# What do I feed a mystery snail???



## test pilot

I have been keeping mystery snails in my 20 gallon tank for years now but never know if I'm feeding them properly. In fact I have never given much attention to what I feed them at all. I always thought that they would scavenge the tank for food that my fish did not eat. My tank population includes a pleco cat, siamese algae eater, 4 rainbow fish, 1 golden panchax killi, a false black tetra and two horsefaced loaches.

I have one snail in my tank now that I purchases about 6 months ago. I've gotten a few to live about a year but that is the extent of it. The water quality is high and the ph is around 7.2. I dose with a little calcium carbonate with each water change to maintain some hardness. I feed a regular diet of mysis shrimp, chopped krill, blood worms and sinking algae tabs (mainly for the pleco's benefit). I suppose the snails crawl around and eat what the other fish miss. They are always scraping the glass with their mouth for food as well but there is very little algae in the tank. 

Is this diet good enough or should I be feeding my snails something else?


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## SueNH

I feed my pleco more and the snails come. They love zucchini, broccoli, spinach. They are mostly willing to try most vegetables blanched or nuked a bit to make them soft.
The algae tabs are just when I'm feeling lazy and the pleco is at the glass begging.


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## test pilot

How long can you leave the veggies in the tank before you have to remove them?

Also, can you feed at night. I think the snails wouldn't know the difference. Is the pleco a night feeder?


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## James0816

The one's I've kept love zucchini. Never too them long to find it. I also feed a homemade calcium food too.


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## test pilot

Last night I blanched a piece of spinach leaf and a broccoli stalk, not the floret part. I left both pieces in the tank over night. When I awoke in the morning something most definately ate them. More so the spinach than the broccoli. The snail parked itself on top of the broccoli for a few minutes but I did not notice anything eaten. I observed my siamese algae eater eating the spinach and some of the trumpet snails attacked it as well. I'll try a floret next and see if it is more appetizing.


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## test pilot

Came home from work last night and the spinach leaf was gone. The broccoli was almost untouched. I did observe the pleco, siamese algae eater and mystery snail eating the spinach. I just blanched another leaf and put it in the tank today. The snail and siamese algae eater have already starting nibbling on it and I expect the pleco will eat once the tank light goes off.

I'm starting to get into this.

Oh. and I did remove the broccoli.


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## LVKSPlantlady

let see if i can remember the snail food recipe... 

1 pack of unflavored gelatine
1-2 tablespoons shrimp pellets and flake fish food
2-3 egg shells , microwaved or baked and crushed. you can also use crushed calcium pills but egg shells are cheaper.
a pinch of garlic power and other herbs if you want
mix it all together per instructions on gelitine pack. 
it makes a lot but you can portion it in some ice cube trays and once it's frozen put the cubes in a plastic bag.

you could prob dry some blanched spinach and add it too. 
all your fish will love this stuff!


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