MTS

[Sara0229]

Got 2 MTS or Malaysian Trumpet Sanils in with my shipment of ramshorns. I'm pretty sure these are the type that can break the puffers teeth? What should I do with them? If I throw them in my kids community tank I'm afraid I'll get over run with them. Any one have any experience with these?

Thanks!

[Mac Myers]

They can eat the tiny ones. The larger ones will reproduce and grow like crazy.

[purplecandle]

you can always crush these snails between your fingers or some other way and feed to your puffers..

However!!! You just got them, so quarantine before feeding!!

[Sara0229]

Yeah all the snails look good and are in thier own 10 gallon untill feeding time. What do you do to ensure the snails are safe to eat, for the puffers I mean lol. The MTS's are in a seprate cup, I think I may just stick them in the freezer to euthanise (saw an article some place on here about euthanasia, will look for it) because I'm afraid of the whole teeth thing and over breeding, I'm good on ramshorns and pond snails anyways. They are about 1 cm long and when you feel them you can feel they are thick shelled as compared to the other snails.

I don't know about squishing them in my fingers I'm a little squemish!

[jtbadco]

I have MTS in all of my tanks, both FW and SW. They are great for cleaning crew and rarely ever come out during the day. My fahaka eats them with no issues....my F8 just ignores them

[Pufferpunk]

I've got them in my discus tank & they clean up quite well in there. Not a nuisance at all.

[Mac Myers]

Just an FYI. Freezing is not a painless method of euthanasia. As the animal freezes the walls of the cells expand due to freezing liquid and then burst. Said to be quite unpleasant even to animals without complex nervous systems.

[Sara0229]

Ouch, good to know. What would you reccomend for a snail?

[Iliveinazoo]

My figure 8 tank has Malayan Trumpet Snails, I only know this because I clear empty shells at every water change. The puffers just suck them out of their shells so they aren't great for keeping teeth trimmed.

My only worry for you would be that the MTS dominate your snail tank instead of the Ramshorns, I have read many times that one species will always dominate and eventually take over but I think that it's more of a lottery as to which species will triumph.

MTS multiply quickly so if you want them out for good then get them out now.

[Flutter]

We have them in our discus tank. We don't like them but we have a deep substrate so they're very useful. They got in our snail tank which isn't good but for now they're fine. We don't have them in the puffer tanks as they all have a substrate that is <1".

[Sara0229]

The more I read and hear the more I am convinced that I don't want these guys. There are only 2 now and I have them seperate from everyone else. I will be putting them down later.

[Flutter]

IMO, unless you have a deeper substrate I'd euthanize them. In our discus tank we have 3" as it's a high tech planted tank. They help keep that substrate safe. We put them in deliberately.

If your substrate is shallow <1" then I'd definitely toss them.

Keep in mind that their numbers depend on the food available. If you overfeed and have a messy tank they'll be everywhere. If you feed appropriately then their numbers will stay lower.

[geronimo69]

IMO, unless you have a deeper substrate I'd euthanize them. In our discus tank we have 3" as it's a high tech planted tank. They help keep that substrate safe. We put them in deliberately.

If your substrate is shallow <1" then I'd definitely toss them.

Keep in mind that their numbers depend on the food available. If you overfeed and have a messy tank they'll be everywhere. If you feed appropriately then their numbers will stay lower.

Flutter is correct. I have them in 3 tanks. They're awesome. My Ceylon can crush their shells no problem (the biggest are his favorite). You can hear the crunch from the other room! Mind you, he has very very strong plates (teeth). He even bites clam shells to pieces. Rather impressive. My Fahaka, unlike JTBadco's, completely ignores them. They're great for the substrate in almost any tank. I have some in depths of 1"... up to 4".. doesn't seem to make a difference. I also have them in a Marmorkreb tank without issues.

[Sara0229]

But how do you control the numbers? If the puffs won't eat them or can't keep up? I think that is my biggest concern. My puffer tank has about 2-3 inches of sand/crushed coral substate and the temp is 79-81. I read they breed faster in warmer waters.

So many options, just don't know what to do because I would feel REALLY bad to have to put them down but I'm also afraid they will take over.

What sort of eggs do they lay?

[c333davis]

What sort of eggs do they lay?

They're live-bearers; no eggs... just lots of tiny MTSs. Not sure how many they can bear at once, but like others' experience, I have a ton in my cichlid tanks. I pull out the littlest ones for my gsp.

Probably the quickest way to dispatch them is to crush them between two spoons (or get someone else to do it). Then you can feed them to your puffer. The small shell bits won't hurt the puff.

... Edited to say that I do sometimes feel bad for them, so I have to hum "The Circle of Life" to myself. LOL. At least they're not going to waste.