Majority of the snails are herbivorous ad thus they eat up all the algae present inside the pond and help in healthy flourishing of the pond. It is necessary to remove the algae from the pond from time to time because they compete with other decorative plants inside the pond for the oxygen and thus hamper their growth. Snails eat them off and help in maintaining the oxygen balance inside the water. But it is necessary for you to replace the snails already present in the pod from time to time because the eggs laid by these snails get accumulated in the pod which can make the water of the pond look translucent. One of the advantages of these snails is that they do not cause any harm to the growth of the decorative plants present in your pond.

Many of the people round the world breed these snails over the farms or in the aquariums and also for shipping them to the customers. There are a number of points which are to be kept into consideration before breeding the snails for the ponds. First and the foremost thing are to decide the kind if snail to be bred which does not cause harm to the decorative plant. One such species is Lymnaea stagnalis which is generally regarded as the pond snail. Other one is Olive Nerite which is the most common snail to be kept in the pond. They enjoy eating algae and do not spoil the decorative plants of the water. They are also used in the aquariums for the same purpose. But such practice is not used widely as the lack of algae inside the aquarium can lead to the death of the snails due to insufficient food for them to feed on.

It is very important to monitor the growth of these sails inside the water of the pond so that their population does not exceed the optimal limit. For this purpose you can check the roots of your water plants to notice the cluster of the eggs of the snails and can work accordingly. It is great to know that such small creatures who are regarded as shit by few people, can be of such great important to the mankind for keeping their ponds and decorative water plants healthy and clean and thus enhance the quality of water for their survival in the pond.

If you think about it, snails are so small to handle which makes them delicate too. Little bit of ignorance can even turn out to be a danger for the species. Even though African snails rely upon fruits and vegetables easily, it is very important to change their food on a daily basis. African snails are very fond of cuttlefish bone, and the best part is that a cuttlefish bone contains enough calcium required for the snails to remain healthy and strong. So, a piece of cuttlefish bone will be good for them. Such small things matter a lot, no matter whatever species you plan to bring home. Without proper food, we humans cannot survive a single day, then why do we become so lenient in case of animals?

Truly, African snails are very fascinating to watch and seeing them grow is the best thing in the world. But unfortunately, sometimes, they pose a big danger for agriculture because they can also become a serious pest to agriculture. This is the only drawback about them. As they are native to East Africa, they make a really good pet in the places where they are allowed to be kept. So many people have adopted them already and are enjoying a different experience as well.

A very important point to keep in mind is that; snails should be picked very carefully by their shells. It is not advisable to pick them up when they are stuck with the glass container. Sweat or any kind of chemical can be harmful for your snail, so make sure that your hands are clean because snails are capable of absorbing sweat very easily. Green vegetables are good for their health, so feed them with lettuce, cabbage, spinach or any other green vegetable. Do wash them properly before feeding them so as to remove all the traces of chemicals as well as dust. So, these things matter a lot in deciding how long your African snail will live. It is solely your responsibility to take care of all these factors if you are planning to bring an African snail your home.

Trapdoor snails is a herbivorous which means it feeds on plant life, algae and decaying matter  is the main food. Very few trapdoor snails are also carnivores and these snails have a tongue which enables them to bore holes into the shell of other snails to reach the soft flesh inside .They love to eat anything you give them in garden salad. Generally trapdoor snails are popular as species meant for aquariums since they do not eat plants and fish eggs. Moreover they do not overpopulate aquarium and close themselves if there is a water problem thus giving a prior indication that something went wrong, giving time to save fish before they die. It serves in its native habitat as a host and as a vector to many parasites. Trapdoor snails need neutral to alkaline water or their calcium shell starts to perish.

These species are native to East Asia, from tropics of Indochina to northern China, however trapdoor snails are now also found in North America. Since trapdoor snail is widely used as an aquarium animal, due tp this reason has lead to its accidental introduction in many areas where it has emerged as a problematic invasive species. In United States, trapdoor snails is an introduced species. It is found in almost every tributary of Grand Island and on both the sides of River Niagara in U.S and Canada.

Trapdoor Snails are most likely a species called Pomacea Bridgessi  which are freshwater aquatic snails and lay eggs above the water. Trapdoor snails are both male and female and reproduce sexually. When female is ready to lay eggs, it climbs onto the walls of aquarium and leaves the water. She will climb on the wall as far as it can which is generally at a distance of 3-4 inches depending on room area it has. However if your aquarium doesn’t has a lid, it will fall out of the tank. The eggs of trapdoor snails are small hard mass and generally have a pale creme color, the color may vary to red, lime green, dark pink or solid white. If the eggs are warm and moist, baby snails hatch on their own in 2 or 3 weeks and sooner if the eggs are warm.

