Re: Green Spotted Puffer, Coquina Clams, and Mole Crabs... + Now, raising snails... for puffer food  – 12/14/2007
Marco,
Within two hours of placing the snails into the 20 gallon, I had a cluster of eggs smack-dab in the middle of the front pane of glass. Now, a few days later, they are getting' down-and-going' to town. Another question: I've read that one should rinse lettuce leaves (Romaine), dry them, then freeze them for a few minutes before feeding to the snails. Is it okay to just buy a head of lettuce, separate the leaves, wash, dry, and leave in the freezer until needed?
<Sounds okay. Personally I prefer feeding well washed slices of cucumber and other vegetables in addition to old (but still good) fish flakes. Ramshorns are not picky and as long as you do not poison them with pesticides or heavy metals they seem to thrive on various foods.>
What I buy always goes bad in the fridge before the snails can eat it all. It may be a silly question, but I want to make sure before I do so.
Thanks for the link on picky puffer feeding. I've read it. Pete doesn't have a problem with other dead foods. Loves squid and bloodworms (dead, of course) and will even eat some greens (macro algae). He also gets mealworms (live) and snails when I have them available......I'll try the chopstick trick and see if I can get him to eat clams/oysters that way....or maybe I won't need to now that I can use Coquinas.
Speaking of feeding him live foods....my backyard is Roly-Poly Central (Woodlice). I think I read somewhere that these are okay to feed him. Just double-checking with you. Are they?
<I feed them from time to time to GSPs and other puffers, but they are not among their favourite foods and seem not to be very tasty.>
There are no pesticides that we use, so they should be okay in that regard. Our sprinkler system does use water that isn't potable, though.
<You can rinse them and freeze them if you are feeling unsure.>
By the way, I called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Dept and was told that I could remove 20 clams/crabs at a time without a license. Yeah!
<That’s good news. Very good you called.>
Hey, where's your picture under the Crew Bio section? I've seen Jeni on her Harley and Bob in his leopard print wrestling tights (eeeee hehehehe), Anthony with his beanie and goatee (you ROCK, Dude); plus pictures of other crew members. But no Marco.....! What gives? I'm just sayin', is all.
<I'm very shy and reclusive.. just kidding. Will send a picture to Bob if needed. Until then you can find a picture on my homepage http://www.geo-lichtenberger.de.vu/ , click at “Zur Person”.>
Thanks again, Corinthian.
<Not much to do here for me, but lots of good information for other GSP owners by you. Thanks for writing. Great how you care for Pete. Marco.>

Breeding, fungi or alien phenomenon? Gastropod repro.  11/08/07
Hi Guys!
Tried to find an answer on your awesome site but it's hard to phrase the problem I'm having! But I'll give it a try!
So, I emailed Sabrina a few months back coz my two common goldfish were fighting. She told me this was normal and that it could be the start of them showing breeding behaviour which totally matches with the other info I've recently found.
However, I was cleaning out my tank the other day and found small, clear bubble like things on the little ornaments and along the top of the tank at water level.
<Ahhh! Snail eggs likely>
At first I thought they were just bubbles but they weren't - they were solid. Anyway, concerned it was some sort of fungi I removed them all from the tank and did a full clean to eradicate any trace of them, although considering the behaviour of the fish I started to think maybe they were fry?!?
<Mmm, no... not fishes>
(They did try to eat them and they have been chasing each other a lot...)
However this seems grossly out of character in these winter months despite the mild weather here) and they're not even a year old yet.
Do you have any idea what these clear things were?!
So confused!
Thanks in advance!
Chloe H, London :-)
<You do have snails of some sort... likely Ampullaria/Pomacea... "Mystery, Apple...". These are the eggs of these. Bob Fenner>

