# Different types of Malay Trumpet Snails, have you noticed any ?



## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

I might be weird, because I have often watched my Malaysian Trumpet snails as they go about their lives. Despite their habit of producing hordes of newborns that always clog the circulation pump intake, I've always liked them. Indeed, I like most snails and find them interesting to observe. 

Now I'm wondering if anyone else has noticed any obviously different shell colours, marked differences in the size of adults, or shell markings, in their MTS populations ? I ask because I have found one very different species among mine.

The majority of mine, as adults, get to about an inch long. Their shells are very light, with a whitish base colour & some rows of slightly zigzag, vertical stripes in a brownish colour. The wide end of the shell rarely exceeds .25" diameter.

Earlier this year, I noticed some different coloured, rather robust adults with the more typical small ones. They haven't any markings at all on a dull olive shell. I don't have a specific ID, but they are not the same as the others.

For lack of a better name, I call them Olive MT's. They grow substantially larger than the striped ones, adults being more than twice the size of the little ones,with a commensurately larger foot about the same colour as the shell. The wide end gets to about a half inch diameter.

Behaviour is similar but not identical. Olive MT's seem to really like fresh algae if it's available. They do rummage through the substrate; being larger, they move more substrate around, but no plants have been disturbed or harmed. I frequently see them on the glass during the day, whereas the small ones typically hit the glass at night.

Of even greater interest to me is that so far, Olive MT's have not been reproducing like the smaller ones. I've put every Olive MT I've found in one tank, and after several months, I'm just not seeing many babies. I wonder if perhaps Olive MT's have only one baby at at a time, or perhaps have separate sexes ? If so, only females would produce, where with the little ones, every individual can produce multiple babies at a time.

I'm hoping to build up a population of these guys, but it's going to take some time. Aside from trying to satisfy my own curiosity, I think Olive MT's might be of interest to some, to do the work MTS do, but without hordes of newborns.

I'm just wondering if anyone else has noticed any MT snails like this, or any other distinct type. If you have, I'd like to know.


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## raym (Aug 18, 2014)

Can you post some pictures of what you have? It may help to identify what you are dealing with.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

I've just gotten some pics of the bigger guys, I'll see if I can figure out how to post them. The biggest one is a solid half inch diameter, and a good inch and half long with a footprint the size of a dime.


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## DaFishMan (Dec 19, 2006)

It's been a long time how are things ?

Most of the plain ones are brown or slightly olive. The olive look nicer, the brown are bleh.

Mine are like you described - shells very light, with a whitish base colour & some rows of slightly zigzag, vertical stripes in a brownish colour. I wonder if you got some hitch-hikers from me in a plant trade. These used to be uncommon and I called them fancy mts. The people that used to trade or buy plants from me prob have some now. I got mine from a friend that works in a lab several years ago, no idea where he got them.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Nice to hear from you again. Wondered what happened to you. I suppose it's possible they came from you, I honestly have no clue where, but there are lots of them now. I separated them when I found them and while they don't breed as fast as the small ones, they still reproduce fairly well.


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## DaFishMan (Dec 19, 2006)

The Dec 2013 power outage  I lost my discus & most other fish. Most of the plants followed. I almost quit. Trying to rebuild slowly, much to do


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Very sorry to hear that Herb. Lost quite a lot myself in that. Maybe I can donate a few items to the rebuild ? What are you looking for ?


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## DaFishMan (Dec 19, 2006)

Plants, fish, shrimp, maybe snails. lol. I'll send you a pm  I'm decluttering too so have items to trade.


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