The Puffer Forum

NONE of my LFS have any nuissance snails. Cold snaps killed any hitch hikers on plant orders. A fellow TPF member on the mainland might be able to send me some, but till then....

Will just cherry shrimp/ghost shrimp work??? I really dont want to do dentistry on Pepsi

I'm having a hard time with snails, too. I'm checking out a local, but not so local LFS today.. hopefully their snail supply isn't exhausted too.


good luck

They'll help, try your local fish mongers for clams, mussels, shelled prawns etc...

Iliveinazoo wrote:They'll help, try your local fish mongers for clams, mussels, shelled prawns etc...

Umm He's only 2" long. This weekend I might take a jet down to the local beach to see if I can dig up some small clams and pick up some baby crabs (I've seen some smaller than a dime around here) Freeze em and feed those to him. I have some Geltek Ultra Cure PX to give him in case the freezing isn't long enough.

Even if he's tiny, he'll still benefit from giving him something like oyster on the half shell or clam or black mussel, because if he's anything like my puffers, he'll bite the shell several times while he's eating, which is of course going to keep his teeth worn down.

I breed my own pond snails now, got started by ordering a batch off ebay.

marksrush wrote:Even if he's tiny, he'll still benefit from giving him something like oyster on the half shell or clam or black mussel, because if he's anything like my puffers, he'll bite the shell several times while he's eating, which is of course going to keep his teeth worn down.

I breed my own pond snails now, got started by ordering a batch off ebay.

That's the thing, I WANT to breed my own but I can't get a foundation stock.

I'll pick up some clams or something from the superstore next week. feed him one of those once a week or something

I got lucky when I went to the LFS today... they had TONS of snails.. I am stocked and my puffs are fat.

Now all I have to do is find a fresh seafood store for some clams and mussels.

I haven't fed snails in many months. I feed mussels, clams, crabs, anything with a hard shell. I haven't had any problems with my puffers teeth.

Pandora114 wrote:

Iliveinazoo wrote:They'll help, try your local fish mongers for clams, mussels, shelled prawns etc...

Umm He's only 2" long. This weekend I might take a jet down to the local beach to see if I can dig up some small clams and pick up some baby crabs (I've seen some smaller than a dime around here) Freeze em and feed those to him. I have some Geltek Ultra Cure PX to give him in case the freezing isn't long enough.

I scrape most of the meat off the shell and then freeze the rest in little pieces. That'll make hime scrape his teeth on the shell to get the meat off. I have been having difficulty getting snails too and my breeding stock hasn't taken off yet. My GSP is only about 1 inch long and does really well this way, besides the fact that I have to hold the shell or he's afraid of it .

marksrush wrote:Even if he's tiny, he'll still benefit from giving him something like oyster on the half shell or clam or black mussel, because if he's anything like my puffers, he'll bite the shell several times while he's eating, which is of course going to keep his teeth worn down.

I breed my own pond snails now, got started by ordering a batch off ebay.

I've also bought snails off Ebay.co.uk, I got some Ramshores and today after some advise from some people on here I bought some Pond snails as they breed very fast in warm tanks. If you don't have an extra tank to keep them in do what I've done and keep them in a net box/baby fish net box that hangs at the top of your tank. I've found that they prefer carrots, all my guppies etc suck the carrot colour poo's threw the bottom of the net box

Here's a link to Ebay.com for 50 Ramshorn Snails they're only $16 with free p&p!
http://cgi.ebay.com/50-Ramshorn-Snails- ... 1|294%3A50

Here's a link to Ebay.com for 37 live small Freshwater Pond Snails they're $26 inc P&P which may seem a lot but if you put that many in your tank they would breed so quickly
http://cgi.ebay.com/37-live-small-Fresh ... 634.c0.m14

Hope this helps

Unfortunately I live in Canada, and our import rules are pretty draconic when it comes to snails and the like, hence why I'm trying to do "in country"

Pandora114 wrote:Unfortunately I live in Canada, and our import rules are pretty draconic when it comes to snails and the like, hence why I'm trying to do "in country"

Is there not a Canada version of Ebay?

puffertt77 wrote:

Pandora114 wrote:Unfortunately I live in Canada, and our import rules are pretty draconic when it comes to snails and the like, hence why I'm trying to do "in country"

Is there not a Canada version of Ebay?

NM Found some! Crap all in the USA, which means I'd have to jump thru bloody hoops to get some.

It's ok, I'll pick up some crab and mussels at the super store

I could mail you a "thermos" full. I wonder what the penalty is for snail smuggling? I can just see it:

Big guy named Bubba, "So, what you in for?"
Me (140 lbs soaking wet), "Um, smuggling snails across the border."
Big guy named Bubba, "Hardcore! Were the pond or Rams horn? You don't want to get caught with those Rams Horn ones, send ya' up the river for 30 years!"
Me (140 lbs soaking wet), "No, neither...They were Apple Snails!!! *goes to tears*"
Big guy named Bubba, "Oh dude, you're in REAL trouble and a real bad$%# too, not many people dare to try to get those across the border! They put you in solitary for that! Would you be my boyfriend?"

lol

It's ok. I'll just put a betta in the tank, plant it with some anubais barteri and hit the beach and dig up some tiny clams and find some mini crabs and freeze them.

I have some geltek ultracure PX just in case. Saturday I'm getting my new hood and light for my DP tank, gonna pick up some Eco Complete to mix in with the substrate (and a titch in the Betta tank), and pick up some plants.

Figure I can get a month's worth of free food for my puffer for a few hours work, why not.