The Puffer Forum

So I have a 40g community in addition to my new 80G i just got that will home 2 GSPs. I got maybe 2-3 snails as hitchhikers on some plants i bought for my 40g and they've reproduced a decent bit. I don't have the GSPs yet, but i know with their voracious appetite will it be easy to maintain a snail population in my 40g? I don't have any predators that eat snails but will community fish be a threat to snail eggs or should i look at getting a 5-10g for just snail breeding.

Snail breeders are best kept as snail breeders tbh. Snails can put out lots of waste and fish eating their eggs could also be counter productive.

All of my veggie filter tanks have also served as snail breeding tanks, ditto any FW tanks unoccupied by fish which would prey on the snails. Without those I would not have been able to provide the many, many snails I needed for the puffers. Keeping the water quality high does count.

Another option would be a simple 5 gallon bucket. If you have a small hang on the back filter laying around, use it. If not, an air pump and sponge filter would be great. A heater would make the snails breed and grow faster set around 80 degrees.


As long as you don't over feed, the snails already in your community tank will do a great job cleaning algae.

I have an extra 5g bucket and filter heater, but is lighting a big concern? Or is this something I can just hide in my cabinet under my 80 so its not a big eye sore in my living room?

They don't care for light as far as I have seen. They don't even seem to care for heat, though it seems to take longer for eggs to hatch without a heater.

speaking of details re they PH picky? I have a 20g that Im contemplating making a Mystery Snail only breeding tank. Glad this thread was posted Zonky

They need hard water, acid water will thin out their shells.