Litter size for "Japanese livebearing snails"?
Help me, WWM, you're my only hope!
<Ah, a Star Wars reference!>
I've recently acquired some "Japanese livebearing snails"/"trapdoor
snails" (/Cipangopaludina chinensis /or /Viviparus malleatus/ depending on exactly who you ask).
<Apparently Bellamya chinensis now...>
I'm a 'snail-head', I got the critters on purpose after searching for them for quite some time, so the "good vs. bad" issue isn't a debate here for me. I know the basics about the species (they like colder water, they're non-hermaphroditic livebearers who drop live young 1-3 times a year usually in the summer, etc) and I feed and dose them (iodine and calcium) like my other snails (/Pomacea/, /Planaria/, and /Asolene/).
<Very good.>
The one question I cannot for the life of me find an answer to, is how *many *young does a female typically drop at any given time? Google, Applesnail.net, and all my other common resources have failed me. One of mine has actually already released 3 young snails (and wow they're huge compared to newborns of my other species). But all I can find is "they reproduce slower and have fewer young than most snails". Does that mean roughly 2-3 a batch, 20-30 a batch, 2-3 a year, or 20-30 a year?
<According to 'In utero predator- induced responses in the viviparid snail Bellamya chinensis' by R.S. Prezant, E.J. Chapman, and A. McDougall the exact number depends on various factors including levels of predation. Where predators are present these researchers found the snails produced more, generally smaller but variable babies. In each tank they put 5 adult snails. In the control (no predator) they got between 5-20 offspring per week. Where "crayfish scent" was added to mimic a predator, they got between 10-60 offspring. (You might want to read the PDF of this paper yourself, just to check I understood the graph right.) Either way, it doesn't seem these snails are nearly as productive as Melanoides.>
Thank you so much for your time!
Best regards,
Diana
<Hope this helps, Neale>

Snail Reproduction   9/4/06
I have two snails, I think that they are Mystery snails but I'm not sure.  A few weeks ago we noticed two more little babies, and then today when I was looking in our tank I noticed two more smaller babies and a whole bunch of little tiny worm looking things.  My question is what are the stages of the baby snails and are all these little worm things more babies.
<Not likely the latter>
  ( They are all moving so I'm pretty sure that they are living.) FYI: We have a fresh water tank with only three fish and the two (now 6) snails.
<Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwsnailreprofaqs.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Snail Eggs - 05/17/2006
Okay I live in Eastern PA and I caught two tadpoles (bullfrogs) and a snail. All fresh water. Well my husband cleaned out the cage yesterday and well today I noticed it was kind of foggy and stuff I thought maybe he put too much food in it. But now I see our small brown snail laid eggs.
<The eggs are likely not the cause of the "foggy" look; you will probably need to test your water quality urgently.  You can read more about water quality and tank maintenance on WetWebMedia.  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwmaintindex.htm >
He is no bigger then my pinky nail. She laid them on the side of the tank a little above the water.
<This may give some insight as to snail species, but without seeing the animal or knowing exactly what it looks like, I won't be able to tell you what it is.  You might try looking at http://www.applesnail.net/ .>
Now my question is we don't have another snail in our tank. So will they get fertilized or were they fertilized when laid?
<Actually, MANY freshwater snails practice hermaphroditic self-fertilization.  Your snail's eggs are likely fertile.  Only a few are actually male or female and need one of each to reproduce.>
And is it okay for me to clean my tank?
<Oh yes.  A necessary thing to keep your livestock healthy.  Again, please read on WWM for more information to help you along.>
Oh and she keeps crawling on them or beside them and it making little air bubbles. I don't know what that means but thought I'd add it.
<I'm not sure why, either, especially not knowing what species it is.>
Please answer me by sending an email this is very important!  Yours Truly ~Missie
<Wishing you and your future snail babies well,  -Sabrina>

FW Strange things?   4/3/06
<Tom>
I have a 74g freshwater aquarium, fully cycled with angels, tetras, clown loaches, sharks, Corys and snails (apple, golden and blue).  I found a strange thing while vacuuming the bottom and wondered if you might know what it was.  It was about the size of a large marble, crunchy feeling, pinkish in color, and it's consistency was like that of a honeycomb, or beehive, with pinkish interiors.  Was it snail eggs?  My mother found the same sort of thing attached above the water line behind her power filter.  Please let me know if you have any idea?
<Sounds, indeed, like you found a snail clutch. Your Apple snails will deposit eggs
either above or below the water line so I believe your "guess" is correct.>
Thanks, Cindy
<Any time. Tom>

