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10-08-2008, 08:12 PM
| | Active Member | | Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 71
| | | ponds and snails
Does anyone know how old snails have to be to reproduce ? I was intriqued this afternoon by 2 tiny babies locked into what looked like a very passionate embrace  These babies are only around 6-8 weeks old.
Also, now that winter is to too far away I am wondering about how the snails will fair during the cold months. Is there anything I need to do for them, ie like a heater ? I know fish have these sometimes. Do I need to leave the pumps running ? I was thinking that with all the bad winter weather the pumps would not be needed ? Will the snails need any extra food and if so what do I feed them ? Thnx in advance  |
11-08-2008, 09:59 PM
| | Active Member | | Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 71
| | | Re: ponds and snails
**** bump **** all these people looked and no-one got any information to share ???? |
11-08-2008, 10:03 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 3,871
| | | Re: ponds and snails
6-8 weeks seems a little young, aslong as the pond is not really shallow they will go down to the bottom and overwinter in debris or in cracks etc, they should have enough food in a developed pond.
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12-08-2008, 09:05 AM
| | Active Member | | Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 71
| | | Re: ponds and snails
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dogghound  6-8 weeks seems a little young, aslong as the pond is not really shallow they will go down to the bottom and overwinter in debris or in cracks etc, they should have enough food in a developed pond. | Thnx. The pond is about 18 inches deep - is that deep enough ? |
12-08-2008, 09:56 AM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 3,871
| | | Re: ponds and snails
Yes its deep enough for snails to overwinter in.
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12-08-2008, 11:15 PM
| | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: May 2007 Location: Caversham, Reading, Berks.
Posts: 539
| | | Re: ponds and snails
Hi,
Snails love floating fish food, flake is good but doesn't float too long, small fish food pellets, [ they sell them in the pound or 99p shops] they'll gallop from all over for.
We've had greater pond snails and ramshorn in our pond, [20 yrs established] but they don't last long with shells so thin you can't pick them up, any ideas anyone ?.
Max.
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13-08-2008, 08:46 AM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 3,871
| | | Re: ponds and snails
It sounds like your snails have some sort of calcium deficiency. A few possibilities i can think of is they are lacking in their diet (which is unlikely), the water conditions (which in an established pond is unlikely), they have a disease or some chemical is entering the pond (both would cause this) or your snails gene pool may be wareing a little thin and perhaps reintroducting some new individuals to the pond my help breeding some healthier individuals.
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13-08-2008, 09:15 AM
| | Active Member | | Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 71
| | | Re: ponds and snails
Quote:
Originally Posted by m1.carson Hi,
Snails love floating fish food, flake is good but doesn't float too long, small fish food pellets, [ they sell them in the pound or 99p shops] they'll gallop from all over for.
We've had greater pond snails and ramshorn in our pond, [20 yrs established] but they don't last long with shells so thin you can't pick them up, any ideas anyone ?.
Max. |
I read somewhere on the internet that you can buy a ' snail conditioner ' , which contains calcium and various other minerals and is reputed to help strengthen their shells. I cannot remember the site name, but I guess if you do a search you will find it. Sorry, cannot be of more help as a complete novice when it comes to pond keeping - we have only had ours for 3 months. |
13-08-2008, 12:00 PM
| | Active Member | | Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 74
| | | Re: ponds and snails
i've had my pond for about three weeks now, and appear to have a thriving population of beautiful pond snails...
how would these have got here? they are black with gold speckles and a cone shape.. they are very speedy and seem to be enjoying themselves?? |
13-08-2008, 12:20 PM
| | Active Member | | Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 71
| | | Re: ponds and snails
Quote:
Originally Posted by chocolatechip i've had my pond for about three weeks now, and appear to have a thriving population of beautiful pond snails...
how would these have got here? they are black with gold speckles and a cone shape.. they are very speedy and seem to be enjoying themselves?? |  They sound lovely - I think I may have to come and steal a few !! Most of mine are a greyish brown colour, apart from Blue - so named because of his beautiful blueish patterned shell. Are your snails conical or curly shelled ?
