The Golden Apple Snail

The Golden Apple Snail is a popular addition to most types of freshwater aquarium due to their colour and size. They are native to Southern and Central America and Southern USA. If looked after and cared for correctly they can reach a size of up to 6 inches in diameter.

Golden Apple Snail by Roo Reynolds

Feeding
Apple Snails are voracious herbivores. Devouring most plant life in your aquarium and rasping on algae growing in your tank. Although they have extremely good appetites and cannot survive purely on the algae growing in your aquarium and will require additional food. They will scavenge for any left over foods such as flake food and pellets and can also be fed algae wafers or even vegetables such as blanched lettuce and cucumber.

Housing
They are not overly fussy about the water parameters they live in. They do require space though as they will grow to their potential maximum size regardless of the size of your aquarium. One problem that I have often seen in Apple Snails is a lack of calcium in their diet and water causing the softening and cracking of their shell. If this occurs then a good remedy is to scrape some cuttle fish, available from most pet store, in to their water and let it dissolve. This should raise the calcium levels in the water and lead to a healthier shell on your Apple Snail.

Temperature
The optimum temperature for Apple Snails is between 18 degrees c and 26 degrees c. Although they can be kept in cooler water you will find that they are less active and will eat and grow slower than when they are housed in warmer water.

Breeding
Apple snails, unlike some other snail species, need two separate sex snails to reproduce. They generally reproduce during a time of warmer water and when higher quality food is in abundance. Apple Snails lay their eggs in a medium sized, pink coloured egg case outside of the water. Usually in the lid of your aquarium. leave the egg case in position and soon enough the baby snails will hatch and make their own way into the water. Feed the baby snails well on a mixture of algae wafers, cucumber and daphnia and brineshrimp.

Author Resource: Written by Tom Williams
http://www.waterworksaquatics.co.uk