Who hunts kangaroos among the predators. Kangaroo is an amazing marsupial mammal
Lifespan: 1-4 years
Ampullaria ( lat. Pomacea bridgesii ) - major representative family of gastropods. Popular among aquarists due to their love of algae, from which these snails clean the aquarium.
The ampoule's behavior is calm, even lazy. During their life, snails only eat and reproduce; they don’t need anything else. Therefore, you should not worry if after a hearty meal the snail stops moving, it is simply digesting food.
Appearance
Ampularia is a large snail with a beautiful rounded shell. The color of the shell can be very diverse; in aquariums you can find yellow, blue, brown, black and other ampullaria. The size of the snail is quite large, depending on the species, living conditions and feeding. On average, a snail grows to 5-15 centimeters, but there are also larger ones.The structure of the snail's body matches the difficult living conditions in natural environment. The leg is strong and strong, at the end there is an operculum (closing valve). In case of drought, danger or during hibernation, the ampullaria hides in the shell and is closed by the operculum, thus it waits until the onset of prosperous times.
By the way, ampullaria, as a rule, hibernate only in their natural habitat. In an aquarium where there are no cataclysms, the snail does not need this process.
Ampoules can breathe both atmospheric air and oxygen dissolved in water. The snail has gills on one side and lungs on the other. The snail regularly rises to the surface of the water and captures atmospheric air. However, she will not be able to live without water, since she is still aquatic inhabitant. At the same time, without atmospheric air The snail will also not live long, so there should always be 10 centimeters of free space between the water and the edge of the aquarium.
Interestingly, ampullaria have the ability to regenerate. If a snail's whiskers are pinched, it will recover after some time. Ampulyarri are able to restore any organs, including eyes. Of course, the restored organ will be small and unsightly, but fully functional. However, do not forget that regeneration requires significant resources, so if a snail is attacked every day, sooner or later it will die.
Photos of ampularia
Yellow ampularia
White ampularia
Living in wildlife
Ampullaria are distributed throughout the Amazon, in the USA and South-East Asia. They live in fresh waters rivers, lakes, ponds and any other bodies of water. Living in the tropics, where drought seasons are common, ampularia has adapted to difficult weather conditions and successfully expanded its habitat. It is thanks to this that the snail is so hardy and unpretentious.Water parameters
Temperature: 18-28 o CHardness dH: 7-20
Acidity pH: 7-8
Ampularia can live at a wide range of temperatures, but it is worth considering that as the temperature rises, the snails' metabolism accelerates. Accordingly, if you keep the ampoule in warm water, then they will be active, eat a lot and reproduce, but their lifespan at this pace will be significantly reduced. In cool water, the opposite happens; snails become slow and sleep a lot. Ideal temperature for these snails it is considered 22-24 o C.
It is important to maintain the presence of calcium in the water. If the snail's shell collapses, holes appear, or the shell begins to peel, this indicates that there is not enough calcium. To correct this situation, you need to do water changes once a week, about 20% of the volume needs to be changed. If replacements occur regularly, then it is worth throwing shells, marble or limestone chips into the aquarium. Thanks to its ability to regenerate, the snail will soon restore its shell.
Aquarium for snail
When choosing an aquarium, follow a simple rule: 10-13 liters of water per ampoule. If you are going to keep only a few ampularia in the aquarium, without fish and other inhabitants, then an aquarium with a volume of 30-40 liters will be enough. Several snails and several small fish will already require about 100-120 liters of volume. Ampoules with medium-sized shrimp will fit comfortably in a 40-60 liter aquarium.Some people want to plant ampularia in a jar, but this is not the most the best option. It is much better to buy a small aquarium in which the snail will feel comfortable. You can beautifully lay out the soil in the aquarium, plant plants, and install a heating pad if necessary. This mini aquarium will look much better better than banks, and the snail will be comfortable in it. However, if you have a 10-liter jar, you can populate the ampoule there too.
The aquarium must be covered from above so that the snails cannot go on an unauthorized journey. When a female is looking for a place to lay eggs, she can cover impressive distances. And there are situations when the owners found caviar in the closet, but the lost snail was not found at all. Leave breathing space between the lid and the water surface.
