Mystery snails, just like Nerite snails, are a very popular breed of snails among aquarium keepers. They are large snails that are quite unique from other snails due to their different breathing technique.
Having Mystery snails means getting used to seeing Mystery snail poop in your aquarium. Since they’re living, breathing animals, they will also create waste in the form of poop. You have to make sure that you know how to properly clean your tank to keep it clean at all times.
In this article, we’ll talk about Mystery snail poop and what you can do about them.
Table of Contents
Do Mystery snails poop in aquarium?
Like all other creatures inside your aquarium, Mystery snails poop as well. In fact, they tend to poop every few minutes. If you have a Mystery snail, you’ll notice their poop cluttering up the bottom of your tank, floating on the surface, or laying on your plant leaves in no time at all.
What does mystery snail poop look like?
Mystery snail poop can vary depending on what they’re eating, as well as their general health. For instance, normal mystery snail poop is typically dark. Think brownish in color.
It can also be dark mustard in color. Some aquarists have seen their mystery snails poop sticky, dark yellowish material after feeding them sticky food.
Sometimes, though, mystery snail poop can look like a tiny grain of rice. When it’s white like this, you have to be careful because it usually means that your snail has some kind of nutritional imbalance. It could also be that they’re not eating enough green food, such as algae. If this is the case for your snail, be sure to add something to aid its diet.
Do mystery snails produce a lot of waste?
Mystery snails can produce a lot of waste. They’re some of, if not the, biggest snails in any freshwater tank. This means that they can eat a lot of algae, which translates to more poop. Of course, the more they eat, the more they’ll poop. And since they’re constantly eating, that means they’re also constantly pooping.
Their bioload tends to be rather big as well, which is why they’re not really recommended in smaller tanks. Luckily, if you only have one in your tank, it can’t reproduce. This means that you won’t experience a sudden explosion in mystery snails — or mystery snail poop, for that matter.
Do mystery snails eat their own poop?
Mystery snails do not eat their own poop. Although there are a few snail species that do eat other creatures’ poop, they typically don’t eat their own. Pretty much no common aquarium snail does this, so if you’re looking for a tankmate who can eat all waste including its own, you’re looking at the wrong snail.
Instead, mystery snails tend to eat mostly green food, as well as leftover fish food like pellets or flakes. Aside from actual algae inside your tank, they also enjoy algae wafers and algae tablets. The biofilm that forms inside your tank is also considered a source of sustenance for snails, including Mystery snails.
If you’re thinking of feeding your Mystery snails some special food, they would especially love blanched vegetables. Some good options are spinach, cucumber, kale, and zucchini. If you want to see an excited Mystery snail, try dropping a blanched vegetable into your tank and watch them rush towards it.
Do mystery snails eat fish waste?
Similarly, mystery snails do not eat fish waste or fish poop. Some people online claim that the pet store they bought the Mystery snail told them this, but it’s simply not true. While snails do eat ‘dirty’ material inside the tank, this doesn’t include poop of any kind.
To add insult to injury, there are actually no fish or snail species that would eat fish waste, which makes this misconception even more surprising. Although you may sometimes observe some fish in your aquarium nibbling on poop, it’s most likely a mistake. They’re probably going to spit it back out once they realize what they’re nibbling on.
If you want your tank to be devoid of all waste material, including fish poop and snail poop, you have to regularly clean your tank. This means regular water changes, as well as regular vacuuming of the substrate. It may be a bit harder if you’ve got a planted tank, but it’s the only sure way to remove all waste material from your aquarium.
Did you learn something from this article? Don’t forget to visit our aquarium blog!