# Son, I am dissapoint.



## Pandapop (Dec 29, 2009)

*No that wasn't a grammar/spelling error, it's a meme and cool beans if you know it.*

So I've got these purple striped mystery snails, right? Was $20 USD for 25+ and I ended up with 26 from the seller on Aquabid. 

Many have grown larger since I received them in the mail.

I was hoping to breed these guys to feed to my clown loaches and other bottom-feeders that may take an interest to snail.

Well they aren't breeding! It's been a few months and no signs of eggs!

And yet my ramshorn snails are multiplying like mad. Not that it's a problem or anything, but I just don't understand why my MS aren't breeding. 

Anyone have any idea? 

The water is kept warm around 78°F, water changes weekly (sometimes twice a week), they're fed plenty of sinking wafers (algae or shrimp), and the only other critters I have in the tank are panda cories, two kuhli loaches, a swordtail, TINY baby mollies, platy fry and a few adults. Oh, and two otocinclus cats. 

I've read around and have been told that MS lay their eggs just above the water line, so it's not really possible for the fish to access them that way as I leave about one and a half inch of space between the top of the tank and the water level. I've never even seen my snails 'go at it', so I have no idea what that even looks like. I know you have to have both a female and male, but out of 26 snails, you'd think I'd have at least one of each, right?

So frustrating. :c


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## egoreise (Mar 16, 2011)

Mystery snails are just a variety of apple snails.  And yes, unlike other snails, you do have to have a male and a female to breed. They have to be able to fit their entire body above the water line, and there has to be lots of moisture where they lay their eggs. Which is why they often end up using the filter....
It sounds like you are doing everything right... but maybe they just aren't ready? Do you know how to tell males from females? If so, maybe you could put just a couple pairs in another tank and see how they do by themselves? Maybe having all those other fish in their is making them a little shy?

I keep mine in community tanks, and they haven't bred either. I haven't even seen them try.


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## Pandapop (Dec 29, 2009)

I've looked around online and I _think_ I can tell the difference between a male and female... only problem is that they have to be out of their shell and crawling around for me to look inside (since the bits are inside the shell). 

I've just moved everyone into a 55g tank as we were running out of room in our 20g. The 55g semi-aggressive residents have been moved to the 20g instead, so, the snails have a lot more room now. They nearly freaked me out last night as ALL of them were on the bottom and partially out of their shell and on their sides... they looked dead. But thankfully an hour later they were scurrying around the tank again. I have no idea what that was all about, but I'm glad they're moving. 

My ramshorns are still supplying me with teeny-tiny little babies, so at least I've got SOME snails that will reproduce, lol. Our clown loaches don't appear interested in the mystery snails though, for some reason. We had japanese trapdoor snails in the tank with them a while back, and they devoured those within a day.


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## egoreise (Mar 16, 2011)

Moving them might help quite a bit! The issue could have very well been crowding. Apple snails take up space. Also... moving them away from semi aggressive fish that might nip at them if they come too far out of their shell may have helped.

I had some sort of bacteria bloom or algae bloom going on in my tank. And I just got it under control a few days ago. Almost immediately after the water finally cleared up, two apple snails started trying to breed. Well.. I should say, the male started trying to breed. The female went, "aw crap," and started looking for the nearest rock or driftwood to scrape him off on.  But now she's accepting it and spending a lot of time scoping out the surface of the water.

I wish you luck! I definately think moving them into a larger, more peaceful tank will help.


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