Filtration and aeration
These snails don’t really need aeration, but filtration won’t be superfluous. Ampoules leave a fairly impressive amount of waste products for their size. Therefore, during substitutions, be sure to siphon the soil.Ampularia and plants
Very often, aquarists complain that ampullaria gnaw all the vegetation in the aquarium. There is a significant amount of truth in this statement. As a rule, snails switch to plants when they are hungry. If you regularly and efficiently feed snails, they will become indifferent to plants. Most likely... but not a fact. Some snails, obviously out of harm anyway, will covet the aquarium stretch.To minimize attacks on plants, feed the snail often and a lot; in general, they suffer greatly from the fact that there is not enough food. Keep an eye on your pets; a hungry snail actively moves around the aquarium in search of food, while a well-fed one sits in its shell in energy-saving mode.
As a rule, Anubias and Cryptocoryne snails are too tough for them. Few people like these plants at all. Or, you can plant an abundance of plants in the aquarium that grow quite quickly. This way the snails will be able to make their raids without much harm to the beds.
Compatibility
Ampularia are absolutely calm creatures that, even with a very strong desire, cannot harm other aquatic organisms. At the same time, the snail is not averse to feasting on the remains of its neighbor. If you notice an ampoule on a lifeless corpse, then know that it has nothing to do with it. Even if it wants, the snail will not be able to catch up with a healthy individual.Within a view There are no problems, the ampullaria do not quarrel at all. Neighborhood with other gastropods possible, but on condition that there is enough food for everyone. There are situations when, for example, fisa or melania are accidentally introduced into an aquarium. Small snails multiply at the speed of light and begin to eat everything in their path. In such a situation, ampullaria often die of starvation.
With the snail predator Helena It’s definitely not possible to house the ampoule. If the aquarium is inhabited by others, more small snails, then the ampoule is safe for some time. However, as soon as the small snails run out, Helena will immediately take up the ampoule. First, the small ones will be destroyed, and then the large ones will be used as food.
With shrimps the neighborhood is peaceful. However, it’s definitely not worth housing anyone with the predatory macrobrachium shrimp. In general, the proximity of ampularia and shrimp is in balance. Sometimes, large shrimp can nibble on snails, and a molted shrimp can be found by snails. But, as a rule, these are isolated cases that do not affect the entire population.
Fish neighbors It’s worth choosing among calm and non-conflict ones. Good fit viviparous fish, for example, guppies, mollies, platies, they are similar in terms of keeping conditions. Ancistrus and other calm catfish will also get along well with these snails.
Some contain ampoule with cichlids, but this is dangerous for the snails. It is clear that cichli snails will nibble their whiskers and will eat many snails. The cockerel won't either good neighbor, he will attack and if he doesn’t kill, he will maim. They are famous for their love of attacking snails and bots. If the snail lives in the same aquarium with a predator that attacks it, then it is worth evacuating the snails. Otherwise, you may well lose the entire population.
Thus, in general aquarium It is possible and even necessary to keep an ampoule. Just when you move in, make sure that no one harms the ampularia, and also that it has enough food.
Feeding ampularia
As a rule, snails can be content with what they themselves find in the aquarium. If there are enough plants in your jar and there are leftovers from fish food, then the snail can live comfortably without feeding. However, if the snail is large and you see that it clearly does not have enough food, then it is worth feeding it additionally. However, do not overdo it, because a too-fed snail almost always sits in its house and does not show itself. And overeating has never benefited any living creature.If a snail actively moves around the aquarium in search of food, it means it is hungry. However, if there is algae in the aquarium and you want the snail to remove it, you should not feed it. A well-fed snail will definitely not clear the aquarium of unwanted vegetation.
Almost everyone eats ampularia, so there shouldn’t be any problems. Snails will happily eat fish food and shrimp food. It is convenient to throw bottom tablets to the snails. Many people use weekend food, which takes a long time to dissolve in water and hardly pollutes the water.
Snails are excellent at eating vegetables dipped in boiling water. These can be cucumbers, zucchini, cabbage, carrots, etc. Spirulina will also not interfere with the snails and will be eaten with appetite. Ampoules respect banana peels, although they may make the aquarium somewhat cloudy.