Getting Into FW Snails, I'm Telling You, I'm Gonna Post It!  12/10/05
Hi, My 5 year old son is getting into fish and snails... hence that means that I am getting into them as well! We bought two snails for our freshwater aquarium. They are about the size of a quarter. How do you know who is the male and the female?
< Hard to tell. Males are said to have a rounder shell opening.>
At Petsmart, they have about 25 snails in 1 clear box with a wedge of zucchini in it, and long (arm-like) tentacles were coming out of some of these snails.... I mean, seemed as long as the snail itself, almost like he had a garden hose in there! I imagine that that was a reproductive organ of some type? (male or female... who knows?) I could take a guess, but might be wrong! :-)
< The appendage is actually a snorkel for breathing and both sexes have it.>
The questions are: How can you tell male/female? What was the long thing? Do snails eat raw zucchini?
< In the wild they do not come in contact will zucchini. Years ago an aquarist figured out that this could be used as feed to herbivorous aquatic animals.>
Do snails need an aerator in the tank?
< Not really but they will do better with a clean aquarium.>
Background info:
(We started a fish tank after Hurricane Charlie in Florida.... we live across from a lake... during Hurricane Charley, we lost power, and the sewer didn't pump... so the water from the lake came up through the sewer drain in the middle of our street, and formed a puddle in the front driveway. We thought they were tadpoles... and many were , so we raised them... but we wound up with 5 one-inch long transparent looking fish... who have managed to survive from tap water and a filter in our 10 gallon aquarium. (They also have lake sand, and some plants that we have bought at the fish store. ) They even had babies, but they ate the babies before we learned we had to separate them. So, now the snails have been added to this.... I just bought an aerator, but perhaps this could kill them all?
< No .>
Do some fish need low oxygen?
<You can not provide too much oxygen with an aerator.>
Can too much oxygen kill them?
< Too much of anything can kill. But this is not a problem in the aquarium.>
I could never imagine being a fish owner... or a snail owner.... but this is kind of neat.... (We even bought them a castle in the tank! )  Thanks! (You don't have to post this on your website if these questions are too basic or silly) Nathalie Day
< We post everything!-Chuck>

Tired of Reading? Snail Eggs
Hi Sorry to trouble you, I no longer have the energy to keep reading to find my answers.
We have an established tank with 2 Oscars, 1 small yellow unknown and 4 yellow snails (species unknown also). Recently we found 2 growths near the roof of the tank (out of the water). I thought it was due to bad housekeeping and promptly removed them however there are now another 2 growths back same area but situated differently. They appear to be cylindrical in shape, about 3cm long and 1 cm width and depth. They are a brown/white colour and there are a lot of round "bubbles".
We do regular testing and all levels are normal however our snails do venture out regularly above the water line - I'm just assuming they're adventurous. Upon assuming this, I'm also hoping that these "growths" are snail eggs? If not, what?
If so, any idea how long before they hatch? Would love to see them before the Oscars eat them. On a side note, when we first introduced the snails, it was quite a sight to see one of the Oscars suck on a snail and take it to the other side of the tank. I thank you very much for any feed back you can give me.
Kind Regards Trish
< Those are indeed snail eggs. The Oscars probably won't eat the eggs but will try and eat the smaller snails.-Chuck>

FW Snail reproduction
Ok, I bought a gold and a black mystery snail a couple weeks ago. If they laid eggs, would they have been at the water line?
<Yes>
And if the eggs hatched, what do the new born snails look like?
<Like small versions of adults, light tan/brown>
I'm seeing 5 or 6 very small, mostly clear snails with good sized antennae, with shells that curl off to one side instead of just being very vertical like the nuisance snails that take over your tank. They might not be mysteries, as I have Frogbit that I put in there when I got the big snails, so they could've come with that (after all I found a dragon fly larvae in it too). Or they could be from the big mysteries. I just need to know what new born mysteries look like. Thanks! Get more from the Web.
<I suspect these are Mystery young. Bob Fenner>

Breeding Snails
Hi Chuck Thanks so much for replying. If I was a week later I could have answered my question - I actually got to see a snail laying eggs! It was the most amazing thing to watch and I most definitely feel for the poor girl having to be there so long. Anyway, I have 2 more questions for you please. I know that the snails lay their eggs outside the water and that it will be around 4 weeks before they hatch. What I'm worried about is that 5 clusters of eggs have fallen into the water and sunk to the bottom of the tank. Is this normal and if not is there anything I can do? Thank you once again. Trish
<The clusters should remain dry until the eggs hatch. Sometimes the materials used for hoods like plastic, glass and metal don't make very good repositories for snail eggs. In the wild they lay their eggs on vertical stems of aquatic plants. Try placing a few branches of driftwood in the back of the tank to see if the females will lay their eggs on it instead next time.-Chuck>