If you have trapdoor snails in your house, you need to feed them with few foods as this specie is an omnivore. They consume algae giving them clear water and healthy fish, fish food, plant matter, frozen foods, vegetables and live foods. Japanese trapdoor snails are a very peaceful animal and should be handled with care.

The best part is that snails are a very good source of protein. They are low in fat content and taste quite well when served with butter sauce. While preparing escargot, the shells of the snails is separated from them and are then cooked. Later these are soaked in ½ cup salt and water and the water is also supposed to be changed at regular intervals. When done with the soaking, put them in cold water and boil it for 8 hours and then drain. Place the snails back into the cold water and drain again. Next, all the black areas of the snail need to be removed. You can cook these in garlic and butter sauce and relish them.

The consumption of the escargots can be dated back to the historic times. The archaeological remains in Florida point to the fact that people have been consuming this since the prehistoric times. The people living in the Mediterranean were fond of the dishes that used snail as the basic ingredient. In fact in Africa, a species of land snail known as the Giant African Snail is eaten as traditional food. In Australia and America escargot is better known as abalone and is eaten as main meal.

Escargots are basically raised in a farm and fed a diet of crushed dry cereals. In fact they are also supposed to have a week for fasting in which they do not consume anything and are washed with warm water. Through this process, taste and safety is maintained. After this period is over, they are either fed salt or boiled in salt water to further empty their stomach of any harmful matter.

Thus, it is really important for people to know that certain snails are edible whereas others are poisonous. The snails which are bred are safe for consumption. However, the wild snails which consume poisonous plants should not be consumed if they aren’t bred.  Snails have high nutritional value. These contain about 15 percent protein, 2.4 percent fat and 80 percent water. It also consists of fatty acids such as linoleic acid and linolenic acid.

Escargots can be fresh, frozen or even canned. Proper care should be taken and they should be thawed in the refrigerator. This is important since the prolonged freezer storage can lead to loss of flavour and taste. Thus escargots can be transformed into delicious delicacy if properly taken care of. This is the reason escargots are quite popular everywhere because of their specialties and are easily available.

Ramshorn snails are the popular freshwater aquarium snails. These are preferable good since they consume the algae content of the water. However, it is also necessary to control their population. It might be difficult to tackle them as these can deposit eggs which are so small that they can be hidden easily. However it is still easy to get rid of the freshwater snails.

You can always remove the freshwater snails manually from your aquarium. This can be done easily with the help of fish net or even plucked off using glass, substrate and aquarium ornaments by hand. However, this method is not sufficient to remove the small eggs which might be hidden. You can also add chemicals to your aquarium for the removal of freshwater snails. This will kill the snails and their babies in the aquarium. But you need to take precaution since some of the chemicals like copper sulphate based chemicals can end up harming the fishes as well. After the introduction of the chemicals it would be required to clean the water to be cleaned occasionally to remove the dead snails and eggs.

Another option is to introduce the snail-eating fishes in the aquarium. Cichlids, gouramis, some catfish and loaches are the examples. For better results you can prefer using clown, kuhli and yoyo loaches. However you need to make sure that these species of fishes harm to others.

So removal of the freshwater snails will no longer be a daunting task. If snails are present in the right quantity, they can actually cause a lot of benefit. However if they multiply at great speed, it can turn into your worst nightmare. Hence it is absolutely necessary to monitor their population to ensure that they do not cause any harm. If their population is not monitored these might eat up the leaves of the live plants creating holes and also become a major source of fish diseases. I am sure you would not want too many problems to manifest in your beautiful aquarium. For this it is really important to make sure that you take precautionary measures on time so that you do not suffer from any such problems. I am sure then you would have a healthy aquarium.

If you consider the members of the Ampullariidae family you would often come across them as “apple snails”. These also include the snails which come under the category of Pomacea and Marisa. These freshwater snails have both gills and lungs as respiratory organs. With the help of their natural siphons, they can breathe in water. So if you keep them in aquarium, then it is important to provide open air space above the waterline to make sure that they can breathe.

Some of the most common freshwater snails that belong to this class include Pomacea bridgesi, Pomacea canaliculata and Marisa cornuarietis. Pomacea bridgesi snails have shells which differ in patterns and colors such as black, gold and ivory. Such type of snails generally feed on algae, vegetables, flake food, frozen foods and live foods.

