AboutKaren Fields Expertise I own and maintain a large number of tanks with many various tropical fish species. During my fishkeeping past I have learned a lot of the myths and truths about tropical fish care. Currently I keep a wide range of species and have a lot of experience in; Severum cichlids, gouramis, platies, goldfish, bettas, tetras, paradise fish, Angelfish, Corydoras catfish, and many others as well as a couple of years with brackish water.
If you have a question on tropical fish keeping I`ll be sure to answer it in the simplest way I can, and if I don`t know the answer, I`ll research the answer for you.
Happy fish keeping!
Experience I have experience in setting up fish tanks, what to feed certain species, compatible species in my experience, cleaning the tank,
and all around tropical fish care. I also have learned the truth of many of the myths of tropical fish keeping in the past.
Happy fishkeeping!
Question Hi Karen I am statrting an aquarium for my small children, six and three years old. I have always been fascinated with snails. While looking in fish stores for starter fish, I noticed that only one of the five or six pet retailers I visited sold snails. I finally asked why this was. The person I talked to said that there was a past "FDA" thing about health and possible transmission of disease, which he also said was unfounded or did not have enough supporting substance. As a result snails are safe however most retailers are not stocking the little guys. Karen my question is are they safe to have at home? Also since I am starting a tank, I was told to get only one, because if snails breed and have babies they can ruin your aquarium? My last question I decided to purchase a red eyed tetra, zebra danio, and a cherry barb for my starter fish just yesterday Oct> 12, If your answer suggest snails are okay, can I add one or two in the tank now or should I wait until the aquarium water cycles for a couple of weeks?
Answer Dear Joey,
I really love snails too!
Honestly, I've never heard about the health and disease possibility you explained about the snails. I'm not aware of any illnesses that snails may trasnmit to people but not much research has been done on that matter. I own many dozens of smaller species snails like Malaysian Trumpet and Ramshorn snails as well as Mystery snails--which are likely the ones you are considering at the petstore. Mystery snails are the most commonly sold snail. I have owned one for many years now and her shell size is nearing the size of of a baseball!
Mystery snails are easy to care for. They do need good supplemental food to be healthy and cannot be expected to live on aquarium leftovers. I give mine algae wafers, shrimp pellets, zuchinni, and romain lettuce. Mystery snails aren't prone to overpopulating the aquarium if there is a pair or two. This is easily controlled because female mystery snails come up just above the water-line to lay a cluster of pinkish eggs which can easily be removed should you not want to raise the babies. It's the smaller species of snails like ramshorn or malaysian trumpet snails that reproduce at a astonishing rate but these snails are rarely offered for sale at petstores.
~Like with all aquatic pet creatures, you should always wash and rinse your hands and arms well making sure they are free of soap before working in your aquarium and be sure to wash your hands and arms well after you're done. Using this precaution is a easy prevenative to any possible bacteria that can be present in any aquarium.
Make sure you fully cycle your new aquarium before adding a snail or two. Fully cycling means establishing over a period of weeks special beneficial (and harmless) bacteria that convert dangerous fish waste into less toxic compounds. Frequent water changes are a must during this time, 3 times a week 30% water changes and light feedings help get through this critical time as the good bacteria establish and are soon able to maintain the aquarium with healthy ammonia free water. Your Red-eyed Tetra, Zebra danio, and cherry barb would all appreciate some extra company of their own kind. They are all naturally schooling fish and having at minimum of 2-3 extra of each one would be best. Be sure to cycle your aquarium first before adding anymore fish! You can easily tell when your tank has cycled by using an aquarium test kit for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. In a established or cycled tank--Ammonia and nitrite are consistantly-0 and nitrate is about 20.
Snails shouldn't have as bad reputation as they tend to get these days. They are special animals that have their own function in both nature and aquarium life. Usually the owner is responsible if the population gets out of control-(which is usually due to an overabundance of food)
I really hope this helps and I'm glad you got your children an aquarium! Who knows, it might branch into a lifelong hobby for them! ;-)
