Snails-coils: description, content, reproduction

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Many aquarists wonder if coil snails are good for you. Rejoice at their appearance or immediately get rid of in any way possible? They, like other mollusks, are just orderlies and are too small to harm plants. In addition, they serve as a valuable source of food for many species of fish, which naturally regulates the number of individuals.

Habitat

Reel snails (genus Planorbis) are freshwater molluscs. The size of the spirally twisted shell is small, up to 35 mm in diameter. Easily adapt to environmental conditions (water temperature, degree of pollution), breathe both air and oxygen dissolved in water.

Snails-coils move in an aquarium with the help of a wide leg characteristic of mollusks. They live on their own, regardless of all other processes taking place nearby.

Types of coils

This genus includes quite a few species, most of which are found in all natural reservoirs. It is not recommended to run snails into the aquarium,taken from nature, as they become carriers of dangerous diseases.

The most popular among aquarists are the following coil snails:

• horny;
• horny red;
• Far Eastern;
• keeled;
• wrapped.

Contents

Aquarium snail coils are good for beginners who want to get their own clams, but have no experience in caring for them. The owner does not require special care, so you can focus on precious plants and fish.

An important factor is the beauty of the snail shell. With a lack of calcium in the water, the growth of the shell slows down, reproduction stops, flaws appear on the surface of the "house". To prevent this, you need to put several large shells on the bottom of the water area, or add calcium bought at a pet store to the water.

Dangerous neighbors for these mollusks are the fish themselves. Young individuals become easy prey even for guppies, not to mention large cichlids. They may well eat an adult coil. Fragments of the fish shell are simply spit out.

Coil Diseases

The most common is helminthic infestation. Coils serve as an intermediate host for parasites that, leaving snails, migrate to fish. To reduce the risk of this disease, buy shellfish only from trusted breeders.

Another parasite that appears in the aquarium along with live food is the aquarium leech. She gets underthe shell of the snail coil and feeds on its blood. In order not to turn the aquarium into a breeding ground for leeches, be sure to quarantine all mollusks bought and moved along with plants for a couple of weeks - a small aquarium or a jar.

For prevention, you can use s alt baths. Pour 400 ml of water into the vessel and dissolve 1 teaspoon of s alt, and then transfer to the snail solution for 10 minutes. At the same time, leeches leave the shell. In addition, pet stores have a special drug for removing leeches.

Reproduction

These mollusks are hermaphrodites, that is, each individual is capable of reproduction. In order to breed this species, you only need one snail coil. Reproduction occurs by laying eggs on the leaves of plants.

Mollusks are extremely prolific, so often aquarium owners clutch their heads: what to do with so many coils? In fact, the number of underwater inhabitants should be regulated according to the volume of the aquarium. So, for every 8-10 liters of water there should be 5 coils. A large population may not have enough food, and then they will turn to plants.

There are many ways to keep the number of coils under control. One of the easiest is to buy ancitrus catfish. They clean the walls of the aquarium from algae, and at the same time eat clam eggs.

Fish also keep the ecological system in balance by eating young snails. If you have a global overpopulation in your aquarium, add barbs or cichlids, they canclear the area in a matter of days.

Another effective way is to collect snails with a trap. This is a small metal mesh in which banana peels, apples or potatoes are folded. At night, it is left in the aquarium, and the next morning they are pulled out along with the coils. The catch can be used as fish food.

This is one side of the problem, but there is also the opposite situation, when, with all the effort, the number of coils is reduced. Whether diseases or predators are to blame, there is only one solution: collect a dozen individuals and place them in a separate aquarium or jar. With plenty of food and regular water changes, you will have a good offspring (do not forget about quarantine: in the first few weeks, remove all snails that do not show activity). Already from here you can partly add them to a common aquarium.

In the absence of more agile guardians of purity, such as snails, an unpretentious coil may well cope with the function of an orderly. If kept in reasonable numbers in the aquarium, she will only be useful and will give many interesting moments while watching her leisurely walks.