Apple Snails are omnivorous and will consume boiled vegetables or commercial pellets/flakes. In smaller aquariums or with large numbers they will need to be fed extra food. They eat hair algae and are effective cleaners of aquarium glass and driftwood. Apple snails will consume debris and algae within the aquarium.They need to be fed excess food and may starve other intertebrates in the aquarium. As mentioned previously they will consume live plants. They grow very large and need a wide area to graze. However Apple Snails are not suitable for small aquariums. Their large size helps remove large amounts on rotting debris and algae. Apple Snails are excellent scavengers in large tanks with minimal plants.Apple Snails can help contribute to reducing nitrates. Nitrates should be as close to 0ppm as possible.Apple Snails are sensitive spikes in ammonia.Apple Snails can grow very large and destructive, adults can exceed 1" in diameter.They are very adaptable to water hardness. Relative water hardness for Apple Snails should be 6-12dH.They are fairly adaptable to a wide range of pH in captivity. Apple Snails require pH between about 6.5 and 8.Higher temperatures will increase spawning rates. The optimum aquarium temperature for Apple Snails is around 70☏ - 80☏ (21☌-27☌).Destruction of these eggs will not prevent the species from reproducing. Apple Snails lay eggs just above the water line of the aquarium. Their populations often grow out of control and are difficult to eradicate. It is also not advisable to keep them with other snails or shrimp species.Īpple Snails will breed consistently if they are given water and food. When keeping Apple Snails it is best to keep them in an aquarium with fake or no plants. Shrimp or other scavenging species are often starved due to the lack of food available. Slow growing plants can be completely consumed to never grow back. They can become somewhat of a pest due to their large apetite. They are slow creatures that have a large apetite for organic matter.Īpple Snails diet often includes aquarium plants. A 1 inch diameter shell is common size for adult Apple Snails. Purchasers often do not realize they can grow very large very quickly. Apple Snails are often refered to as "Blue Mystery Snails" in the pet store, with little regard or information about their species. They range in color from deep blue to gold and even striped. They are very common and available at almost all LFS. Since they live in complete darkness, there’s no need to be able to detect light they’ll never see.Apple Snails are a tropical freshwater species of aquarium snail. That’s likely because these creatures lack several key photoreceptor genes, the study found. The Mariana snailfish makes up for this by producing high numbers of proteins that transport necessary substances, Wang says.įinally, the fish lack functional eyes and did not respond to the lights of the team’s lander, consistent with previous research. Most animals have one copy of these gene, while these fish have five.Įven moving chemicals into and out of cells can be difficult at these high pressures. The team found that the fish have high levels of a substance called trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), which is used to stabilize proteins. Such high pressures can also break down proteins, which are important for normal physiological processes. Wang says this makes their bones more flexible and likely more able to withstand pressure. This mutation renders the gene partially nonfunctional. In fact, the team found that the fish have a mutation in the primary gene responsible for calcification, the buildup of calcium to harden the bones. What’s more, their bones are not entirely made of, well, bone-but are largely cartilage. First author Kun Wang, from the Northwestern Polytechnical University, says this “may help the internal and external pressures to be balanced.” In other words, if the fish had a complete and fused skull, it would be crushed by the pressure. For one, the fish have gaps in their skulls. (See how some deep-sea fish blend in with the darkness.) The team picked up specimens from around 23,000 feet below sea level using remotely-operated landers, and analyzed the creatures’ genes, proteins, and anatomy. In a study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, Chinese researchers examined the anatomy and genetics of the fish. How does an animal make a living in such an extreme place? (See " How the Mariana Trench Became Earth's Deepest Point.") In the Mariana Trench-7,000 meters below the ocean’s surface-these fish makes a living in total darkness and at crushing pressures that can reach 1,000 times more than at sea level.īut the Mariana snailfish is not only abundant in this area it’s the region’s top predator. At the deepest point in the ocean lives a fish that is pink, slimy, and looks a bit like an oversized tadpole, up to a foot long.
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