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I just finished sending this to someone in a PM. I plan to add to it . . . and encourage you all to make additions. There are quite a few things that I have not yet dicussed. There is so much knowledge here on the box, and I'm trying to document some of it.
Houston tap will be fine for most snails, The water is hard, which is what they need. People with planted tanks are generally the ones that need to be concerned.
Pros of Mystery snails: They'll eat algae and extra fish food on the bottom of the tank. They aren't the best algae eating snail . . . but they are certainly better than other types. Many of them are quite pretty. Cons of mystery snails: you can get over-run with them. Some may eat plants.
My favorite snail for eating algae is the nerite snail. There are lots of colors and patterns available. Pros: best algae eater out there. Will not breed in freshwater, therefore won't overpopulate. Cons: will lay white eggs when sexually mature. These can easily be scraped off glass with a razor blade or will dissolve with time if left alone. They are hard to remove from non-flat surfaces.
Tylomelania snails are more of a novelty than anything else. They get large and will eat plants (some have a greater propensity than others). They come in a wide variety of colors-- from yellow to chocolate to orange to white spotted -- and even striped. You need both a male and female for these to reproduce. The female gives birth to on juvenile tylo per month. They reproduce very slowly.
Houston tap will be fine for most snails, The water is hard, which is what they need. People with planted tanks are generally the ones that need to be concerned.
Pros of Mystery snails: They'll eat algae and extra fish food on the bottom of the tank. They aren't the best algae eating snail . . . but they are certainly better than other types. Many of them are quite pretty. Cons of mystery snails: you can get over-run with them. Some may eat plants.
My favorite snail for eating algae is the nerite snail. There are lots of colors and patterns available. Pros: best algae eater out there. Will not breed in freshwater, therefore won't overpopulate. Cons: will lay white eggs when sexually mature. These can easily be scraped off glass with a razor blade or will dissolve with time if left alone. They are hard to remove from non-flat surfaces.
Tylomelania snails are more of a novelty than anything else. They get large and will eat plants (some have a greater propensity than others). They come in a wide variety of colors-- from yellow to chocolate to orange to white spotted -- and even striped. You need both a male and female for these to reproduce. The female gives birth to on juvenile tylo per month. They reproduce very slowly.
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