14 AQUARIUM MANAGEMENT 



ing vegetable growth from the glass or particles of food which the 

 fish have not taken, and in no case will they injure any of the 

 aquarium plants. Most snails consume decomposing animal matter, 

 such as dead tadpoles, fishes, etc. 



Japanese Snails are very interesting in that they bring forth 

 fully developed young about the size of a pea, able to take care of 

 themselves among goldfishes. These snails are male and female, but 

 a female once impregnated seems, like a queen bee, to remain fertile 

 for the remainder of her life. The right horn of the male is some- 

 what the longer, this serving a sexual purpose. These snails are quite 

 long-lived and grow to the size of a large walnut. Another snail 

 resembling the Japanese species is the Potomac Snail. This has two 

 brown stripes on a horn-colored background running with the spiral. 

 It is quite attractive and is frequently sold as the Japanese Snail, but 

 it is sluggish and should not be crossed with the Japanese. The latter 

 can be identified by the slightly raised keels showing on the last spiral. 



The African or Paper-shelled Snail is very prettily marked with 

 brown spots on a horn-colored background, and is an extremely rapid 

 breeder, but is of short life. 



Ramshorn Snails in both the European and native varieties are 

 excellent aquarium scavengers. 



The European Red Ramshorn or Coral Snail (Planorbis corneus, 

 var. rubra) is a comparatively recent introduction and is unique on 

 account of the bright red coral color of the body. When seen in the 

 sunlight this snail is quite an added attraction to the appearance of 

 an artistic aquarium and is an active worker. 



The Pond Snail is extremely common in the Eastern and Middle 

 States. Small snails and spawn often adhere to purchased aquatic 

 plants, later appearing in numbers in the aquarium. It may be identi- 

 fied by the left-hand turn of the dark-colored shell. This little friend 

 has been unfairly treated by some writers, including the author, who 

 accuse it of being a plant eater. Further observation and the experi- 

 ence of others fails to sustain this charge. On the other hand, it is 

 both the most active and the hardiest of all snails in the aquarium, and 

 is an intrepid scavenger. It breeds at an early age and the young have 

 sufficiently hard shells that goldfishes do not molest them. 



Four-horned Snails (Ampularia gigas). These interesting snails 

 are ravenous plant-eaters and are only mentioned here on account of 

 their curious breeding habits. They lay a mass of large, beautiful 

 coral-colored eggs on the side of the aquarium above the water. The 

 tgg mass is about three-quarters by two inches. As the eggs hatch 