Snail eggs can come in on plants that you buy for the pond, especially it seems oxygenators. Also, if you added a bucket of sludge form an existing pond when you set up your pond there would have most likely been snails or eggs in it. They are indeed quite speedy and also very graceful ( in my opinion ). I don't know how intelligent snails are reputed to be or not be, but mine seem to recognise my hand when I pick them up and have no fear of me as they will crawl about on my hand.  |
13-08-2008, 12:21 PM
|  | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Grantham, Lincolnshire
Posts: 928
| | | Re: ponds and snails
Pond snail if not introduced by hand was most likely introduced as ova on some aquatic plant.
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13-08-2008, 12:58 PM
| | New Member | | Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Derbyshire/Manchester border
Posts: 3
| | | Re: ponds and snails
Was just wondering what sort of snails you have in your pond? Are all the others large?
I've mistaken snails (probably potamopyrgus) which are tiny for baby Lymnaea (great pond snail) before. The adults of the first ones get up to only about 5mm. I only worked it out after keeping an eye on them for a while that they hadn't grown at all. But then, I'm a bit short sighted! |
13-08-2008, 03:30 PM
| | Active Member | | Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 71
| | | Re: ponds and snails
Quote:
Originally Posted by Snailgirl Was just wondering what sort of snails you have in your pond? Are all the others large?
I've mistaken snails (probably potamopyrgus) which are tiny for baby Lymnaea (great pond snail) before. The adults of the first ones get up to only about 5mm. I only worked it out after keeping an eye on them for a while that they hadn't grown at all. But then, I'm a bit short sighted! |
Hi Blue is twice the size of the others and his shell has a very pretty blue/grey pattern on it. He also seems to be the boldest of them all as in I see him at the surface feeding more frequently than the others and he will crawl around on palm of my hand without fear. I did try to look it up on internet so I would know which variety he is, but have been unable to find any that look like him. Any ideas ??
Chocolatechip's snails sound lovely Could they be Black Japanese Trapdoor snails maybe ?? Don't know if you can get them over here.
Would I be correct in saying that from your forum name that you like snails and probably know lots about them ???? |
13-08-2008, 03:55 PM
|  | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: NWLondon
Posts: 965
| | | Re: ponds and snails
Quote:
Originally Posted by m1.carson We've had greater pond snails and ramshorn in our pond, [20 yrs established] but they don't last long with shells so thin you can't pick them up, any ideas anyone ?.
Max. | "The growth of the shell takes place in several stages. In the first stage a thin and soft organic layer (periostracum) is deposited by specialised cell near the shell opening (aperture). This is often very well visible in young snails. After the organic outer layer is ready, the snail deposits calcium carbonate crystals at the inside to strengthen the shell structure. It's at the latter stage (the calcium deposition) that problems can arise if the water quality is not suitable for snails. In practice this means water with a low pH (below 6.5) and low in calcium content. The snails are unable to create a strong shell in such cases and become vulnerable to shell damage, especially when the protecting outer layer has vanished with age (common in older snails of some species). It's therefore advisable to test the pH if one notice shell problems. A pH of 7 to 8 is optimal. A low pH can be easily corrected by adding calcium carbonate to the water. Most aquarium and pond shops sell special preparation to increase the pH and calcium concentration. Crushed or powdered marble or seashells, lime stone and eggs shells are an alternative for the do-it-yourself hobbyist. Before you raise the pH, make sure that the other inhabitants (fish) of the pond tolerate a pH of 7-8. Also never increase the pH too much at once (0.5/day max.)."
Hope this helps  |
14-08-2008, 09:35 AM
| | New Member | | Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Derbyshire/Manchester border
Posts: 3
| | | Re: ponds and snails
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigwig
Would I be correct in saying that from your forum name that you like snails and probably know lots about them ???? | Hello there,
well, I quite like water snails (though I'm not so sure about the land based ones currently decimating my lettuces, suppose they have got to eat something), but have a bit of professional interest as well as I research water pollution.