Apple Snail Info
The other day I bought a large apple snail, and I mean large. But after having him (or her) for about a week he's full of antics and great fun. Climbing all over stuff, and he's very fast for a snail. But I might be interested in breeding them. So my question is, do they actually have male and female sides to the species, or should I just get another snail and they will do their thing?
< Apple snails do have male and female sexes. The difference is very slight but you are suppose to be able to tell from the spiral on the shell. One of the sexes spiral is supposed to be more pronounced.-Chuck> 

Snail Breeding Tank for Puffer food 5/28/05
Hi Crew.
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
Thank you for your wonderful website. I've learned so much from you.
<You're very welcome, that's what we're here for!>
I'm getting ready to set up my first "big" 100 gal aquarium, and have been reading your site every day for about 3 weeks. I haven't even made a dent in it.
I have two juvenile figure eight puffers. I also have a 2.5 gal "snail tank" for them. I put in 6 1.5 centimeter snails, and waited for babies. Finally, after much agonizing, they've laid 3 batches of eggs! Once the eggs hatch and I have a reasonable "infestation" of snails I'd like to put something in this tank with the snails. It looks empty and sad. I was thinking maybe a Betta or a male guppy, maybe even a couple tetras. That said I do not want to do this if the fish will eat all the snails, leaving none for the puffer babies. I was hoping you could advise me if this would be okay.
<I have kept a Betta in my 2g snail tank, with no problems. Just keep an eye on the water parameters & make sure the tank stays nice & clean for the Betta. Congrats on your snail breeding success!>
This question is less important and I am just curious. My husband is an automation engineer. He thinks changing the water in a tank is inefficient. He seems to think that nitrates could be removed from water using an "ion plate." I told him I had never heard of such a thing. He responded "It should work. I wonder if anybody is doing it. He asked if you all had ever heard of such a thing.
<I am not familiar with this "ion plate" but there are many products on the market that claim to remove nitrates. The fish are still living in a toilet bowl, no less...>
PS Pufferpunk was so helpful in teaching me about my "babies" that we decided to name them after her. They are Pufferpunk, and Pufferpink aka Pufferpigger :)
<Awwww shucks, I'm honored! At least your "human" children aren't stuck with that name! ~PP> 
 

Eggs (fw snails) Hi sorry to bother you again my cousin has a 20 freshwater tank setup...In it is a pair of scissortails, pair of neon tetra's iridescent shark, pleco, 2 red claw crabs, 1 large yellow snail & 2 Chinese algae eaters...& today she found a egg cluster & we can't figure out who it goes with. I was hoping you could help us...I've included a pic for you to look at...Please help So, we know what to do: Thanks Again!!! <Do you have one or more "Mystery Snails"? This looks like a batch of eggs that they produce. Please see here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwsnails.htm Bob Fenner>

Breeding snails for puffer food (03/10/03)
hi there!
<Hi! Ananda here on the puffer patrol tonight...>
I am considering breeding snails to feed my spotted green puffers.
<Good idea.>
Can you tell me what the best type of snail to breed would be...
<I use the small nuisance snails that are free from most fish stores... some are small rams-horn snails, others are round with a bit of a taper on the end. Avoid the ones that are cone-shaped.>
How many snails I need to purchase initially...
<Purchase? None, hopefully. I'd take as many as the fish store will give you, depending on the size of tank you have.>
what size of tank/container they should be kept in...
<As small as a gallon, depending on how many snails you want and how many puffers you have -- I have a 5.5 gallon tank as full-time snail farm.>
Whether it needs filtration/aeration...
<Yup, and water changes, too -- though you can use the old water from your puffer tank as new water for the snails.>
And does it need to be covered?
<Only to keep the evaporation down. You don't have to worry about the snails crawling around outside the tank. My snail tank is open-topped.>
your advise is greatly appreciated!
Irene
<A couple of other tidbits: you don't need any substrate at all in the tank. In fact, using substrate will just make it more difficult to get the snails out. Do vacuum the crud off the bottom of the tank when you do a water change. And you will need to feed the snails -- old fish food, frozen/thawed vegetables, etc. --Ananda>

