Apple Snails 2012 Update
Inside info on Pomacea canaliculata
|
Apple Snail 2012 Factoids |
|
Original Origin |
South America |
|
Current Origin |
Reared in captivity |
| Maximum Size | Four inches |
|
Sexing |
Dioecious -- males and females |
|
Temperature |
Community tank temp fine |
|
Attitude |
Eats day and night |
|
Security |
Carries it on back. Clamps shut when threatened. |
| Threats | Copper, salt, hungry fish, birds, raccoons |
|
Foods |
Any food on bottom |
|
Water |
Hard water best |
|
Incubation |
2 to 3 weeks |
|
Brood Size |
About 100 eggs |
|
Breeding |
Eggs laid above water |
| Gestation Period | Two to three weeks |
| Time to maturity | 60 days |
LA
Legal Info: April 5, 2006 the
USDA prohibited shipment of apple snails across
state lines. Why? They devour the rice and taro crops in our
southern states.* As a result, apple snails pretty much disappeared
from the aquarium trade. All apple snails we sell are Iowa-bred and
born. Apple snails are not considered a threat to our corn and soybean
crops. Plus, there's no way they could survive one of our Iowa
winters.
*Adam H. Putman, Commissioner of Agriculture, January 4, 2011.
We now have many 0.25-inch apple snail pups in the works. These
will take a while.
LA
Just a nice looking Snail.
LA
Great eaters of blanched zucchini -- their main food at Aqualand.
LA
They learn to eat floating food off the surface.
LA
But they find food faster off the bottom
LA
Here's a new batch of 50.
LA
Tried a "new food" today -- butternut squash. Much harder to
slice.
LA
Even tho I dropped them on top the squash, they pretty much ignored it at
first.
LA
Whereas rosy red barbs in another tank loved the stuff.
LA
Eventually the apple snails decided they liked it.
LA
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Green and yellow zucchini are much easier to slice.
LA
They're growing.
LA
They don't much like algae.
LA
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They grudgingly eat carrots. They don't really like them.
LA
Out of all these snails (maybe a 100), most of them ignored the carrots for three days.
LA
Still there a couple days later.
LA
Pretty much shredded after a week.
LA
In the meantime, they've consumed lots of sliced zucchini.
LA
In a month they've grown large enough to sell.
LA
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When they get fish food, they spread out all over the tank.
LA
At about the same time, we received 50 regular mystery snails,
Pomacea bridgesii,
and their mother.
LA
We gave them the same foods.
LA
LA
They seem to grow at about half the speed of the apples.
LA
And they are obviously now the "blue" mystery snails (pond snail on top of
one).
LA
New batch of 100 with some freshly added zucchini slices.
LA
They like zucchini.
LA
They really like it.
LA
They really, really like it.
LA
Just to remind you they breathe air.
Last Words: So you can still occasionally find genuine apple snails. LA
© 2012 LA Productions
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