Colomesus asellus - How to avoid dentistry?

[x86Daddy]

One of my LFSs appears to have South American Puffers for sale. From my research, they seem almost ideal, except I do not like the prospect of dentistry.

I already have a snail breeding tank set up, and will most likely be able to supply a daily pond snail or two. My question to other SAP owners is this: does daily snail feeding negate the need for tooth trimming? Would the occasional Malaysian Trumpet Snail be helpful, or do their notoriety for causing chipped teeth apply to this species of puffer too? Is there another food that's helpful?

With daily snail(s), what kind of dentistry intervals have owners seen necessary?

[Raphael]

First off do not feed the MTS because they are likely to snap their teeth. Secondly I don't think you can get away with trimming SAPs teeth.

[puffernuke]

the teeth grow so fast that it would be almost impossible to avoid it

[x86Daddy]

I will definitely add that to my decision factors then.

[puffernuke]

Two species of freshwater puffers that need a constant daily supply of snails are the South American puffer (Colomesus asellus) and the less common bronze or golden puffer (Auriglobus modestus). Without enough snails offered to them, they would need their teeth trimmed every 4-6 months. I have both species and do trim their teeth often.

You could look forward to at least 4-6 months with enough snails.

[RTR]

I have only very rarely had to trim SAPs' teeth. But mine got a diet that was at least 95% snails, mixed common pond and common ramshorns. That does take a lot of snails.

[Myaj]

My SAP needs his teeth trimmed every 3-4 months. I feed him snails daily too.

But he also has a very strange shaped mouth, almost like a beak, so his teeth don't come together properly I don't think.. that might contribute to it.

Trimming the teeth is actually pretty easy, especially once they get bigger. When they are small, its a little harder to get the clippers in there, but the whole thing really isn't that hard.

[Gomez]

how many tanks do you have for snail breeding RTR? what size?
does your puffers diet mostly consist of pond snails?- because they breed faster.
Do you breed both types of snails in the same tank?

[Myaj]

I'm not RTR.. but in my experience, a 10 gallon tank with some mossy plants (java moss, najas grass) works best for breeding snails. I've tried a 2 gallon tank and it just didn't work. I think RTR has an article in the library about how to breed them too.

I've tried breeding pond and ramshorns in the same tank, it always ends up all ramshorns. I think they might eat the pond snail eggs, not sure. But I have enough pond snails in my other tanks that I can feed both.

[SoloNatedawg]

Myaj, do you know what the reason was that the 2 Gallon didn't work? Were the snails just not producing enough or not at all?

[RTR]

Well at the moment it is 20+/-. I have many tanks, most are planted, and all the planted tanks and most of the unplanted ones have snails. When I have multiple tanks of snail-eaters, I use 10s for snail production. My 10s seem to always be invert tanks in some form, either snails or shrimp, and when needed some 15s get added to invert list, sometimes larger tanks as well.

I never use two different species in the same production tank. One species always overtakes the other - eventually. The overall production is also lower from a mixed tank IME. My planted tanks with snails I try to keep mixed, but that does involve some selected harvesting to try to maintain a balance.

[Myaj]

I don't know why the 10 gallon works better than the 2.. I fed them the same, I used an AC150 filter on both... They were both unheated.

My guess is the water quality just stays better in the 10, or maybe its a possiblity of there's simply more area to lay eggs in?

Either way, the 10 gallon produces way more snails than the 2 gallon did.

[SoloNatedawg]

Oh I was just wondering because I just got me a small 1.5 gallon container to breed snails.

[Gomez]

selected harvesting- gotcha thanks!