the essentials in brief
- Bladder snails are often introduced into the aquarium through aquatic plants and decorations
- They are very useful because they are diligent cleaners, prefer to eat algae and ensure good water quality
- Bladder snails are extremely frugal and can cope with both warm and cold water and do not even stop at polluted waters
- They do not eat live plants, live fish or fish eggs and therefore pose no threat
Characteristics
Bladder snails represent a family within the aquatic pulmonate snails. There are around 80 species worldwide, three of which are native to Central Europe and one was introduced from North America. In aquaristics, bladder snails are spontaneous accompanying fauna that are brought in by new aquatic plants, decorations or fresh soil. From a biological point of view, they are an enrichment for the ecosystem because they break down organic substances more quickly.
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Good to know:
- Shell is formed from dissolved lime in the surrounding water
- if the pH value is low, the shell will dissolve
- Adding carbon dioxide promotes the peel dissolution
- Snails are no longer able to survive
characteristics
Bladder snails have a transparent and shiny housing with a smooth surface and can reach a size of up to 12 millimeters. Most of the time, however, they remain significantly smaller. The snail shell is always left-handed and tapered to a point or blunt. Through this bulbous, horn-colored housing, the lightly dotted jacket fabric is clearly recognizable. This makes bladder snails appear dotted with golden bubbles, which is what earned them their name. Despite the small wall thickness, the snail shell is comparatively stable.
Particularities:
- pointed and narrow foot
- long, thin antennae
- Eyes are at the base of the antennae
Digression
This is how bladder snails breathe
Locomotion
The snails can reach considerable speeds in the water. They only need ten seconds for one centimeter. They leave a thin film of mucus that is secreted by a gland and coats the floor. When the snails slide through the water without contact with the bottom, they pull the slime behind them like threads. These almost invisible filaments can expand into a complex system of traces when the water current is low. The snails can cling to these threads and return to the starting point.
Bladder snails are amazingly fast
Protection from enemies
Land snails can retreat into their housing in case of danger and close it with a lid. Bladder snails do not have such a closure and must protect themselves in other ways. They are able to expel air from their respiratory system. This makes the snail heavier than the water and quickly sinks to the bottom of the water, where it is safe from predators.
Water snails
The small bladder snail is one of the freshwater inhabitants that breathe with the help of a lungs. Their gills have receded so that the animals can only take in oxygen from the air. Therefore, bladder snails crawl to the surface of the water. Mud snails, sometimes mistaken for bladder snails, and ramshorn snails also breathe this way.
| sensor | casing | food | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mud snails | triangular | right-hand wound | occasionally live plants |
| Ramshorn snails | thickened | rolled up in one plane | Algae deposits, Remains of dead plant parts |
| Bladder snails | thread-like, long | left-handed, brightly dotted | Algae growth, biofilms and residues |
Bladder snails in the aquarium
Often bladder snails get into the aquarium through purchased aquatic plants, where they reproduce quickly under optimal conditions. Contrary to what is often assumed, the species are completely harmless and can be bred together with different organisms. Bladder snails are not a threat to shrimp and fish. However, some shrimp eat the bladder snail spawn.
Useful
Bladder snails cannot ensure that the aquarium remains completely free of algae. Nevertheless, they are a valuable aid in cleaning. They maintain the water quality by controlling the algae population. They eat fish excrement and leftover fish food that has sunk to the bottom.
The bladder snail thus deprives many bacteria of an important basis of life and thus reduces the germ density in the water. The immune system of the fish has to withstand a lower germ pressure so that the organisms can live in clean water.
Bladder snails are the underwater health police. They utilize both spoiled and half-digested leftovers.
Way of life and development
Bladder snails are diurnal and nocturnal and are extremely adaptable. They can cope with both warm and cooler temperatures and colonize polluted waters with a high pH value. The snails are hermaphroditic animals that do not necessarily need a partner to reproduce. Therefore, one introduced snail is enough to create a small population. Nothing is known about the life expectancy of a snail.
pairing
If enough conspecifics are available, the snails look for a mating partner. The individuals take on either the male or the female role. Often several animals can be seen mating in a long chain. During copulation, a snail crawls onto the partner's shell and everts the male sexual organ. The lower animal acts as a female. After a few minutes the act is complete and the female drives away the partner with striking movements of the housing.
Youtube
Egg laying
Bladder snails lay their eggs in the form of elongated masses. This so-called spawning ball is slightly curved and feels soft and jelly-like under pressure. A bladder snail can produce anywhere from three to 40 spawning balls. They are placed on parts of plants and left to their own devices. The eggs stand out as bright points from the mass, which consists of several levels. The spawn is almost invisible and can only be seen against a black background or when the light falls at an angle.
development
Embryonic development takes ten days at a water temperature of 24 degrees Celsius. The tiny juvenile snails usually leave the spawn after eight to 14 days to look for food. There is no parental brood care.
food
Bubble fish feed mainly on dead plant parts in the aquarium. They draw food from unused or half-digested residues of organic material, including fish excrement or sunken fish food. They do not eat higher plants, but rather eat the growth of lower plants such as diatoms and green algae. Your rasping tongue is unable to break down the tissue of healthy plants.