Pomacea canaliculata is known for its deep sultures which are found between the swirls of the shell.  Their color may range from brown to yellow and they can also grow up to a size of 3 inches. It is not suitable to keep them with live plants in aquarium since these feed over them.  Hence they should be fed with proper vegetable-based food.

Marisa cornuarietis have shells that are similar to ramshorn and thus these are commonly known as Ramshorn Snails. They come in amazing color patterns such as yellow, cream, or reddish brown with dark brown or black stripes. They can be found in lakes, ponds and swamps and thus can be seen prefer to live in shallow water. These feed over dead and rotting plants, fresh plants, dead animals, algae, vegetables, fish food, frozen foods and live foods.

There is another family of freshwater snails which is popularly known as the Vivipariidae family. These are also referred to as the “mystery snails”. One of the members of this family is the Viviparus malleatus which is also commonly known as the Japanese Trapdoor Snail. Their shells have a color ranging between brown to gray. They basically feed on algae and do not harm the live plants. So you can keep them in your aquarium since they keep the algae growth under control. Besides algae they also feed on vegetables, fish food, frozen foods and live foods. These do not produce many younger ones so it would not be a problem in breeding them. Hence it is not a problem keeping these snails.

Thus freshwater snails are quite popular among the people. These can serve as the most amazing pets.

The tank size or aquarium size or the container size for aquatic snails is not as aspect as the filtration capabilities. Generally people use about 10 gallons tank but the filter used on the tank should be almost twice its recommended size so that it easily accommodates all the waste produced by snails. For example a 55 gallon tank is sufficient for accommodating 3 dozens of adult aquatic snails. But in this case at least two HOB filters, as snails produce a lot of waste,  that are turning the water volume over approximately 15 times in an hour.

There are a large number of species of aquatic snails. Some species of aquatic snails are regarded as bothersome pests whereas some are quiet beneficial. Some people like aquatic snails and introduce them to their freshwater aquariums after purchasing them or getting them naturally while on the other hand some aquatic snail species arrive accidentally through plant life and food sources. Here are some of the common types of aquarium snails.

Ramshorn is an aquatic snail specie that got its name from its shape that resembles Ram’s horn. These are found in red, black and checkered patterns. They reproduce very quickly and generally dines on plant life in aquarium. Trumpet snails have spiral shells and are found on aquarium walls just below the water level early in the morning. They barely eat plants rather dine on debris within the substrate. Therefore these snails are quiet beneficial as the help in maintaining the water quality and keeps tank cleaner. These snails usually hide in the daytime and come out in the nighttime to feed. Next type of aquatic snail which is the most common type is the apple snail. There are three types of apple snails of which three are voracious plat eaters. If apple snails are given proper survival conditions they can grow as big as tennis ball.

Few widely used compatible tank mates with aquatic snails include Neon tetras, danios, Guppies, White Cloud Minnows and many other. These fishes are non-aggressive and can easily cohabitate with the snails. The diet of aquatic snails depend on the specie, some of them eat plants whereas other eat fish food and debris. To avoid unwanted bevy of snails, fishes can deliberately be introduced in the tank that will help to take care of population of the snails naturally. Some also prefer algae which make aquatic snails beneficial to aquariums as they help to maintain water quality.

Ramshorn snails are the snails which are called so due to the fact that their shape resembles a ram’s horn. These are present in black and red color in the aquarium and multiply quickly. In fact, these are also present in checkered patterns making them one of the most beautiful creatures. These snails devour on your aquarium plants.

Another kind of snails which you would come across is the trumpet snails. These snails have spiral shells and will usually be found on the walls of the aquarium earl in the morning when it is dark. These do not devour the aquarium plants and instead feed on the debris within the substrate. Thus these are beneficial for any aquarium owner since they help in maintaining the cleanliness of the water.

A third example is that of the apple snails which can prove beneficial if you are interested in breeding fish. There are four different species of the apple snail among which four are plant eaters. In fact these can grow to a size as large as that of a tennis ball. This means that they can acquire a size of around 6 inches. These are available in amazing colors of yellow, blue and brown.

A most common question is that what do the snails actually eat. Depending upon the species, these might eat plants while some others might feed on the fish food and decaying debris which has deposited on the bottom. Some might also have a diet of algae and all this contributes the fact that they help in keeping the water clean.

