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LA
Ramshorn snail apparently laying eggs on airline tubing.

LA
Ramshorn snail trucking across a sponge filter.


LA
Ramshorn snails come in a variety of colors.

Introduction.  Ramshorn snails are the most identifiable of all the aquarium snails.  Named for the curled horns of a male sheep or a dodge truck, these little guys pop up mysteriously in many supposedly  "snail-free" aquaria.  Ramshorn snails often come in under the cover of plant leaves.  They hatch out too small to see at first glance.  They soon grow to a noticeable size -- as much as an inch in diameter.

LA
You won't see their antennae in any tank that contains nippy guppies.  Note the white patches on his shell.

LA
Diffewrent colors within the population.

LA
White patches on his shell indicate a low pH (acidic) water conditions.

Ramshorn Snails at First Glance.  At first you notice their curlicue shell.  Upon closer observation you can see their antennae -- unless they're in a tank containing nippy little guppies or other small fish looking for a quick snack.  Most fish are constant browsers and do not hesitate to nip the snails' bite size antennae.  Ramshorn snails quickly learn to adhere tightly to the glass to avoid being nipped.

Why the White Patches?  Age and low pH take their toll.  Snail shells tend to dissolve eventually.  Usually the whiter the shell, the older the snail.  Some aquarists try to aid their ramshorn snails by adding crushed coral or cuttlebone to the aquarium.  We'll cover another way to help your snails build stronger bodies and stronger shells.  Oddly enough, the diatom algae they eat are also high in calcium content.  (You could also buy a brown colored Sharpie and paint in the faded spots -- even better than the hair restorer in a spray can.  I've never tested the toxicity of Sharpie ink, so you're on your own there.)

LA
My potential breeding crew.  Gentlemen. start your engines.

LA
With no operculum, this ramshorn snail quickly latched on to my finger.

No Operculum.  You won't see one of those "trap doors" that slam shut to protect many snail species.  If out of the water for extended periods of time, ramshorn snails will dry up and die.  Contrast that with a Malaysian trumpet snail which slams shut and can be resuscitated weeks or even months later.  Mystery snails can live a week out of the water.

 LA
I rounded up all the ramshorns in Aqualand.  Several different colors were scattered about.

LA
Occasionally some red sports occur in the population.  Look for a red ramshorn coming soon.

  LA
Albino red ramshorn from a decade ago.

Red Ramshorns.  A couple decades ago, red ramshorn snails were more popular in the aquarium hobby.  We don't see them much anymore.  However, they're still out there in the gene pool -- as the picture above indicates.  I've tried to pull out the redder ramshorns in the past and line breed them to re-acquire the red ramshorns.  I know they still exist in other parts of the world, but I want my own.  My red ramshorn line-breeding attempts in the past have been unsuccessful.  Seems like the harder you try to raise snails, the quicker they die (or maybe that's just me.)  The reddest ramshorns I've seen in the past, lived in clear or white shells.  Unfortunately, I have no current pictures of the reds, they still exist only in my mind.

  LA
0.35-inch "red" ramshorn.                                               0.75 brown ramshorn.

"Red" Observations.  Ramshorn snails or Planorbis rubrum seem to have Red in their scientific name.  "Rubrum" usually refers to a red coloration.  Theoretically, the red ramshorns contain no melanin, the black pigment.  They are red because of their red blood cells.  Perhaps the reds are weaker like many deviations from the "norm."  Who knows?    

LA
Shell strengtheners.  Not so much the "no plaster" Tetra one. 

Calcium Additives.  Ramshorns need a source or two of calcium to build and strengthen their shells -- young ones especially.  They pretty much hatch out naked and naïve about the ways of the aquatic world.  They soon learn that even small fish consider baby snails a taste treat.

  LA
You can almost see their radula (rasping tongue) in addition to their antennae.

