Has anyone had any experience with Bladder Snails (Physa Acuta) in their tanks? I ended up with one pretty large (1/2") one as a hitchiker on some plants and overall have enjoyed it in the tank, and while I haven't noticed any plant damage I was curious whether these guys are known to eat plants or not.
Also interested if anyone has found them to be decent algae eaters and/or decaying plant matter eaters. Thanks.
Bladder snails?
Bladder snails?
Fr. John Paul Walker, O.P.
I had to look up which snails these were. I guess, I always thought they were "common pond snails," so I'm glad to have a better ID now. I haven't ever noticed them damaging the plants, but I will say that I often remove them when I see them, just because the can reproduce quickly. They do not last at all in my tank with loaches because their shells seem much more brittle than trumpet or nerite snails.
I haven't noticed a significant impact one way or the other in terms of algae/detritus removal. They are entertaining to watch sometimes, however.
I haven't noticed a significant impact one way or the other in terms of algae/detritus removal. They are entertaining to watch sometimes, however.
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sherrymitchell
- Posts: 226
- Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2003 3:12 am
- Location: Northern Virginia
They don't last long in my tank of dwarf freshwater puffers either. I've noticed that they can get rather large -- like pearl onion size in other tanks. They seem to add more waste to the aquarium than rid the tank of algae and I find myself harvesting them from my other tanks for the puffers just to keep things in balance. I do notice that they like to hang out on the bottom of my bare bottom tanks and eat the leftover fish food that floats down.
Sherry
