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Trumpet snails are by far the most handy to keep with your fish!
During the day they generally sift through the substrate in search of food. This can be algae, dead plant matter, excess fish food and even fish waste! At night they tend to climb the sides of the tank and also any decorations etc in search of.. you guessed it.. more food. Breaking down all of these organic materials into less harmful substances. Their waste is very long and thin, giving plenty more surface area for the good bacteria in your tank to do their job breaking it down even more. In lab studies these snails have been shown to improve the water quality by 35% in comparison with an exact same set up without the snails.
The Malaysian Trumpet Snail is actually a benefit to any aquarium for several reasons. It will not eat your plants at all. This snail also will not "muscle" your shrimp off of food meant for the shrimp. The Malaysian Trumpet Snail feeds on detritus and leftover food that is underneath the substrate. It actually burrows in the substrate and moves around throughout. You will rarely see this snail during the day. Occasionally it will emerge from the substrate. A cool thing is that sometimes you will see the substrate move and you will know that there is a Malaysian Trumpet Snail underneath doing its cleaning duties.
Do not eat your plants
Malaysian Trumpet snails are one of the only freshwater snails which leaves plants alone! Apple snails and Ramshorn snails are the worst culprits for this and can leave you with no plants at all! Malaysian Trumpet Snails (MTS) will only eat plants if you literally starve them of all other food! They will, however eat dead plants or cooked leafy vegetables. Eating dead plants helps keep with water cleaner. Giving the occasional boiled lettuce or spinach leaf is beneficial to the snails.
Suitable For Your Tank Setup?
If the conditions in your tank fit in the below guide, trumpet snails would be very happy in your tank!
Very happy with other breeds of snails!
TEMPERATURE - 16-28c suitable for cold water and tropical tanks.
NO LOACHES (except sucking loaches)
How Many Should I Buy?
This depends on how big your tank is! However most buy about 3-4 to start with, sometimes a few more. In a few months after buying baby snails you are likely to have quite a few more than you started with!
If you have a heavily planted tank, I would suggest buying more as they are excellent at keeping plant roots in perfect condition, aerating the surrounding substrate and reducing the build up of toxic gases trapped in the gravel or sand (dead spots).
Can I Put Them In A Newly Set Up Tank?
Definitely! These guys are a superb choice to put in a newly set up aquarium. They are hardy (survive easily) and break down food and fish waste fast. Very good when trying to get your nitrite/nitrate levels to balance and become low when you first add life to the tank!
Water Parameters:
Trumpet Snails seem to need little hands-on attention. As long as tank conditions are right, they will thrive in established tanks without much effort. While Malaysian Trumpet Snails can do well in a wide range of water parameters, it’s good to keep conditions in the freshwater community tank range:
Aquarium pH: 7.0 – 7.5, with water on the hard side
Water Temperature: 70 – 78 Degrees Fahrenheit
Lighting: Standard community tank lighting
Malaysian Trumpet Snail care is similar to caring for other snails and shrimp. It’s important to test tank water often. Make sure Ammonia and Nitrite levels stay at 0 ppm, and control Nitrate levels as well as organic matter build up with regular partial water changes. It’s also important that water be kept on the hard side as this is necessary for healthy shell growth. Be very careful when using plant fertilizers and medications as some of the ingredients may be harmful to Trumpet Snails. Most importantly, avoid copper, because even in small amounts, copper can be fatal.
Malaysian Trumpet Snails are ferocious eaters spending most of the day under the substrate. They dig through substrate in search of edible matter that has accumulated on the tank bottom. When the tank lights go off, Trumpets can be seen moving up from the substrate to scour other hard surfaces for food. The next day, the snails burrow back into the substrate to spend lighted hours buried and out of site. While digging, their long mouth appears, extending well beyond their shells resembling an elephant trunk.
Food Sources:
Malaysian Trumpet Snails like left-overs including uneaten fish food, fish flakes, bottom feeder tablets, pellets, and algae wafers. They also enjoy all sorts of debris, detritus and soft algae growing on hard surfaces. Malaysian Trumpet Snails enjoy tanks with lots of live plants. The live plants continuously shed edible material adding to the snails natural diet. Malaysian Trumpet Snails do not seem interested in eating live plants, just the debris.
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