Convenance your mystery snails is the next level of keeping these amazing creatures. And it can be very fun and rewarding. But where practise you starting time? How do you ensure your snails reward all your hard efforts with the coveted pinkish clutch of eggs?
I'm non property dorsum in today'due south post! I'1000 sharing everything I've learned from other breeders and my own feel in breeding. And then keep reading to find out!
The 5 Steps to Breeding Mystery Snails
1. Determine on Your Colors
An important question must be addressed first: "What colors do y'all want to brood?" Some colors of apple snails can be mixed to create different colors. For example: Gold ten Wild or Blueish tin give you Jade.
If you simply desire to create primarily ane color, stick to all the same parents. Mixing a bunch of colors can requite you surprise clutches, sometimes with a rainbow of babies inside! (I talk more than nigh colors at the finish of this postal service.)
two. Create Your Breeding Group
Mystery snails DO have a specific gender (dissimilar Ramshorn snails). This means y'all need a male and female to reproduce. Sexing mystery snails tin can exist done by looking "under the hood" of the shell to identify their reproductive parts.
Personally? I've never had any luck with that and other experienced mystery snail breeders find it to be tricky as well. To properly sex the snails this way, they have to be at just the right angle hanging far out of their shells. It'southward piece of cake to get it wrong.
That said, sometimes when they're in the breeding mood (and if the snail is light colored) yous tin can see the difference between male and female snails:
Run across how the female has a darker expanse in the screw at the height, whereas the male person's is lighter? This method can work sometimes, merely like I said, they have to be in the convenance mood.
So, instead, you can place a group of 6 or 8 adults together in the color(s) you want. The larger number ensures you should get some males and some females in your convenance group.
Tip: To reproduce, mystery snails demand to be approximately quarter size or larger.
But adept news: Small snails can abound pretty quickly. Mating beliefs can be used to determine the genders of your snails, though males will attempt to mountain other males. Then just because at that place is a male trying to mount another snail does NOT mean that snail is a female! (The snail on pinnacle is always a male person.)
three. Set the Right Breeding Mood
Raising the temperature has been shown to stimulate convenance. But look! Practise not raise the temperature too quickly; you don't want to stupor them. Ideally, raise the temperature 1 degree every 2 days until the temp reaches 73–78 degrees Fahrenheit.
Personally, I don't get more than 74 degrees as the heat always seems to stress my snails.
At present, it'due south time to feed! Apple snails need lots of food to aid induce breeding beliefs and develop eggs. Nutrient containing calcium and poly peptide (such as Snello) should be fed daily and veggies should be available effectually the clock. The better the nutrient, the bigger your clutches volition exist.
Remember: With all the heavy feeding, you need to make sure your water quality remains perfect.
(This may involve more than aquarium maintenance.)
Bad water stresses snails and discourages breeding.
Finally: Later on convenance, mystery snails lay their eggs to a higher place the waterline and so they have direct access to oxygen—they will DROWN if left underwater!
You will want to lower the waterline by at to the lowest degree ii″ so the females have a place to eolith their eggs. Don't forget to keep a lid on and so there is some humidity buildup inside the tank.
*Humidity is important!*
Tip: Some find doing water changes with slightly libation h2o helps stimulate convenance.
4. Mating
Snails will mate for 1–6 hours at a fourth dimension. During mating, the male mystery snail will crawl along the back of the female until they position themselves over the right shoulder of the other snail. Once there, they "do the deed."
Male chestnut mystery snail mating with a blue female
Some females volition continue on in their daily activities, eating and scooting around. Others curl up. Withal others endeavour to shake off their shelly suitor.
Annotation: Males Can kill females past over mating with them. It may exist necessary to split them if they are convenance besides oftentimes (only once is necessary to get the eggs). Please don't pull the pair apart, though; wait until they aren't mating.
Once done, at this point you lot tin separate the female person (if desired) to a hatching tank with other "meaning" females (I phone call mine "the harem"). Males can become to a bachelor'southward tank to be enlisted afterwards when needed.
Pair of chestnut mystery snails trying to mate – in this case, both males
5. Hatch the Eggs
I get this question a lot: "How long until my female snail lays her eggs later mating?"
It can depend on the water temperature. At warmer temperatures, they will lay sooner. Merely by and large, ii–4 weeks. Once you see your first clutch, make a mental annotation not to move information technology for a couple of days. If yous do, it could kill them because the clutch is too fragile and you tin crush it easily
But: Afterwards that time, you can utilise your fingers to gently slide information technology off or utilise a razor blade. This is done to transfer the eggs to a hatching container (incubator) if desired. You can likewise leave information technology in the tank as is if there are no predators that will swallow the babies when they hatch.
A very beneficial technique is to employ a breeder box hatchery for raising the newborn babies. This prevents the tiny snails from being accessed by fish (and the more concentrated space makes it easier to find food).
Now:
Equally the fertile clutch gets riper for hatching, information technology will kickoff to turn whitish and darker, almost moldy looking. This is the baby snails chewing through the eggs. Once hatched, the babies are very very tiny and so cute. Babies with nighttime spots mean their bodies will be dark. Neat, correct?
Keep in mind:
Convenance mystery snails tin result in HUNDREDS of babies, so you'd amend have infinite to raise them and know what to do with them all when they become bigger!
Finally, recollect that non all clutches are e'er fertile. Females tin can lay dud clutches if they oasis't mated with a male.
How to tell if a clutch is a dud?
Some signs tin include:
Weird odor
Pink or ruddy stain underneath it on the paper towel
Smaller, poorly formed eggs
Won't hatch no matter what
[Read the total tutorial on hatching mystery snail eggs here.]
Further Thoughts on Colors
At present, i curious topic is on what parents make what colors of offspring. At that place's a really helpful colour chart here that shows likely results between combos of parents.
(Only note that it may not be 100% accurate due to unique genes of your snails.)
If y'all have a scientific-oriented heed, you tin too make your own punnett squares using the genetic loci of each color of snail. Hither'southward a key showing which snails accept which loci (I think I'one thousand maxim that right?). And then you can go to this swell site to enter the "coordinates" of your parent snails and see if any of the results match the snails on the key.
I practice not merits to be an expert on the topic of snail genetics. Or punnett squares, for that matter, probably obvious by now, LOL! So, delight don't ask me "what will I get if I cross Ten color of snail with Y?"
Wrapping it Upward
Breeding mystery snails can exist a fun and even profitable pastime. Then, what about y'all? Accept y'all ever bred yours, and if so, do you take whatsoever tips to share? Exit a comment below to share your thoughts!
Featured Prototype Credit: Adam_Nau37, Shutterstock
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