Raising little aquarium snails, daphnia

[gambite]

I think snails are cool, so I got some off the local pet store. They are nothing special, just little pest snails that came with some plants in the store. What is the best way to keep them alive? At the moment, I have ~6 of them in a medium KK filled with spring water, with an aquarium plant and a CFL light.

See, I was originally trying to culture daphnia. My big idea was to get a little aquarium going in the KK with a plant or two, snails, and daphnia. I figured the plant would keep the water oxygenated for the daphnia, and the snails could go around eating all the waste. I was hoping it would be kinda self-sufficient, or at least very low maintenance. I am not worried too much about having tons of daphnia, I have my "main" culture elsewhere. I just wanted to get like a little ecosystem or something.

It doesnt look like it will work, however. Overnight, they ate almost all the ephippia that my previously deceased daphina culture left in that KK, and in its place is a LOT of poop. I did not know these things pooped so much! I was not planning on using a filter on this tank, but with this much poop I guess I need one? What do you guys reccommend? Also, they will not eat the live plant, will they? I thought they only ate detritus.

 

[Obelisk]

I would definitely use a filter if I were you.

If the only food they are getting is daphnia waste, then they'll surely start going after the live plants. Just drop a bit of food in there for them, and they will leave the live plants alone (for the most part). As far as those little pest snails go, some species will sometimes take a bite out of live plants (ramshorns, pond snails), while others won't touch live plants (malaysian trumpet snails). They're more likely to take the occasional bite out of soft plants like lillies than something like anubias or java fern.

I hope this helps!

 

[ZergFront]

Lots of snails (even water snails) will take veggie scraps if you got them. Just don't leave them in for too long. You don't want them going bad.

 

[Cirith Ungol]

Light creates algae, put a small variety of fast growing plants in there (maybe they go for some) and then see the population explode. If you have any other water tanks you might end up getting them there too (cross contamination).