Andy Foden
Pea puffer Carinotetraodon travancoricus ; all pufferfish are natural predators of snails.
and then during the summer to control it.
Our tap water is fairly soft in Hawai‘i.
“Bling”
via TFH Forum
Snails really aren’t suitable
tankmates for a pea puffer,
presumably Carinotetraodon
travancoricus, because they
make up part of the natural diet of this
species. If a snail is too big for your little pea
puffer to crunch up whole, it will, as you’ve
witnessed, nip at any exposed tissue or even
pull the snail right out of its shell and eat it.
The snails’ antennae will likely regenerate
provided you remove them from the puffer’s
tank or vice versa.
The algae growing on the snails in the
outdoor tank is not a sign that something
is missing from the water but an indicator
that dissolved pollutants (e.g., nitrate or
phosphate) are present in the water and
serving as fertilizer. The best way to reduce
the buildup of dissolved pollutants is to
perform frequent, large water changes. Don’t
worry; the algae won’t harm the snails, but it
can be unsightly.
As for the softness of your water, that can be
a problem when keeping snails because they
generally need a certain level of dissolved
minerals to form and maintain their shells.
If the water is too soft, you may begin to
observe holes or pits developing in the snails’
shells. Keeping some crushed coral in the
tank or filter can help maintain a satisfactory
dissolved calcium level.
Aquariums
and the
Frequent Traveler
I recently accepted a job that
requires me to travel quite frequently,
Q
A
around. If the parts will grow back, I’ll
move them to another tank. (Yeah, I feel
for those snails!)
In another tank, outside, most of the
snails now have algae growing on their
shells. Does this indicate something
missing in the water, like calcium? I’ve not
had this happen before. The tank has been
going about three years. It does have an
algae problem, too much sun, etc., and I
run a UV sterilizer for a couple of days now
www.tfhmagazine.com
October 2010