It's also a passing reference to how slowly I run!
Afraid I have no idea what your blue snail is - though it sounds really lovely!
Sorry! |
14-08-2008, 11:31 AM
| | Active Member | | Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 71
| | | Re: ponds and snails
Quote:
Originally Posted by Snailgirl Hello there,
well, I quite like water snails (though I'm not so sure about the land based ones currently decimating my lettuces, suppose they have got to eat something), but have a bit of professional interest as well as I research water pollution.
It's also a passing reference to how slowly I run!
Afraid I have no idea what your blue snail is - though it sounds really lovely!
Sorry! | Hi next time he appears I will try and take a photo of him. His shell has actually got a little bit darker now, it was a very pale blue/grey colour when he arrived. |
15-08-2008, 09:56 AM
| | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: May 2007 Location: Caversham, Reading, Berks.
Posts: 539
| | | Re: ponds and snails
Hi People,
I think you're right about the calcium deficiency, the PH around here is pretty near perfect 7ph, loads of very hard water but I think thats lime scale not calcium, [need to check].
Hi Bigwig,
Sounds like you've got a periwinkle. .
Max.
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16-08-2008, 07:31 PM
| | Active Member | | Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 71
| | | Re: ponds and snails
Quote:
Originally Posted by m1.carson Hi People,
Sounds like you've got a periwinkle. .
Max. | Hi I did a search for periwinkle snials and Blue doesn't look like any of the pictures. When I got him his shell had an unusual pale blue/ grey pattern, but now its gone much darker and although I can still see the pattern the colours have faded. Could he be some sort of hybrid ?
I bought some fish sticks, but they were not impressed at all and not even one snail ventured up for a nibble  They do love the oxygenator plants though - I have to keep buying new plants as all that is left after a few weeks are bare stalks
I have been thinking more about removing the gravel and pebbles from the rockery pond and adding soil. Do I just put the soil in the bottom and then add the water or the other way around ? How long will it take for all the soil to settle and will the water always be somewhat muddy ?
Last edited by bigwig; 16-08-2008 at 07:36 PM.
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17-08-2008, 10:22 AM
| | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: May 2007 Location: Caversham, Reading, Berks.
Posts: 539
| | | Re: ponds and snails
Hi bigwig,
Sorry, I was only joking about periwinkles, they're sea snails about the sort of colour you're talking about.
Whichever way you add them the water goes muddy but it will clear up in the end.
Max.
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17-08-2008, 11:52 AM
| | New Member | | Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 10
| | | Re: ponds and snails
bigwig hi i feed my pond snails with a thin slice of melon they love it
also to give more calcium for shell making i put in egg shell to my ponds
do you have just a liner or is there clay in the bottom of your pond as this can help them hibnate in cold winters
horn wort weed is good for shell making too as is curly pond weed which
califys up |
17-08-2008, 12:49 PM
| | Active Member | | Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 71
| | | Re: ponds and snails
Quote:
Originally Posted by pete the pond bigwig hi i feed my pond snails with a thin slice of melon they love it
also to give more calcium for shell making i put in egg shell to my ponds
do you have just a liner or is there clay in the bottom of your pond as this can help them hibnate in cold winters
horn wort weed is good for shell making too as is curly pond weed which
califys up | Hi I will get some melon for them to try - is there any particular variety of melon they prefer ? Do I need to crush up the egg shells and sprinkle in the water or just the broken halves ? The oxygentator plants are the Canadian Pond Weed type, its the only kind sold in shops around here.
We have 2 terraced ponds ( which are basically large tubs with a wooden surround ) and another large tub sunk into what used to be a rockery. I didn't know about the soil thing, so I just added gravel and pebbles. The snails don't seem bothered, in fact they seem to enjoy sitting on the pebbles, but I do worry about the Swan Mussel in one of the ponds as it has no soil to bury itself in. It seems to be doing ok at present and is feeding well. It looks and feels as if it has grown slightly
Do I really need to add soil ? The water in the ponds is quite clear and its nice to be able to part the floating plants and look down to see whats going on.
