# Small*Planorbids, Ramshorn Snails - Family*Planorbidae



## boxboy (Jun 11, 2012)

Ok so I found some small, clear snails in my planted dirt tank. Not on the plants but on glass and dirt. The best way I can describe them is Small*Planorbids, Ramshorn Snails - Family*Planorbidae. But these are clear.

Good ? Bad? 

Thanks


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## xriddler (Feb 16, 2012)

Do you have a picture for us to help identify it? Ramhorns look nice if you can keep them in check but they are prolific breeders. I have personally noticed that ram horns like to stay above substrate and i dont see them help air out the substrate at all but instead they chew on my frogbit all day long. i have not seen a clear shelled ramhorn yet though. you sure they arent limpets cause those are clear.


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## Jackson (Jan 30, 2009)

Probably harmless but might eat some plants. I've seen them in my tanks before I've also seen them in other members tanks that are heavily planted and no plants looked damaged. 
Ram horns are great for cleaning up they do a very good job.


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## xriddler (Feb 16, 2012)

Jackson said:


> Probably harmless but might eat some plants. I've seen them in my tanks before I've also seen them in other members tanks that are heavily planted and no plants looked damaged.
> Ram horns are great for cleaning up they do a very good job.


i have no idea why they are eating my frogbits though but my plants are a bit yellow i think its nitrate deficiency since frogbits get all the co2 in the room.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Oddly enough, though I have tons of snails of many species, including plenty of ramshorns, I don't find they do any damage to the plants. I wonder if your frogbits do have a deficiency, perhaps that is why the snails are at them. They tend to eat dead plant matter, as a rule.

Never have seen a clear shell ramshorn, though some of the baby ones have little colouration to the shells. They seem to become more coloured as they grow. In any case, it's the body of the snail that is taken as the colour of the snail, not the shell. So I'm curious, what colour are the bodies of the snails with clear shells ?

Just out of curiosity, what do your snail eaten frogbits look like ? Do they have very ragged, gnawed looking edges, or are there larger, smoother edged chunks missing ?


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## boxboy (Jun 11, 2012)

xriddler said:


> Do you have a picture for us to help identify it? Ramhorns look nice if you can keep them in check but they are prolific breeders. I have personally noticed that ram horns like to stay above substrate and i dont see them help air out the substrate at all but instead they chew on my frogbit all day long. i have not seen a clear shelled ramhorn yet though. you sure they arent limpets cause those are clear.


Nope, too small. Not excatly attractave looking. no real markings on them. Just almost clear and tiny. Round shells no chunks, remind me of gardon snails lol
Got 1 dead leaf and these are not eating it? but are on the living plants tho. Ill try and get a pico with the macro option on my phone.

Questions: Are Euro Frogbits allowed to be collected wild in ontario?
The ont website for plants sayes these are an invasive speices. But we have asain species of the same plant in pet stores.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

It's true they will graze on plant leaves, but when I find mine doing this, they are not eating the plant, they are eating the biofilm or algae that is on the leaf. I sure don't see holes or raggedy edges behind the snails as they move along a leaf.


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## prolific8 (Jan 10, 2013)

*snails*

could it be a very young bladder snail? they can be mistaken for extremely young ramshorn and are fairly clear until they mature


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## xriddler (Feb 16, 2012)

here is my picture of snail eaten frogbits


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Most of the leaves in that pic look extremely healthy and very nicely formed. From the pic, it looks like the only leaves that have damage are yellowing, which is perfectly normal for older leaves on a frogbit. They don't stay green forever. Yellowing leaves are dying and thus might attract snails to eat them.

I don't see any really chewed up looking edges, even on the damaged leaves in the pic, which is what I would expect from Ramshorns, which have very small mouths. They might be eating the yellow leaves, but all those green leaves are very, very healthy. No nutrient deficiency there at all. The fact the plants have those pretty purple/brown streaks on them, to me, is an indication that they are seriously happy with their growing conditions.


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## boxboy (Jun 11, 2012)

Good Call guys, thanks for the info 
why is it that the nice looking shrimps are the hardest to care for lol


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Murphy's Law !


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