The Puffer Forum

So I realized, with a 3 gallon tank I have, I could raise snails to feed my GSP. What is the best way to set up such a tank? What are the best snails to breed/raise? Would a ph of 8.0 be okay? I'm assuming I wouldn't need a heater? Live plants? Food for them etc?

Thanks all!

Gwen

3g with small filter or airstone. No substrate recommended. Heater is optional, but snails become more prolific when warm. You could add some decor to add to more surface area for snails to crawl on. Pond snails will eat anything.

Zucchini rubber banded to a rock is good. It makes for easy cleanup when it goes bad & also easy to scrape the snails off it, for feeding out.

Thanks to you both! Do you find "pond snails" at fish stores? How safe is it if I put an add on Craigslist and see if anyone has some for cheap?

Gwen

They give them away for free at Petco and Petsmart.

PufferMe! wrote: How safe is it if I put an add on Craigslist and see if anyone has some for cheap?

Gwen

That's what I did. For some reason at that time I couldn't find any stores with snails except one and they wanted $.30 each. If you go the CL rout just be cautious and meet in a very public place...And you might also take a friend.

Unless you live in Texas as I discovered the other day they refused to let me have some so I had to complain to the manager and lecture how their store has poor customer service. They were total jerks about it.

I would check a petsmart first if you had one nearby, craigslist works too, just as suggested meet at a mall or at a busy place not at your place. Otherwise I'm sure someone on this forum would mail you some for the cost of shipping if you asked, qt for a few weeks so you can gutload them with healthy stuff before they get fed to the puffer.

Petsmart, PetCo and my lfs only give out free the Malaysian Trumpet Snails. My puffer ate all of what I had in the tank when I introduced them, and I swear he ate many whole, never spitting out the shell. I'm reading those aren't good for them. I guess I could crush them, and thrown them in, and that way he won't have to break the hard shell. I really want to get those round, small pond snails. I do have a few in my Red cherry shrimp tank, but not many at this point.

Gwen

If you want to buy ramshorn snails I got mine off ebay from johns pond plants out of florida. Really good guy and good snails. Bought 25 and within a week the whole tank was covered in eggs.

Cool. Thanks, I'll check that out.

Gwen

They like spinach