Baby mystery snails are beautiful creatures with tiny shells on top. And thankfully, taking care of them is not a tough job.
If you are looking to demystify baby mystery snails, then you are definitely at the right place. Some call them apple snails, while others call them golden apple snails. But, what’s in the name?
So, in case you have some in the aquarium or are planning to breed some, you should go through this guide. Caring for baby mystery snails requires good knowledge, and that’s what we are here to share.
How Many Babies Do Mystery Snails Have?
It depends on how many eggs are fertilized and healthy. As you might know, a female mystery snail can have anywhere from a few dozen to a hundred eggs in one clutch at a time and may produce five or six clutches within ten days. You can expect around 20 and 50 babies from one clutch.
When you see the clutch, you might feel like there aren’t too many eggs. This happens especially when they are blue in color, as they might go undetected.
On the other hand, many baby mystery snails might easily die within the first weeks of their existence. I always recommended setting up a separate grow-out tank for them.
How Fast Do Baby Mystery Snails Grow?
Just like their name, the growth of baby mystery snails is nothing short of a mystery. Some eggs take a week to hatch, while others may take longer.
But if the eggs don’t hatch within 10 days, it’s unlikely that they would.
When the eggs hatch, you will find that they are both black and blue in colors, so don’t be surprised if there’s a mix. After mystery snail babies hatch, you will find they grow quickly and will be at a size of 1 inch in 2-5 months.
How To Take Proper Care Of Baby Mystery Snails?
Temperature
Without proper temperature, the egg clutches are highly unlikely to hatch. And even if they do, the eggs won’t probably survive. So, monitor the water constantly to ensure that the temperature is between 68 degrees Fahrenheit and 84 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure healthy growth for your mystery snails.
What to Feed Baby Mystery Snails?
Mystery snail babies eat the exact same thing as their parents from the day they hatch, there’s no need for them to be fed differently with special baby mystery snail food.
Like other aquatic snails, mystery snails survive best on vegetation and plants. So, make sure that you include them in their diet. This is especially important for the babies and adding algae to their diet can be really beneficial.
You can keep the food in different places in the tank so that they can systematically move around as they eat. Moreover, a calcium-rich diet will help the babies develop stronger shells.
Water Condition
Apart from the temperature of the water, there are other things too that you need to take care of. Mystery snails do not do well when there’s sudden changes in the water conditions, so it is best to maintain the water condition.
Make sure that the water hardness is between 12 and 18kH, and the pH level is somewhere between 7.6 and 8.4. This is the optimum limit, and in case you have difficulty understanding how to measure or maintain these levels, consult a specialist in your LFS.
You May Need A Separate Container (Tank)
Keeping a separate, dedicated tank for mystery snails is perhaps the best thing to do if you are planning to breed them. Otherwise, large fishes can eat them overnight.
But remember to keep baby mystery snails in the same aquarium as their parents. This makes the environment more conducive for them to grow. And if you can’t maintain a separate tank, make sure that the other fishes don’t eat them.
FAQs:
Do Mystery Snails Eat Their Babies?
This is nothing but a myth that mystery snails eat their babies. Pro aquarists will tell you that this does not actually happen.
Even if you suddenly see a golden egg, which disappears later, do not think that the parent snail has eaten it. Many a time, it gets very difficult to detect the eggs from their appearances.
What Fish Will Eat Baby Mystery Snails?
Freshwater fishes like goldfish, gourami, clown loach, and yoyo loach are most likely to eat mystery snails. But there are other varieties too. However, these fishes might behave differently when in a closed environment (like a tank or aquarium) and not attack the snails.
When Do Baby Mystery Snails Get Color?
It generally takes around 3 days for the color to appear after the eggs hatch. But it is very difficult to say what the final color will be until at least the next seven days. Overall, it may take around 2 weeks for the shell color to settle.
And if you are talking of uncommon colors like jade or wild color, you might have to wait for as long as 2 months.
What Color Will My Mystery Snail Be?
It’s very difficult to predict the exact color, as mystery snails may end up having almost any color. The snail’s body and head are generally dark, while the foot is light grey. However, they come in a wide color spectrum-only time that can tell what color yours will be. They can be yellow, purple, blue, or brown, depending on the parent snails.
Final Thoughts
We hope that you now have a good idea about how baby mystery snails develop and how to best take care of them. Like other aquatic animals, they require special care if you want them to develop properly to live a healthy and long life.
It might seem like a bit of work in the beginning, but once the eggs hatch and the baby mystery snails come out, you will absolutely love them. And the two most important things to do from the get go are maintaining the temperature and quality of water.
Other than that, don’t shy away from seeking professional help, especially if you aren’t familiar with fish keeping. And we will be back soon with more such guides.
1 thought on “How to Care For Baby Mystery Snails?(Food, Water Condition and More)”
I thought you might be interested; I just watched my big Golden Inca eat about 5 of its babies. I am more of a beginner with snails, but this is about the 3rd set of snails I have had and the first to reproduce. They are in a 5-gallon tank with some guppies. At one point, I had over 80 baby snails and was starting to panic about what I was going to do with them all. This morning when I came in I noticed the bigger snail was on the side of the tank and was on top of about what looked like 4 or 5 babies. I thought he must be climbing over them and watched for a few minutes. Before I knew it he ate them all. There was another baby very close, so I watched to see what would happen. Within about 2 – 3 minutes, the big snail sidled over to the baby and tried to reach over to eat it. Luckily he ended up knocking it to the bottom instead.