Snails as food

[The Kapenta Kid]

I've read here that freshwater snails can be fed to marine puffers. I have tried this with small Apple, Ramshorn and Pond snails but they all just fall to the bottom and don't climb up again, presumably the osmotic shock kills 'em, and my C. Valentini never bothers to investigate them. I have even tried placing them on mid and upper levels of LR, but they are ignored.
Should they be crushed and dropped over the puffer? Is there a trick to get puffers to eat 'em?

[Nick]

Using a food that the puffer know well, train them to eat from your fingers, or a pair of tweezers, from the top of the tank. I prefer my fingers, those missed bites delivered to my fingers are just "puffer kisses." Then, you crush a snail, and offer it in the same tweezers/fingers. It will probably be sucked up instinctively. Once the puffer gets that, try with a whole snail easily small enough for him to crush. After that, you may have to keep handing off the snails, or they may chase them down the tank when dropped, but either way you'll keep dead snails from fouling the water.

[The Kapenta Kid]

Thanks. Seems like a sound plan.

[louiesowner]

we just put some snails in our tank to clean up some of the algae... but it seems Toby (our puffer) is liking them too LOL. I didn't know he could kill snails that quickly... good to learn now I guess. How does everyone keep snails in their tank as a clean up crew, if the puffer keeps eating them? Any ideas? You'all seem so smart with all this and we are so new to having a puffer (which we love having)

[Boxermom]

Welcome. Most of us with puffers can't use snails as a clean-up crew.

[louiesowner]

good to know... what do you use as clean up crew then? I guess our snails days are numbered and our puffer will be very full

Stefani

[Boxermom]

Hands, cleaning scrubbers, scrapers, etc. Manual is the only way possible, at least in my house.

[louiesowner]

hmmm.... good to know... we also just bought an urchin.... so far he is still alive

[duggy]

Our puffer loves tiny freshwater snails, but I can't seem to keep in good supply. We live near the beach in the Pacific Northwest (White Rock, BC), and there are literally millions of saltwater snails there, many of them certainly small enough to be good Toby food. Question is, are they safe?

BTW, 1 month later, and the urchin is still alive, and thriving! Toby seems to pretty much ignore her.
FYI, duggy loves louiesowner

[spoot]

Duggy, you planning to pick the snails up from the fraser? Most of our coast is pretty gross, because of all the shipping and boat traffic. Not sure if they changed the law, but boats used to be allowed to dump raw sewage straight into the water. What kind of snails did you try breeding? I can give you some tips or help start off your breeding again, We've got tons.

[Boxermom]

I would not use them but if you do, I would recommend a long quarantine of at least 4 weeks minimum.