Last edited by bigwig; 17-08-2008 at 01:13 PM.
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17-08-2008, 07:41 PM
| | New Member | | Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 10
| | | Re: ponds and snails
hi bigwig no any melon is fine i use small bits with the skin after i have eaten it
and your egg shells i just dry then crush in my hand and drop two or three little bits in.
if your tubs do not have fish and are just for wildlife you can get alot more insect life by adding a thin layer of clay or sub soil to the bottom
you can then get hog louse , and midge fly larvae makes the ponds far more intresting.
if you have fish in them then they will eat snail eggs try and get ridged horn wort weed which is the main native water weed elodea crisper which is called gold fish weed is a good oyxgen maker but is classed as invasive on the enviroment agency list but should ok in a garden pond just do not add to any river or field ponds . hope this helps
i have forty two ponds in my garden with a large range from shaded to full sun . pete |
17-08-2008, 08:26 PM
| | Active Member | | Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 71
| | | Re: ponds and snails
Quote:
Originally Posted by pete the pond hi bigwig no any melon is fine i use small bits with the skin after i have eaten it
and your egg shells i just dry then crush in my hand and drop two or three little bits in.
if your tubs do not have fish and are just for wildlife you can get alot more insect life by adding a thin layer of clay or sub soil to the bottom
you can then get hog louse , and midge fly larvae makes the ponds far more intresting.
if you have fish in them then they will eat snail eggs try and get ridged horn wort weed which is the main native water weed elodea crisper which is called gold fish weed is a good oyxgen maker but is classed as invasive on the enviroment agency list but should ok in a garden pond just do not add to any river or field ponds . hope this helps
i have forty two ponds in my garden with a large range from shaded to full sun . pete | Hi Pete thnx for all the info, its very helpful.
Forty two ponds  Do you live on a country estate to have that much space
I half wish now that I had not bought the terraced ponds as they are quite small and so limited to what I can actually put in them. Also, not very deep at approx 18 inches. Maybe next year I might be more innovative and build a real pond .
Only one of the ponds will have fish in and then only 2 fish because of the size. The other ponds will remain fish free and for the exclusive use of the snails Do the fish eat young snails or just the eggs ? |
18-08-2008, 09:46 AM
| | New Member | | Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 10
| | | Re: ponds and snails
hi bigwig no my garden is only 50feet by 30 feet but i love ponds
i have washing up bowls as ponds in the garden and my largest is 8 foot by 6
only for wildlife my fish pond is 6 x three but i build ponds and lakes
for a living you see so must know all about what lives in them.
just been to cardigan in wales to clear a pond of parrotts feather
koi will eat snails gold fish tend to eat the eggs from the under side of leaves
but do eat small snails too
i have 9 spiecies of water snails in my ponds .
hope that helps you bigwig pete |
18-08-2008, 11:42 AM
| | Active Member | | Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 71
| | | Re: ponds and snails
Hi Pete do you by any chance know how old snails have to be to be able to reproduce, please ? There are quite a few babies in 2 of the ponds and I frequently see them locked together - they are only about 8 weeks old, surely too young ??? I also see the babies hitching a lift from the adults quite a lot The adults seem to get algae growth on their shells, so I suppose the babies get an easy meal, too. Is algae normal on their shells ?
Added some eggshell this morning. I forgot to ask, do the snails eat it or is it supposed to just decompose into the water?
West Wales is a very pretty part of Wales - how lucky you are to have a job travelling around to different places and working in the fresh air Beats being stuck in an office any day
I was thinking of adding 2 fish to the newest pond next week or week after. I would prefer not to buy from a garden centre ( for ethical reasons ), but do not know where else I can get fish from? I looked online at Freeads, etc, and I don't think rescue centres have fish.
Last edited by bigwig; 18-08-2008 at 11:49 AM.
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