Depending upon whether you wish to have snails in your aquarium, there are fishes which happily devour over the snails. This helps in checking the overpopulation of snails. Loaches, such as the Clown and Skunk Loach, certain species of Catfish like the Dorid or Banjo Catfish eat snails. Puffers are other species that keep the snail population under control. However, if you desire to keep snails in your aquarium then you must avoid keeping fishes like Bettas, most goldfish, Angelfish and most species of Barbs. While Guppies, Neon Tetras, Danios and White Cloud Minnows are good companions for snails.

Thus, depending upon your choice you can choose to keep or not to keep the snails. They can brought about in the tank from plant life or even live food. It is indeed good to keep such wonderful companions in your aquarium as long as they don’t create troubles for you.

The advantages of happing apple snails are that these are available in variety of color patters and thus seem incredible. They consume algae and thus help in maintaining the quality of the water. However they have a negative trait and that is, these are voracious eaters. They eat day and night and can also consume other plants or even sponge filters. Because of their appetite, they can become quite large in size. They can reach sizes of up to 6 inches.

You would love to keep the apple snails as they are available in amazing colors and shell patterns such as brown, tan, white or yellow and other stunning colors like blue, purple, pink, and jade, with or without banding on their shells. Apple snails with different contrasts such as purple bodies and yellow and white shells are quite popular among the people. They come under a number of names such as golden apple snail, ivory snail, blue mystery snail, golden Mystery snail and others.

In case algae are not available in the aquarium, they usually turn to other foodstuff. They also consume vegetables, plants, fish foods, brine shrimp, insects and dead fish or any other decaying matter. If your aquarium has a number of live plants, then you must provide these with algae wafers, vegetable based sinking pellets or pieces of vegetables so that they feed on these rather than the plants present in the aquarium.

The Apple snails breed by laying eggs at the top of the tank, mainly above the water line. These lay numerous eggs at a time and you may find it difficult to control their population by simply removing them since there is always a possibility that you will miss out these. Besides, apple snails may close up or remain semi-closed for a number of days; this indicates that they might be required to move to a different tank. These have a tendency to pollute their surroundings at a very fast rate. As such these organic wastes will restrict their growth and even lead to their death. They prefer to live in harder water.

Clown loaches and cichlids are the biggest enemies of the apple snails. Birds and raccoons also consider apple snails as their favorite foods. So you should keep them away. They become quite active at night but during the day they generally move to a darker area. At night the apple snails involve themselves in activities like feeding, mating and laying eggs.

You would love to keep the apple snails in your aquarium as they can serve as very interesting companions. So research and go to your nearest store and you would get plenty of beautiful apple snails.

Giant African snails or simply African snails can be housed in variety of containers depending upon the number and size of these snails you have. A glass or plastic container is good for these snails. Glass and plastic containers are easy to clean and the snails can be viewed through the sides of the container. Since African snails like to burrow, so do not forget to fill your tank with moist peat up to several centimeters and a large piece of bark. The bark should be soaked in water o make sure it does not contain any harmful chemical. Leaf litter and moss are also good for keeping soil damp. The tank should be kept at a maintained temperature of 20 to 25 degree C, making it obvious that small head mat or pad is necessary in winters.

African snails are very easy to feed as they eat a wide variety of stuff. However the best food that you can give them is lettuce, cucumber, apple, banana and cabbage. The most important part of African snail’s diet is calcium to keep their shells healthy and strong. Calcium required by these snails can be given in the form of cuttlefish bone. When you give them their food which include the one that goes off quickly, make sure to remove it as it goes brown as it would otherwise harm your snails. Some of the other food that your African snails can eat include Broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, spouts, potato, peas, sweet corn, turnips, green beans, blackberry, kiwi, mango, grapes, melon. Orange, plums, pear, tomatoes, raspberry, strawberry, hemp seed, oats, sunflower seeds, chicken mash, dog biscuits, raw meat, Dandelion leaves and few other leafed plantatio.

Your African snail can encounter certain health issues and illness if it is not given the right survival conditions. If the environment is too hot, dry or cold, the snail hides itself and becomes inactive. Also a membrane may appearance the surface of shell which will be unusual from a healthy shell which has clean, unbroken shell with no unusual patches or lumps on the body. Giant African snails have nocturnal nature and move around very less throughout the day and becomes active only in the early evening. The edge at the periphery of shell or shell lip is very delicate since it is where these snails add on new shell to enlarge themselves. When handling. Avoid touching it. And rest, African snail will be your friend.