Will a golden apple snail eat moss balls?

I am planning to get a golden apple snail to put in my 8gallon with my betta fish.


I'm worried it might eat the moss balls and the Anubia I have in there?|||There are different species, all called golden apple snail in the hobby trade. Some greatly prefer plants over algae. The link below has a species key you can use, but it's not foolproof. You almost have to try one before you can be sure you have identified its species correctly.





These are all large snails since the "apple" in their name refers to the potential size this group of snails is capable of reaching. They will be capable of climbing out of an 8 gallon tank by pushing off the lid long before they reach their maximum size.





Moss balls and Anubias are not attractive plants to most vegetarian fish, but most species of apple snails have a more universal appetite than fish do.





In the very worst case, the apple snail might eat all of your plants, except for any algae, knock the lid off into the tank shorting out the light and electrocuting the fish, then crawl away to find a dark closed in spot to die in, such as inside a shoe or boot. Then when the short causes an electrical fire behind the tank, you grab your shoes to run out of the house, cut your toes on the breaking snail shell in your shoe, and later on have to explain how all this happened to the firemen, hospital, and your parents.





A smaller species of snail makes a lot more sense in this size tank. As someone in the Aquatic Plant Central discussion below says, horned snails are ideal for nano tanks, which includes your 8 gallon tank. Don't let anyone trick you into buying Pomacea glauca which is a striped apple snail masquerading as the "four horned" snail when it does not even have any horns. The last two links picture the difference.|||It really depends on the species. Most Apple Snails will eat plants, but the most commonly sold one the Mystery Snail (Pomacea diffusa) will not bother plants. Try to find which species it is.|||yessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss鈥?/div>

• 4 weeks ago




• 
  Report Abuse