkling gouramis, I have never seen any baby snails ever developed into adults perhaps the gouramis have eaten all of them as soon as they hatched??

Anyone with similar experience?


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## Shrimp&Snails (Mar 27, 2006)

I used to see the eggs on the glass and after a few days the eggs would move slowly and you can see the mouth of the developing snail munching away.

Since adding cherry shrimp to the tank and under-feeding I haven't seen any.


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## theteh (Jan 19, 2006)

do you mean that your cherry shrimps are eating the snails? I don't think their claws are strong enough to 'clamp' out the flesh of the snails!?

I have 6 cherries and 3 tigers in my tank with lots of baby snails and the shrimps don't touch my snails at all! Probably I have been feeding the shrimps.


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## Shrimp&Snails (Mar 27, 2006)

I couldn't say for sure if the cherries are eating my pest snails or if it's the underfeeding which starved them.

I have found several empty planorbid and physid shells in my tank.


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## rain- (Dec 16, 2005)

theteh said:


> I think it is Physa species, I have similar type in my aquarium
> *snip*


Btw, that isn't a Physa species, that one belongs to family Lymnaeidae. It has flat, triangular tentacles and the shell isn't sinistral as Physids shells are. This is a _Lymnaea peregra_, I'm not sure about your snails species, hard to say from the picture, could be peregra too.

muddyfox has a Physa species though.


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## Jane in Upton (Aug 10, 2005)

Oh, Rain - thanks for the great info! I'd noticed that I had two types, the ones with the longer antenae, and the ones with the flat, triangular ones. By the coloration and consistency of reproduction, I figured they didn't interbreed, but I didn't realize they're actually different genus! Neat! And the shells form in different directions, too? Now I'll have to look at them when I'm home. 

Either way, both types reproduce quite quickly. And I'm sure Sparkling Gouramis are a good way to eradicate them. I have noticed the snail population has NOT increased in the tank where my Sparkling G's are, either. The adults are OK, but no snail babies. They're very intense little hunters. 

-Jane


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## Mnemia (Nov 23, 2004)

I've seen my honey gouramis eat young Physa snails, as well. They aren't able to go after the bigger ones, of course.


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