Tank now cycled - awaiting DPs - Snail Query

[Bengoshi2000]

So, my 29g tank has now cycled. While I'm waiting for my local supplier to find some DPs, I need some advice on snails:

1) Still unsure if keeping pond snails in the tank is a good idea. They don't bother me and my wife doesn't have any "snails in the display tank aversions" that I have to tiptoe around. Seems that keeping them there may very well be easier than a separate tank. FWIW, I do have a 3.5g tall that could easily be set up as a snail tank.

2) If I keep snails in the main tank, would it be ok to add them now and get a colony going before I get puffers? I guess this question could also apply to setting up a snail tank.

3) If I get snails from an lfs do they need to be treated for any parasites/diseases that could transfer to the DPs?

Thanks!

[RTR]

In general, it is not a very good idea to try to keep predators and their prey in the same tank. The predators tend to wipe out the prey. Separate housing is far more controllable. Ordinarily I would consider a 3.5 gallon tank much to small for practical snail rearing, but it might be sufficient for a tank of DPs, where snails are not the primary food. I have never worked with a tank smaller than a ten gallon for breeding snails, and usually used significantly larger tanks for that, but they fed a lot of puffers.

Fresh snails from the LFS should be isolated at the very least for two to three weeks to allow any imported parasites to die off, a month is even better. Other than the potential case of certain infections of Apple snails, generally snails do not themselves have any parasites which could affect you or your fish. There are a few multiple stage tropical parasites which pass sequentially through birds to snails to fish and back to birds, but transmission of these is highly unlikely outside of the tropics. The common gill, skin, and gut parasites seen in captive fish cannot survive in a snail-only tank, so even if there were infectious agents in the water with the snails from the LFS, the parasites will die out before the snails have been in your care more than a few weeks. Quarantine of any wet materials from the LFS is still the rule to protect your tank and fish. That period also allows time for you to feed the snails well. Healthy well-fed snails are what you want to use as food.

HTH

[Bengoshi2000]

RTR,
Thanks for the quick reply! I hope you don't mind if I pose some follow up questions...

1) I plan on keeping 4-5 DPs in this 29g tank. If I were to rely on snails as their primary diet, what size snail colony would you recommend? I also have an empty 10g tank that I was going to hold onto as a Hospital tank but I could easily use it for snails.

2) Is it advisable to use snails as the primary diet for DPs? My plan would be to raise the snails and then provide blackworms as the occasional treat (1 to 2 times/week).

3) Are typical pond snails sufficient?

4) Could I keep other fish in the snail tank?

Thanks again!

[pufferpuggirl]

Until recently, I had a 3.5 gallon tank that I bred snails in and it was just fine, even with all the puffers I have. I only upgraded because I changed some tanks around and bought a new tank, which left me with one unused. So I moved my snails in there. I also found that keeping a guppy in with my snails seemed to do good for the snails. Without sounding crude, I think the fish poop was just what the snails wanted.