Apple snails
Hi all!!!  Hope everything is going okay for you
tonight!!!
<So far so good, I'm about to get off work and go pickup my car from the body shop.  WOOO HOOOO.>
I have a quick question for you.  I guess I'm among
the minority who actually like snails because I can
find no info on them other than how to kill them:(
<You should meet my girlfriend, best form of snail control ever, she would hand pick them out of my plant tank every day and keep them as pets.>
I recently bought three nice big apple snails to help
control an algae problem in my 120 gal cichlid tank.
They've done a beautiful job cleaning up the tank and
also love to crawl along the surface and suck down
cichlid pellets and Spirulina disks.  They are just so
neat to watch!!!  I'll never be without one or two
again!!!
My question is this....One of my snails laid eggs on
the inside of one of the aquarium lids about a week
ago.  The bright pink eggs are in two clusters and
they are very hard and dried out.  I was wondering,
are these eggs going to hatch??? Or are they dead
because they're dried out??
<Its possible, apple snails like to lay their eggs out of the water.>
My 3yr old and 5yr old peek in there every day and keep asking me when they're going to hatch.  But I'm sure with your help,
I will be able to answer their question shortly.   
Thank you for your time,
Kristen
<Well Kristen (whoa my girlfriends name is Kristine, maybe those whose names begin with K have a thing for snails, weird.) have I got a link for you, just found it when searching for apple snails, should answer most of your questions. Best Regards, Gage http://www.applesnail.net/ >

Snail gestation
Dear Crew, Hi,
<Good morning!>
I would like to know when the gestation period for snails are. Due to the fact that my teacher has an aquarium in our classroom and no one knows how or why but all of a sudden there were massive snails in the tank. So what we would like to know is how long their gestation period is.   Thank you much, The Class
<It’s hard to say for sure without knowing the exact species but take a gander at http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwsnails.htm and the related FAQ’s. These pages should give you lots of info. Ronni>

Re: Snail gestation
These snails Have a Cone shaped shell. These are the shells most commonly found on beeches in New York State. They are Cone shaped and spiral.
<This describes several different types of snails so you’ll have to do some research and see if you can find your kind and their gestation. The link I sent yesterday is a good starting point. Ronni>

Very vague snail question
Is there any way to protect snail eggs from predation?
<Well, I guess first of all, it would depend on what kind of snail you're talking about....  Are you asking about a freshwater snail?  Pond or aquarium?  Or a saltwater snail?  What kind or species, if you know?  Or is this question a follow up on a previous question/answer?  Although there isn't much information for me to go off here, the easiest answer I can give you is to physically separate the eggs from any predators in the system, either by moving them into another system or by containing them somehow, perhaps.  -Sabrina>

Snails 11/02/03 
<Hi, Pufferpunk here> 
I have a small aquarium with one Betta and one snail in it. The snail has 
been in there for several months. Yesterday I came home to find the snail 
dead and two baby snails crawling around. I guess my question is, how did 
this happen? 
<I think that you probably didn't notice the snail eggs or the hatchlings until you noticed the dead one. What food are you offering the snail/s? Are you adding a little extra food than just the Betta will eat? Obviously the babies are tiny, so they may get enough food for now, but I offer mine algae wafers once/week.> 
I just find this very strange. Thank you for your time. 
Joyce 
<You're welcome--Pufferpunk> 

Baby Snails
This summer my daughter found a large snail in a local lake and brought it home to place in her fishtank.  This was done about June.  Today we noticed at least 8 babies about 1/2 the size of an eraser.  I'm assuming the snail must have been pregnant when it was found.  Currently they are in a small fishbowl and I don't know if they should be separated or they need any special care.  This was not found in saltwater and their are two fish in the tank with them.
>>Hello April, congrats on having babies :P I don't know what species of snail you found, but chances are they are a cold water species (whereabouts do you live?) The further north you are, the more "coldwater" your snails are. All I can recommend is to feed them regularly with fish food, keep them relatively cool, and do regular partial water changes, just like you do for your fish. Perhaps, if you are interested, you can try to find pics and a scientific name for them online.
Best wishes! -Gwen<<