Errors cleared:
- Plant killer: does not eat plants that are alive
- Spawning predators: Bladder snail does not go to fish spawn
- window cleaner: tiny mouths cannot get a glass completely free of algae
Determine types
Of the 80 species worldwide, there are three that are native to Central Europe. These types can be distinguished from one another based on their appearance. Often the water also gives clues to the species, whereby some bladder snails are adaptable and also tolerate suboptimal conditions.
| habitat | Appearance | casing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pointed bladder snail | no demands on water quality | yellowish horn-colored | six turns |
| Swelling bladder snail | clear, plant-rich still and flowing waters | yellow-brown to black-blue | four turns |
| Moss bubble snail | ditches full of plants, ponds, moors | yellowish to reddish brown | slim |
Breeding bladder snails
There are some fish species such as puffer fish or paradise fish, which prefer to feed on snails. Zebra loaches and clown loaches are also known as snail-eaters, and they attack snails and spawn. If you keep such fish, you can feed them from your own snail farm.
Youtube
Jar and feeding
A five-liter jar is a good place to start for breeding bladder snails. You can feed the animals with slices of cucumber and raw potatoes. Occasionally add a pinch of fish food to the water. Bladder snails like to take fish food tablets, which are actually intended for bottom fish. You can also throw dead flies into the water. This approach food is a protein-rich delicacy.
Planting and location
Put some aquatic plants in the container to optimize the living conditions. Waterweed is enough to make bladder snails feel good. Put the container in a light spot to allow algae to develop. These cover the aquatic plants and offer the hatched larvae a good source of food.
Care and cleaning
The water should be changed occasionally. Make sure that the water hardness is not too low. Tap water is usually sufficient. If you are unsure, you can crumble the shell of a chicken egg and add it to the water. If you set up the vessel in living rooms with normal room temperature, you do not have to add additional heating. However, temperatures between 22 and 25 degrees Celsius accelerate the reproduction and development of the larvae.
Enemies and Dangers
If bladder snails are reproducing intensely, it is a good idea to check the conditions. A strong population development indicates a high nutrient input. Too large amounts of fish food lead to uncontrolled reproduction, because the natural conditions are ideal for the bladder snail.
Tips
Feed more sparingly and make sure that no fish food sinks to the bottom. If you collect bladder snails from the aquarium, more and more unused remains are left on the bottom
Parasites
Bladder snails are used by parasitic flukes as intermediate hosts. The approximately one millimeter long zecaria of the genus Trichobilharzia spread over the duck droppings. The hatching larvae settle in the snails and presumably infect other hosts before the worms, which live freely in the water, burrow through the skin of the ducks again.
Robbery tower snails
Robbery snails eat bladder snails
The carnivorous species of snail is a useful aquarium dweller that lives in both soft and hard water. With its striped housing, the species is a visual enrichment. The animals are of separate sex and are less prone to mass reproduction. Now that the bladder snails have been eradicated, you can feed them fish food.
Apple snails
The species come from the tropics, where they live in swampy waters. They prefer a water temperature of 18 to 28 degrees Celsius. Apple snails use the spawn of other snails as a source of protein and do not stop at living snails when there are deficiency symptoms, even though their diet is mainly plant-based.
copper
Sometimes it is necessary to use copper-containing drugs against flukes, parasites or planarians. In large quantities, copper kills the bladder snails. However, low concentrations are not bad and even beneficial, because the snails need copper as a trace element. Plant fertilizers containing copper are harmless in most cases.
Tips
Keep your distance from being attacked by a species of fish. As soon as this has exterminated the bladder snail, it lacks the nutritional basis and shows symptoms of deficiency.
frequently asked Questions
What are bladder snails?
Bladder snails belong to the water pulmonate group and live in fresh water. Typical is their left-hand wound housing that tapers or blunt. It is true that bladder snails have secondary gills with which they can draw oxygen from the water. Nevertheless, they occasionally have to go to the surface of the water to fill up their gas bubble in the housing. They absorb the oxygen through the mantle tissue.
Are bladder snails harmful?
Many aquarium owners are afraid of the bladder snail. They worry about their aquatic plants and the spawning of other living things. But bladder snails are completely harmless and anything but harmful. They prove to be extremely useful because they are considered indicator organisms and indicate errors in aquarium care. The snails play an important role as regulators, because they use excess food and dead remains.
Why do bladder snails reproduce en masse?
The snails react extremely to the conditions in their habitat. If there is an excess of food, the animals reproduce in large numbers. If the food resources dwindle, the animals stop their mating activities. You should only add as much food to the water as the fish can eat. Make sure that no large amounts sink to the bottom.
Can you breed bladder snails?
The animals can be bought in stores because many aquarium owners use bladder snails as food for their fish. Bladder snails can be grown in the aquarium with simple means. You can put them in the garden pond during the summer months. Bladder snails are tolerant and tolerate cooler temperatures. The optimal water temperature is between 22 and 25 degrees Celsius. Sea water is not suitable for breeding because the animals live in fresh water.
Where do bladder snails live?
Many of the 80 or so species of bladder snail were brought out of their original range so that they could spread widely. The climatic conditions represent the limit of dispersion. Bladder snails live in stagnant or slow-flowing waters. They prefer a dense vegetation, because this serves as a food base, hiding place and spawning place. Four species are known in Germany, with one species being introduced from North America.
