# Sexing Zebra Nerite Snails



## coldmantis

so nerite snail eggs are kind of getting out of control in my tanks, anyone know how to sex them so I can separate them thanks.


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## Rmwbrown

If you can just drop to temp of the tank to around 20-25c, that should bring all egg laying to a halt in about 2 days.


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## coldmantis

Rmwbrown said:


> If you can just drop to temp of the tank to around 20-25c, that should bring all egg laying to a halt in about 2 days.


nah that don't work, you saw my 29g shrimp tank when you came over I didn't have a heater in it. and all of my tanks that have a heater + nerite snails are all below 25c


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## arinsi

snails are hermaphrodites which means they have both female and male reproductive organs at the same time so theres no point in seperating them


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## AquaNekoMobile

coldmantis said:


> nah that don't work, you saw my 29g shrimp tank when you came over I didn't have a heater in it. and all of my tanks that have a heater + nerite snails are all below 25c


Perhaps float some reuseable ice packs on the top of the tank so the temp can be lowered a little and just swap the ice packs very few hours?


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## coldmantis

AquaNekoMobile said:


> Perhaps float some reuseable ice packs on the top of the tank so the temp can be lowered a little and just swap the ice packs very few hours?


crs breeding tank don't want to risk it.


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## Ciddian

I could be very wrong but I think nerites do need two different sexes to mate.



> Olive nerites will mate and lay eggs in freshwater and in brackish water as long as there is at least a male and female and adequate amounts of food and their water chemistry is stable for at least 5 days. My current specific gravity is at 1.015 and my Nerites are unaffected by the salinity. The only things affected are my plants (Total "Meltdown")


http://www.applesnail.net/forum3/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=18327&start=45

I've had a 'pair' that would often mate or exchange goodies and then cover everything in the tank with eggs. I ended up just separating the two I had and it helped.

That article has an explanation on how males and females are different but as you know its tricky to see a lot of a nerite out of its shell most of the time unlike apple snails.

Hope that helps some.


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## coldmantis

I know that I started out with 3 nerite snails my 45 gallon for like 4-5 months and I never saw any eggs, but then I got like 10 more and all hell went loose.


Ciddian said:


> I could be very wrong but I think nerites do need two different sexes to mate.
> 
> http://www.applesnail.net/forum3/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=18327&start=45
> 
> I've had a 'pair' that would often mate or exchange goodies and then cover everything in the tank with eggs. I ended up just separating the two I had and it helped.
> 
> That article has an explanation on how males and females are different but as you know its tricky to see a lot of a nerite out of its shell most of the time unlike apple snails.
> 
> Hope that helps some.


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## coldmantis

from those pictures it's still hard to tell I think when I see a snail climbing on top of another I'll assume thats a male.


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## arinsi

woah i guess i was wrong
u have to be very observant to see the difference


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