Snail eggs
I got two Ramshorns snails last Wednesday and put them by themselves for a couple of days to make sure they would live. One is a golden color the other is the stripped kind. Then I put them in a small two gal tank with two Corys. Yesterday I saw them stuck together and now today, I have a egg sack stuck to the glass. I have three questions.
1.   Should I keep the water level above the eggs?
>>Not sure. Here are some snail websites: http://www.mtbaker.wednet.edu/harmony/ditch/ramshorn_snails.htm, http://www.applesnail.net/, http://www.naturegrid.org.uk/biodiversity/invert/snailram.html.<<
2.   How long will it be, before they hatch?
>>I am not sure.<<
3.   Will the Corys eat the eggs or the babies once the hatch?
>>Chances are good that they will eat them, yes. Check out the websites, I hope they will help you. :D<<
Thanks
W.D.
>>You are welcome. -Gwen<<

Breeding Mystery Snails
I have a five gallon aquarium with a Betta, 2 ghost shrimp, and 1 black
mystery snail. Now I want to add one or two more mystery snails because i
heard they breed very quickly and that Betta's like to eat young snail is
this true? Also I really want to add a pair of angelfish but I worried about
weather or not the Betta will get along with the angel fish will he? He is
fairly docile spending most of the time hiding behind a plant in the corner
of the tank, and the rest of his time slowly swimming in circles. Any way
what do you think? Thank you, Aren M. Dowden
<<Dear Aren; Here is some info I took from a snail link: "Black Mystery Snails usually breed with little encouragement as long as their environmental conditions are optimized by the time they are more than four months old. Black Mystery Snails lay their eggs underwater. You should provide some plant or rock to which they can attach these eggs, which are usually deposited in the form of a slimy material. Some of these snails have also been observed to lay eggs in tan egg cases on land areas. Clutches usually consist of more than one hundred eggs that will hatch in 10 to 14 days. It should be noted that it is very difficult to distinguish males from females, and many people often believe, erroneously, that they are hermaphrodites for this reason." You can read the rest of the page here: http://www.centralpets.com/pages/critterpages/fish/freshwater_inverts/FWI4995.shtml
I find your 5 gallon tank is a bit fully stocked. I hope you will do weekly waterchanges on this tank to keep the nitrates low, since snails that size eat quite a lot. That means they produce a lot of both solid and liquid waste...also, you will need to supplement their feeding. You can feed them sinking foods (sold for bottom feeding fish like Plecos), fresh spinach leaves, and frozen beef heart every now and then (found at your LFS). If you find your snails a bit too big for a 5 gallon, you can always try pond snails, the little snails that you usually find attached on live plants. They will reproduce quickly, and stay much smaller than the mystery snails, but pond snails will eat live plants. Do NOT add angelfish to this tank. You are already at your stocking limit, and angelfish need room to grow, a twenty gallon tank is the minimum tank size to grow out angels properly. For angels, taller tanks are better, by the way. A nice tall tank will give you adult angels with nice, long finnage. I've seen too many adult angels with stunted fins to advise otherwise.. Good luck. -Gwen>>

