Ornamental snails are quite common inhabitants of the aquarium. They decorate it well and help to relax after a hard day: their elegant slowness fascinates many. In addition to aesthetics and beauty, these molluscs also have a practical function.
Snails can do both harm and good to the aquarium ecosystem. It all depends on their variety and quantity. Such types of mollusks as ampullia, horn coil, acrolux, melania are very popular among aquarists. If you properly maintain your aquarium and control the number of snails, they will be of great benefit. Molluscs are excellent aquarium orderlies. They not only eat up the food that the fish did not eat, but also their excrement. Thus, these aquarium inhabitants contribute to the purification of the water. The remains of food are a favorable environment for the growth of pathogenic bacteria, which can turn cloudy water out of clear water in a matter of hours. In addition, mollusks eat dead plant parts and well clean off bacterial plaque from the walls with their rough tongue. This influences the establishment of a favorable microclimate and biological balance in the aquarium. Certain types of molluscs, for example, ampullia, serve as a kind of indicator of the state of the aquarium water. Their behavior can be used to determine if there is enough oxygen in the water. With its shortage, as well as with a sharp change in the pH of the water, the ampulla rises along the glass to the surface of the water and pulls out its siphon tube - an organ that allows it to breathe air. Likewise, the snail signals to the inexperienced aquarist that it is time to make a water change or get a good aerator. One of the disadvantages of decorative snails is their active reproduction. A large number of mollusks in an aquarium can lead to overpopulation and, as a result, a lack of oxygen for other inhabitants. In addition, a large population of snails is capable of devouring plants heavily. The optimal ratio is one snail per 10 liters of water. Therefore, in a timely manner, scrape off their eggs from the glass, which they lay with enviable constancy, in order to prevent overpopulation of the aquarium. Whether snails will live in your aquarium or not is up to you. But remember that you cannot put shellfish from water bodies in it, as an infection can get along with them. In addition, some pond snails release mucus into the water, which contaminates it. Only purchase shellfish from pet stores for your aquarium.