Tank Mates.  Most fish will devour baby snails.  Some fish love to crunch up the adults or slurp their tender bodies as an appetizer.  With fish in the same tank, you'll never see all your ramshorn snails can be.  Constant pick, pick, picks by the fish cause your ramshorn snails to clamp to the glass.

LA
Different guy also looking for a snack.

LA
Three ramshorn snails "processing" their feeder block.  They apparently enjoy it.  This is one night's efforts.

LA
Three different ramshorn snails the next day.

LA
Nothing left the third day.

More Calcium Comments.  Ramshorn snails put a lot of calcium into their shells.  The feeder blocks mentioned earlier contain lots of calcium.  They can add it to the insides of their shell but can't add it to the outside.  However, calcium in the water increases the pH which makes their shells hold up longer.

LA
10-gallon Aqualand laboratory set up for observations of ramshorn snails.

LA
Ramshorn snail dropped into a new tank and struggling to upright his shell.

LA
Water looked a bit cloudy so I added an extra filter.

LA
Ramshorn snails help clean the glass.  But I've found them to ignore most algae.

LA
Carrot strip dropped into the ramshorn "vat" to test its palatability.

LA
Hour later -- off to a good start.  Couple of reddish rascals in the carrot chewing crew.

LA
Day later.

LA
Two days later.  They've eaten thru -- just right of the middle.

LA
Dwarf gourami given to them yesterday.  It was floating this am.

LA
Newly deceased pearl gourami dropped in today (with lead strip to hold it down).

LA
One hour later.

LA
Next day.

LA
Next day the lead strip came off and the gourami floated to the surface.

LA
Canned green beans -- French-cut of course.  They did not like their green beans.

LA
Ramshorn snails enjoying a slice of zucchini.

LA
Next morning.  Ramshorn snails do like zucchini.

LA
This guy came to the top and ate flake food (and duckweed by accident).  They all loved flake food.

LA
Foolproof snail riddance method.

Snail Killers.  Give 'em the finger.  Squoosh 'em.  This handy method works great on snails under 1/4 inch.  As they grow larger, this method becomes much more painful.  Use the blunt end of a rubber-handled screwdriver (flat blade or Phillips optional).  You can nail many more of them this way.  Nail them with a screw driver.  Yeah.  Paronomasia at work.  

LA

Nearly Last Words.  I'll add some egg pictures after the ramshorns get down to their main business.  I fed them flake fish food just now and I'll be back to capture more details next year (tomorrow).  LA.December 31, 2010

LA
Not a large clutch (10 plus one likely dud), but we'll soon see more.  January 2, 2011.  They were gone January 3.

Coöperative Egg Layers.  Two days later one helpful ramshorn laid a small clutch of eggs on the front glass.  Anywhere else and they'd be too hard to photograph.  I secured the dime with rubber cement.

LA
New eggs January 3.  The fish flake food triggered some egg laying activities.

LA
Another one with a single egg.  January 3.

LA
New eggs January 4.  There were ten visible egg cases.  Flake food seems to trigger them to lay eggs.

Closer to Last Words.  We'll track all these egg cases to come up with a more exact gestation period.  That first egg case with Roosevelt's picture has already disappeared.  Perhaps the larger snails are eating them. 

Last Words.  Final gestation results are in.  At 78 degrees Fahrenheit over a dozen egg "cases" hatched in less than a week.  The baby snails are miniscule -- way too smal to photograph.  No doubt the larger ramshorns will eat some of them.  The majority will join the ranks of the aufwuchs (as the Germans say) and be snacked upon by organisms lurking on a higher rung on the food chain ladder. LA

LA
Eggs laid on Jan 8.  Picture taken Jan 13.  Snail on right hatched Jan 10.

Laster than Last Words.  Well, seems the camera can see better than the (excuse the expression) naked eye.  To the left you can see the soon-to-be-hatched eggs.  To the right you can see a two or three-day-old newly hatched ramshorn snail.  LA

LA
Cirque du Snail, eh?

© 2010, © 2011  LA Productions
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