Ivan the Terrified - 07/26/2004
I believe the last crew member I spoke with was Sabrina. This is an update email and a question about Black Mystery snails.
<Holy Mackinaw, I'm SO sorry on the delay!>
I am the proud and indulgent Momma of a spoiled Pink Kisser named Ivan the Terrified.
<I could never forget.>
I wrote back in January about a rash-type condition on his tail which is now cleared up completely.
<Ah, delightful!>
He's up to about 5 inches long and is much less hand-shy. Per your suggestion I added several plastic plants and some floating live plants to the tank (name of it escapes me just now but it is vine-like with patches of 6 leaves growing from the main stalk every 1/2 inch or so).
<Sounds like elodea/Egeria/anacharis - a great munchin' plant.  How's he liking his new digs?>
After a few weeks I had a bad algae bloom that I couldn't get a permanent handle on (10% water changes every day for 2 weeks did almost nothing: I'm guessing a nitrate jump from the leaves dying and the change in fish poop),
<Could be.  You may have ended up with Elodea canadensis, which is a coldwater anacharis-type plant; it tends to die instead of grow, in aquaria.  Though, I would guess Ivan at least helps with cleaning up the plant scraps?>
so off I hiked to the fish store and invested in a Black Mystery snail named Bubble. Before I knew it, I had pin-head sized baby snails crawling around on the glass which I removed to a 2 gal. "nursery" tank. The woman at the store said "they're a self-breeder" (which makes little sense in a practical application because even the hermaphroditic ones can't breed with themselves, can they?),
<Many/most snails will self-fertilize.  One turns into very, very many, much to some plant keepers' chagrin!  Though, they CAN cross-fertilize, too.  A few, like the apple snail, require a male and a female to reproduce.>
but my research said that they're opposite sexed (shell door concave= female, convex=male) or hermaphroditic (sources argued) and shouldn't breed if there's only one in a system.
<Umm, if I understand correctly (and after a brief jaunt at http://www.applesnail.net , I'm sure I don't), they do indeed have genders....  Please consult that website; there is SO much info there, it's just unbelievable.>
With a 10 gal and only 1 fish, 1 snail should be plenty to maintain the system.
<Er, until Ivan gets a foot long ;) But until he gets too big, yeah, the snail should' a been fine.>
Then, Bubble died. I'm pretty sure that was of "old age" since she was over 3", what the store said is the max for that kind of snail.
<Yeah, that's a pretty good sized hunk o' escargot!  (Which reminds me....  have you ever SMELLED a dead snail?  How can folks EAT that?!)>
I figured then that my snail population was down to the babies I had, which I found homes for except for 1 that I kept for cleaning purposes.
<Sounds appropriate.>
Now, I've researched the heck out of these things and I can't get a definitive answer about sexing and breeding and the snails keep coming.
<Again, please consult http://www.applesnail.net for more comprehensive info.  I believe there's even a forum there.>
The baby born and raised in my system, Pot Sticker, is up to about an inch across the shell doing all her normal snaily things (concave door and floating around on top of
the water munching on a leaf), but I have a pretty steady population of snails between almost-can't-see-'em pin head sized and big enough to pick up with tweezers and take out of the tank. How the heck did they get here and why don't they stop?
<Umm, it's sounding like these are NOT apple/mystery snails.  Though, it may be that you got some pond snail eggs in on your plants.>
I pick them off the glass (which I feel bad about but I'm afraid they'll clog the filter) when I see them. Supposedly my Kisser will eat them and if that's the case I really don't have a problem, only I've never seen him eat any. If I stop giving him his tropical flakes for a few days would he start going after the snails?
<He may.  Don't feed him for several days (he can take it - especially if there are plants around) and see if he starts pickin' 'em off.>
I don't want to use chemicals to get rid of them since I'd like to keep Pot Sticker healthy and it wouldn't be good for Ivan either.
<I agree.  I would just remove them manually.  One way to do so is to place a some pellet food or a slice of blanched zucchini on a small plate in the tank (shielded from Ivan, if possible) just after lights-out.  In the morning, remove the plate - it should have a bundle of snails on it.>
Am I still just being a paranoid first time fishkeeper?
<Yes.  But that's a good thing :D >
I haven't tried taking Pot Sticker
<Pot Sticker?  I bow to you, O Ye of Great Names.>
out of the tank either because I don't want my algae to get out of control again. Any suggestions?
<Just as above....  I would try fasting Ivan first - but that's just 'cause I don't like killing things except to be eaten....  I'm weird like that.>
Thanks in advance,
Becky         
<You betcha - glad to hear how Ivan's doing!!  Wishing you, Ivan, and Pot Sticker well,  -Sabrina>

Unknown snails in FW tank
I've been reading up on the various snails that sometimes sneak their way
into planted freshwater tanks and I'm left a little confused.  I understand
that it's impossible to tell most snail's gender, but I'm not sure if it
only takes 1 snail to turn into a million little copies of itself, or if it
still requires two.
<Some species are monoecious ("one house"... hermaphrodites, both functional sexes in one individual), others are dioecious...>
Reason I'm asking is recently two such specimens showed
up in our 20g tank, we quickly plucked them out and put them into an old 10g
for quarantine.  They're not the same breed by any stretch, one looks like a
Ramshorn and the other is some form of smaller apple snail from what I can
tell.  In any even... they've been there for a few weeks munching away on
algae and we've seen no signs of breeding or eggs.  Is it safe to put them
back into the display tank?  Thanks!
~Mike~
<Always a bit of a risk... these may reproduce still... but then again, you may still have more snails to come from wherever these ones originated! Bob Fenner>