Do not overdo it when feeding, because if the food is not completely eaten, it will begin to decompose and pollute the water. Vegetables cannot be kept in the aquarium for more than a day, and dry food will begin to decompose within a few hours. It is worth keeping an eye on the snail to calculate the amount of food that will be enough for it.
After a heavy meal, the snail will hide in its shell and go into energy saving mode. It can lie motionless on the ground or float to the surface. Nothing bad happens, she's just digesting a delicious lunch. This process may take about a day.
Ampularia benefits and harms
It is very difficult to say unequivocally whether ampularia is useful or not. On the one hand, the snail is a cleaner, picking up the remains of fish food and eating algae. However, there are many fish and snails that cope with this function just as well, and some better.Pros of ampoule
- beautiful to look at
- eats leftover food
- eats unwanted algae
Cons of ampularia
- eats aquarium plants
- copes with algae worse than others
- many enemies
Reproduction
Ampularia, unlike many snails, are not hermaphrodites and will require two different-sex individuals for reproduction. It is impossible to determine whether the bird in front of you is a male or a female. Therefore, for successful reproduction it is worth purchasing 4-6 individuals.Snails are usually ready to mate at the age of one year. However, if they live in very warm water, their metabolism accelerates and sexual maturity may occur earlier.
Obtaining offspring is not difficult, in optimal conditions snails reproduce quickly. No special preparations are needed.
If you want to stimulate the reproduction of ampullaria, you need to create them comfortable conditions, just feed and slightly increase the water temperature. These snails can reproduce all year round with enviable regularity. If the temperature in the aquarium is high, then the females are ready to lay eggs every week.
When mating, the male is always on top. The fertilized female will very soon begin to look for a place to lay a clutch. Ampularia eggs are not laid in water. The most optimal place for caviar is the gap between the water and the lid of the aquarium.
If desired, you can attach a small bridge to the lid, where the snail can lay its eggs. However, this is not necessary; the snail can leave eggs on the lid of the aquarium. True, in this situation there is a risk that unripe caviar will fall into the water if you open the lid.
If ampullaria eggs get into the water, then most likely there will be no offspring. True, there is a chance that the small ampularia are already quite developed and getting into the water simply stimulates them to get out to freedom.
Egg development occurs over several weeks. To successfully obtain small snails, an air temperature of about 20-28 o C is required and high humidity. These are the parameters that are observed under the lid of the aquarium. After the snails are ready, they fall into the water, where they will continue to grow and develop.
Once the snail has laid eggs, you don’t need to do anything with it; it’s better not to touch it at all. But sometimes it happens that caviar is in the most inappropriate place. For example, the masonry right next to the lamp can fry, but outside the aquarium it can dry out. In such situations, the eggs can be carefully unhooked and placed, for example, on a foam raft. Or use the method with a shelf that is attached to the lid of the aquarium.
Once the little snails hatch, they become completely independent. There is no need to put any additional effort into their upbringing. The growth rate of juveniles depends on housing and feeding conditions.
Health and treatment of ampullaria snails
Ampularia are very hardy creatures, but they also die. If your snail has been lying on the bottom for several days without moving, and the valve is slightly open, then most likely it has died. To find out for sure, take it out of the aquarium and smell it; the smell of a dead snail is very pungent and unpleasant.Why ampularia die
The most common cause of death for these snails is starvation. If the snails begin to die, then adjust their diet. Or perhaps it’s just time, because the life of a snail is not so long, especially in warm water.There are practically no medicines for snails, because they tolerate them very poorly. If you plan to use any drugs in the aquarium, it is better to remove the snails for a while. Copper, which is included in some medicines for fish, is deadly for shellfish. And they don’t like other chemistry. You should not experiment and try to bathe snails even in potassium permanganate or hydrogen peroxide.
Sometimes, the ampularia inflates a bubble. As a rule, these are prolapsed organs; this also happens in other snails. This bubble prevents the snail from hiding in its shell, the snail becomes less active and loses its appetite. In such a situation, you can do nothing, but then the snail will most likely die. Some try to help the snail push the organ back with a cotton swab. In some situations, the decision is made to remove the bladder in the hope of regeneration. Unfortunately, such attempts rarely end in success.