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Lotabob
Royal Python Moderator
United Kingdom
5008 Posts |
 Posted - 07/04/2012 : 12:51:50
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I have wanted one of these for ages but finally decided to get 2 last week as my tank was in need of an animal that would clean up the rocks.
It doesn't show up well in the pictures but their bodies are white and covered in red dots.
And one of the fish getting in on the photo.
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Posted - 07/04/2012 : 13:09:10
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Oh I like those, they're cool. I had one ages ago and kept it with goldfish and mountain minnows and it was fascinating when it deigned to move, but I got it in August and a few weeks later it went into hibernation, and, sadly, never awoke ...
I could fancy a couple more but they might not be compatible with weather loach, who LOVE snails. |
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mystra
Sub Adult
United Kingdom
590 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2012 : 12:20:52
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quote:
Originally posted by BurnedAtTheStake
Oh I like those, they're cool. I had one ages ago and kept it with goldfish and mountain minnows and it was fascinating when it deigned to move, but I got it in August and a few weeks later it went into hibernation, and, sadly, never awoke ...
I could fancy a couple more but they might not be compatible with weather loach, who LOVE snails.
If it helps, we had snails in with the Lieutenant ;) and he didn't try to eat them... even more impressive was the fact that the permanently hungry goldfish didn't eat them either! So just depends on whether Hawkeye and Hotlips fancy a bite of the apples!
They are awesome creatures, our 3 were monsters, sadly died over the past few months so i'm guessing they were older due to their size.
As a kid, my auntie had a tropical tank with one in... it used to climb onto the filter pump, and let go and fly off on the jet of water, which when you're about 8 years old is the funniest thing you've ever seen in your life!! |
0.0.1 Carolina Corn Snake- Sanchez
0.0.1 Anery Corn Snake- Betty
1.0.0 Normal Royal Python - Chancho
SE London - Canada Water |
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7384 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2012 : 13:39:51
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| Yes, of course - I remember you mentioning snails - I once got some little snails for Hawkeye and Hotlips (the aquarium shop used to get them in on plants and they'd just breed like wildfire; they were a pest and I got some free) and they scarfed them down. So I'm a bit nervous of them taking a nibble at all those waving tentacles. |
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Lotabob
Royal Python Moderator
United Kingdom
5008 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2012 : 15:12:15
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They are built to survive fish curiosity, they have a extra bit of shell stuck to their bottom that shuts over the opening to the shell, they are also just a bit smaller than a ping pong ball so no fish mouths are big enough to tackle them in my tank.
Strange you say about them jumping off the filter, mine do that too and off the sides of the tank too.
What I cant believe though is when I put the food in for the fish they come to the top and make a cone shape to catch food off the surface. They are clever little squishys. |
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paulie78
Hatchling
United Kingdom
97 Posts |
Posted - 15/04/2012 : 20:59:28
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| i used to keep and breed theese guys if they are climbing up and over ur filter its cause they are trying to find somewhere above the water line to lay eggs trust me been there done that got the t shirt id regularly find clutches of apple snail eggs in the tank hood had billions of em at one point my biggest was gold ball sized i love em they are awesome cant keep em anymore oscar kills anything you put in his tank and the other tank has loaches |
"Don't put your trust in revolutions. They always come around again. That's why they're called revolutions. People die, and nothing changes."..Terry Pratchett |
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7384 Posts |
Posted - 23/04/2012 : 14:54:58
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I got 2 of these guys today - £4 for 2 at that big pet supermarket and they straightaway got to work on the stones and gravel - in fact one's half-buried himself in the gravel - must be tasty. The loach have played football with them a couple of times but they just whip their feelers out of danger - plus they have that operculum of course - they look really funny from behind - you can see the dark disc as they cruise around, carrying their front door with them. |
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Lotabob
Royal Python Moderator
United Kingdom
5008 Posts |
Posted - 23/04/2012 : 18:56:32
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| They'll have the tank sparkling in a few days, I can't believe how quick they got every last scrap of green off the stones. |
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Posted - 23/04/2012 : 19:33:31
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Well, it's a 4' tank and I only scrub the front panel so as to leave some grub for what I bought as plecs but which I now realise are hillstream loach, so the algae's thick on the other panels and stones and driftwood, but Big Al and Little Norm seem happy in their work ... |
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Lotabob
Royal Python Moderator
United Kingdom
5008 Posts |
Posted - 23/04/2012 : 20:20:31
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| I thought nothing in your house was Norm Al |
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7384 Posts |
Posted - 23/04/2012 : 20:23:52
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| Lol - you may well be right there! |
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Posted - 25/05/2012 : 22:28:30
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Just bought 2 more ...
Big Al and Little Norm have been so interesting and beautiful but haven't managed to clean up all the algae despite help from the hillstream loach, that when I went to the pet supermarket today, thought I'd see if another couple of snails were available.
They were - but I was warned they were covered in algae. They sure were! Klinger and Radar (well the weather loach are Hawkeye, Hotlips and the Lieutenant) are a military green, and were very subdued until approached by Al and Norm.
Al and Norm are regularly to be seen sticking together - apples are single-sex snails and I did wonder if I'd got a Big Alice or a Little Norma, but I've seen no sign of mating (have seen this in UK land snails, incredible.) They seem to clean each other's shell though and stay a nice gold colour - and as soon as they noticed the newcomers they glided across to do a bit of snail therapy, massaging the dirty green shells and probably chatting in snaily language. (Well hell what do we humanoids know eh?) Now Klinger and Radar are zooming about and scoffing algae and hopefully they'll soon shine out in their true colours ...
Plus with 4 snails I might have a breeding pair. Can rescue a few snail-lets and grow them on to replace the adults, and the rest will provide munchies for the loach, who adore snails ...
Sorry, callous I know ... |
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Lotabob
Royal Python Moderator
United Kingdom
5008 Posts |
Posted - 25/05/2012 : 23:02:21
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Not callous at all, its free food and just the way things work. lol.
My too are great too, they go around together, and climb all over each other. |
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Apple Snails
