Feeding my F8 Nassarius and Periwinkle Snails

[JRC3]

OK, I've tried 4 different 10g and 15g dedicated snail tanks and for some reason I can't keep them producing. I find the occasion single pond and ramshorm in my FW community tank, and I find a dozen or two small snails in my canister filter when I clean it ever few months...But that is it. I've had a single ramshorn in my QT for months and it hasn't reproduced. All in all 6 tanks over about an 8 month period under every different scenario... My tap-water is super soft at 3 degrees KH and I've tried cuttlebone, baking soda, epson salt and I can'i get the snails to produce. I've tried low temps and temps at 80+. I've tried over feeding to the point of producing planaria. Food wise I've tried everything from different flake, pellets, cucumber, squash, bloodworms, mussel, overgrowing algae, algae coated items from other tanks, on and on and on.


My question is can I feed my F8 Nassarius and Periwinkle snails. I can get them off ebay and I assume I can freeze them and unthaw them as needed for my F8. I'd freeze them because of their SW requirements or will they live for a few months in a FW holding tank?

This from Ebay is what I have in mind. http://cgi.ebay.com/100-Nassarius-15-Pe ... 294wt_1140

These are much cheaper than pond and ramshorn snails and would like to be able to use them. If not I'll just order large quantities of ramshorns and keep them in their own tank untill feeding time.


I give up.

Thanks.

[Pufferpunk]

To tell you the truth, I rarely ever fed my F8s snails.

[RTR]

It is hard to rear snails in soft alkaline water. If ou already have the F-8 in BW. add some (start at 10-15%) used water from the F-8 tank to harden the source water for snail breeding. It you can get the GH & KH at or over 6-7ppm each, you should have no problems.

I rarely fed my F-8s much else than snails, 90-95% of their diet, just like for SAPs.

[Flutter]

Try Tums to harden the water. Snails love them yum yum

[greenspottedlover]

Snail breeding has been easy for me. I didn't even do anything special to their water either.

[JRC3]

I'm gonna try some of the nassarius snails. Does anybody see a problem with the shells being too hard? What about freezing them?

At this price who cares if they breed.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 382wt_1140

Maybe I'll set up a SW snail tank and see what happens.



Thanks.

[Pufferpunk]

Yes, their shells are too hard & they tuck themselves in close to the glass. Check the Classifieds here for Wilma's snails.

[JRC3]

Yes, their shells are too hard & they tuck themselves in close to the glass. Check the Classifieds here for Wilma's snails.

http://www.wilmasthecause.org/

Is this it? If so it looks like she is shutting down in 2 weeks.



I also wonder if smashing before dropping the nassarius snails in the tank at feeding time would be safe...IDK.

[Pufferpunk]

Darn... How about here? http://www.aquabid.com