Add Personality To Your Aquarium With Snails
Have you ever seen the giant aquarium at the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas? Go deep into the mall past the Red Piano gift shop, past the Coliseum where Elton John, Celine Dion, Bette Midler and Cher perform. Keep going, past the slot machines, the blackjack tables and the poker room.
Deep under the ground, where the interior lights grow dim, you will start to notice a spectacular, enormous aquarium. Thousands of colorful fish draw the eye. And if you look very carefully on the floor of the aquarium, or perhaps climbing on one of the rocks or walls, you will see the aquarium snails, working their way through the environment, cleaning up dead plants and animals as they go.
Spot The Snail
Playing spot the snail is a fun game whenever you visit a home or mall where there is an aquarium, like at Caesar's Palace. Snails like to hide, so they often place themselves in the shadows or behind rocks. Their shells provide camouflage, making them even harder to spot than ever.
The head of the snail is easy to spot because of its two eyebrow-like tentacles. The tentacles can extend and retreat, and the eyes are located at the base of each one. Snails have tongues that they use to eat the dead matter that forms the basis of their diet.
Gilled Aquarium Snails - Prosobranchs
The kind of snail most commonly found in an aquarium is a gilled snail. These snails reproduce freely, and they will quickly populate an empty aquarium. Snails with gills are hermaphroditic, which makes it easy for them to reproduce. Some species of aquarium snail change sex to reproduce; others fertilize their own eggs, and other cross-fertilize. Gelatin masses filled with eggs lie under submerged rocks and plants until they hatch.
Red ramshorn aquarium snails are also commonly found. Red shells are the most highly desired. Brown ones are not rare at all.
Population Control
Overpopulation of aquarium snails can be a problem. Snails are good when they are keeping the aquarium gravel clean, but they can soon overpopulate and become a problem in the aquarium.
The easiest way to keep the tank free of unwanted aquarium snails is to use Botias, also known as loaches. These fish will feast on the gilled snails, and your overpopulation problem will soon be over. If you have other fish, don't give in to the temptation use water dogs to clear out snails. The water dogs will eat the fish in no time.
