How to Culture Snails for Freshwater Puffers

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=AJ_Houston]AJ Houston
If you're keeping freshwater pufferfish, then you probably already know that you need to feed them a crunchy diet to maintain their beak. However, it isn't always easy to find the right sized snails when you need them - that's why breeding your own colony of Ramshorn snails offers a perfect solution.
Introduction to Ramshorn Snails for Freshwater Puffers
Depending on who you are talking to, ramshorn snails are either considered pest snails, or an excellent cleanup crew that will eat various types of algae and uneaten, rotting food. Many people first discover them after buying live plants - "pest" snails are notorious for hitchhiking into fish tanks via new plant purchases. Typically, those who consider them pests did not intentionally place them in their aquariums, and wake up one morning dismayed to find hundreds of baby snails covering their fish tank glass.
Regardless of what you may consider them, ramshorn snails are an excellent feed snail for freshwater pufferfish. Their shells are not as hard as Malaysian Trumpet Snails, they grow to a decent size, and they are very prolific breeders so long as they have access to adequate space and a reliable food source. There are several different color varieties of ramshorn snails that have been developed by hobbyists, including different shades of red, brown, and blue - there are also some that have a spotted pattern to them.
Starting the Colony of Ramshorn Snails for Freshwater Puffers
Supplies needed:
Starter culture of ramshorn snails
10 gallon fish tank set up
Dark leafy greens, algae wafers

Because Ramshorn snails are hermaphroditic, you technically only need two to get started - I like to start out with at least 10-20 because I am impatient. In order to keep a colony of ramshorn snails continually breeding, you will need to set up at least a 10 gallon fish tank (or equivalent container). This should include a filter big enough to support the bio-load, and ideally an aquarium heater too - you will still be able to breed them without a heater, however, your snails will breed faster if you keep their water warm. Once you have everything set up, toss your snails in, feed them nutritious foods, like zucchini, spinach, and algae wafers, and then sit back and wait!
The best way to ensure that you always have a reliable source of crunchy food available for your small to midsized freshwater pufferfish is to breed your own colony of snails. Make sure that you allow your colony to get established before you start feeding them off to your puffers - if you start too soon, you'll deplete your colony and will need to start from the beginning again. Out of all the snails that I have tried to breed, ramshorn snails have been the easiest for me. I don't consider them a pest snail, and I even occasionally place a few of them in my other fish tank set ups to keep the gravel bed clean in between water changes.
Fortunately, raising Ramshorn snails and other common pond [http://freshwaterpufferfish.org/puffer-diet/how-to-breed-pond-snails-for-your-freshwater-puffer]snails for puffer food isn't very difficult at all - you just have to have enough patience to get the colony started!
However, if you're like me and you're having a hard to making that happen, make sure you check out my in depth guide about raising snails for puffer food at http://www.freshwaterpufferfish.org where I detail all the areas that I went wrong (and of course, what I got right, too!).
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Culture-Snails-for-Freshwater-Puffers&id=6723047] How to Culture Snails for Freshwater Puffers