AQUARIUM MANAGEMENT 21 



Snail Breeding. The breeding of snails is extremely simple, yet 

 there are certain conditions that are necessary to success. Among the 

 ordinary and really useful aquarium snails there are only two kinds 

 whose breeding requires any attention. These are the African and the 

 Ramshorn, especially the coral variety. Both these snails deposit eggs 

 on plants or glass in small, gelatinous masses, which in warm weather 

 hatch in about three weeks. The young of the Japanese and Pond Snails 

 are able to live among the gentler fishes. 



The most important point is to see that the young hatch and spend 

 the first several weeks of their lives where there are no large fishes. 

 Naturally this will be done either by removing the plant leaves with at- 

 tached eggs to a special tank, or by removing the fishes from where the 

 eggs are laid. Snail spawn is often placed with newly-hatched fishes, and 

 they grow together. It is well to remember though, as elsewhere stated, 

 that snails eat fish spawn, but never living fishes, of even the smallest 

 size. 



The second point has to do with feeding. If the tank is an old one 

 with green-covered sides and some decaying vegetation, no special feed- 

 ing is called for. Otherwise they will need some attention in order to 

 thrive. Dried powdered lettuce leaves, flour, or finely powdered fish food 

 sprinkled on the surface of the water, are satisfactory foods for the young 

 snails. The thick paste from boiled oatmeal is good, both for young and 

 adults. 



It is just as well to remove parent snails from the young, so that 

 the latter will get all the food, especially if artificial feeding is not re- 

 sorted to. 



After snails have passed the early stage of development they relish 

 lettuce leaves. Snails, especially the breeders, thrive finely on raw meat 

 or fish, which they eat as soon as it begins to decompose. Cantaloup 

 rinds, tomato parings, sliced bananas, raw or cooked spinach are among 

 their favorite foods. 



Cypris, a small crustacean figured on page 73, is injurious to snails 

 and should be excluded if possible. 



There are commercial possibilities in the breeding of Japanese and 

 Coral Snails. If one does not care to rear these snails to keep up a stock, 

 the young African and Ramshorn may be used as a valuable diet for fishes. 

 Their extensive culture has been proposed as a diet for the young of our 

 food fishes. 



Aquarium Covers. It is a popular idea that a free access of air to 

 the aquarium is essential to the welfare of the fishes, but this is not so, 

 particularly if there is a liberal plant growth. A glass cover, raised about 

 a quarter inch, promotes a more luxuriant growth of plants, keeps the 



