Part 1:
What are they and where do they come from?
What are they and where do they come from?
What are they? Fresh water snails. To be more specific they are Pomacea diffusa. A species of snail formerly known as Pomacea bridgesi. They come from central and south america, mainly the amazon river basin. They have the ability and need to breath both air and water. They have both lungs and gills and can survive out of water for perhaps a week as long as they don't dry out or fry in the sun. As long as the water quality is good and well oxygenated they could live completely in water, but even with well oxygenated water they still go to the surface to pump air into their lungs. Although they live their entire lives in water the females lay eggs out of water. Usually on a tree branch or bank just above the water's surface.
They live for around 2-4 years on average. Their lifespan greatly depends on food availability and water temperature. Warmer water means faster metabolism, which means faster growth rate, and shorter lifespan. There have been reports of successfully keeping these snails for a lifespan as long as ten years in extremely cool water. Although this means the snails aren't very active at all. Cooler water means slow metabolism, hence slow everything. They do not grow as large in cooler water either.
They are called Mystery Snails because merchants that obtained them for the pet trade had no idea where they came from. Neither did the prospective pet stores that purchased and began selling them. They are a smaller member of the very large Apple Snail family. Don't get these guys confused with the larger plant eating variety of apple snails. These guys do awesomely with plants and don't grow nearly so large.
They live for around 2-4 years on average. Their lifespan greatly depends on food availability and water temperature. Warmer water means faster metabolism, which means faster growth rate, and shorter lifespan. There have been reports of successfully keeping these snails for a lifespan as long as ten years in extremely cool water. Although this means the snails aren't very active at all. Cooler water means slow metabolism, hence slow everything. They do not grow as large in cooler water either.
They are called Mystery Snails because merchants that obtained them for the pet trade had no idea where they came from. Neither did the prospective pet stores that purchased and began selling them. They are a smaller member of the very large Apple Snail family. Don't get these guys confused with the larger plant eating variety of apple snails. These guys do awesomely with plants and don't grow nearly so large.
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