# Good tank mates for apple snail



## Sherry (Apr 20, 2012)

The title says it all. He is in a 10 gallon tank. I have heard horror stories that some fish will actually eat the snail. So what is best to put with him? Thanks.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

I have had two apple snails that have grown to become hugh monsters. I was new to the hobby and I had many different fish in my community tank during that time. What I have found was that they are okay with most community fish such as Guppy, Platy, Molly, Betta...but Botia and Puffer fish will definitely try to eat them. Sometimes some fish might take a nip at their tennacles or the edge of their body when they are out. I gave them back to the store when they became too big. They created a lot of waste and was laying lots of eggs.


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

mine have done well with certain killies, bristlenose cats, gertrudae rainbows, white clouds. Many livebearers such as endlers and guppies are snail nippers, so I wouldn't recommend those as companions.


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

DON'T put him in with any kind of loach. They're snail eaters. My golf-ball sized apple snail was nearly killed when my nasty dojo loach ate a huge hole in his foot. He healed up fine, but his "door" fell off and never did grow back, so he's now on his own in a 7g tank. I wouldn't recommend guppies either - mine did exactly what ursus sapien describes.

Apple snails will also lay waste to planted tanks.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

My Guppy did not eat my snail sorry I thought they would be fine. Thank you for the info.
Forgot to mention they like to eat leaves on some plants. They made so many babies it was unreal.


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

I have no success with apple snails, either breeding or long term survival. I envy your success-)

As for plant eating, it depends entirely on the type of 'apple' snail. Some eat plants, others don't.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

From what I understand apple snail has gender while most other snails dont. Therefore, you need to have a pair in order to breed. Female and male snails are not the same. It was my first aquatic pet. If I remember correctly the female has black marking on the shell and was bigger but I could be wrong. Male also had an organ that the female did nto have. I know for a fact not any two apple snails can breed becauee they have gender. Mine spent all their time together and would climb up to the canopy and liad a big clutch of eggs. The eggs would hatch and fell into the water and in no time I had so many baby snails. 
They were quite interesting animals. I remember they liked to float in my tank and sometimes I was not even sure if they were dead. I had to take them out and look through the shell, if the heart is moving then I knew he/she was alive. Mine did not always stick onto something or moving. They would sometimes float up and down with a lot of air bubbles inside their shells.
They ate algae wafer, and lettuce. They would suck on the floating lettuce leaves upside down. Soemtimes they would form a funnel and suck out what was on the water surface (flakes and so on).
They produce quite a big bio-load so you do need to pay attention to that. If you just put them in a small bowl it will get smelly without enough water change.


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## roshan (Jul 19, 2010)

I am not sure if this is relevant but i used to have two Mystery snails in my 90 gallon that had cories, kribs, rainbows, Pleco, rasbora, barbs and a festivm, the first smail i got four months ago grew nicley untill i added a smaller one which started latching onto the bigger dude(dudette?) after a day of this both became really lethargic and just the other day the big one died, i did notice the Kribs and alos my young Tropedo Brbs nipping on the bigger one.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Almost forgot I had some tiger barbs with my snails before and they nipped the snails all the time. Not a good idea.


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