heff Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 I'm considering getting a zebra nerite but I'm hesitant about their egg laying. From what I've read, people talk of the little white rice coccoons that appear on the glass and on any wood they may have in the tank. Some talk of them being very hard to remove while others say they leave them in their tank and they eventually go away. My tank is only 10 gallons so it being infested with eggs is not all that appealing. I'm sure there are some snail keepers that deal with this regularily. Thanks! Hugh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingin' It Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 It's not that bad (IMO), maybe consider why you want a zebra nerite? Do you have that hard to remove green algae on the glass? Or just like the looks of them? Maybe an Apple Snail would be a better option for scavenger? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishclubgirl Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 I have them in most of my tanks and think they're awesome. As for eggs, they like the driftwood which gives it a "bedazzled" effect. They also put a "ring" around my heater. They're excellent algae eaters and seem to be quite hardy too. The horned nerites remind of little space aliens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dk77 Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 Hey Heff, I would prob get another type of snail if I were you. I had two of the little nerite buggers in my 90gal and they do lay a lot of eggs on the glass, they keep them within 2 inches of the substrate, but they are a pain to remove. There is always this little white ring left even after you take the eggs off. Took me forever to figure what the hell they were, but now that I know, they are gonzo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The-Influence Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 Iv got 4 in my 40 gallon and have had no problems with eggs on glass ! I get them on the wood but it don't bother me any ! Iv got the horned in my 20 gallon and well they don't breed in fresh water so they don't lay eggs ! Not that Iv seen anyway ! Blake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heff Posted February 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 I'm considering the route of "buying a critter to fix a problem", which I don't normally like to do. I've got GSA spots growing in the corners of my tank, some on the centre of the glass and down along the substrate and as far as I can tell, it's due to the always bright office lighting. Because it's an office tank, I'm not always here to do tons of water changes to keep my nutrients down, so my nitrates sit around 20ppm and my phosphate around 1.0ppm. I have a decent amount of plants (vals, limnophilia, hygro and other slower growers) but it's not enough to reduce the nutrients to zero and require extra dosing of NO3. The tank is exposed to the light on all four sides (my cube is behind it) so blacking out three of the four sides isn't much of an option. Figured these guys might help fight off the GSA, but the eggs are a concern... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cgy_Betta_Guy Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 I have lots of Nerites both Zebra and the smaller Horned guys. I have only ever seen 1 egg on the glass every other time they leave trails of eggs on my driftwood and on the under sides of some of my swords when they find the tank conditions favorable. I dont really mind them as its a natural process but I did try to remove a couple from the driftwood and it is indeed quite a pain in the butt. They do eventually dissappear (months and months) and as said they do tend to leave light white outlines of where the eggs were. I find them to be invaluable additions to the tank as they help to control algae growth on my glass and plant leaves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salon_1928 Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 OMG, that's what those things are! I have 3 Zebras in my 70 gallon tank and I couldn't tell if some specks on my driftwood was white sand or not. My fish often sift and blow sand so it's not unusual to see it on my driftwood. I was a little supsicious though when I noticed the spots being so regularly formed. Do they hatch? Cheers, Stu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cgy_Betta_Guy Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 Nerite eggs will only hatch in brackish or salt water I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingin' It Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 The eggs do hatch, but only in Saltwater...I tried Brackish without success, but they did indeed hatch in the saltwater. It was cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salon_1928 Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 I forgot to mention my overall impression of Zebra's. I like them and prefer them to Apple snails. I had both in my 70 gallon. The Zebras are like eating machines. They always seem to be in motion and their mouths are constantly scraping. My Apples on the other hand have a lot of down-time. They seem to nap for long periods and they produce a decent amount of waste. The only place my Zebras have laid eggs is on my piece of driftwood and it's not an eyesore. Lastly, they don't seem to touch plants whereas that's hit and miss with Apples (my current batch turned out to be major deforesters...). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heff Posted February 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 (edited) I've had an apple snail (one of the variants) and yes, I can second the downtime. It seemed that the snail would be active for a few hours, then sleep for the rest of the day. I'm only looking at getting a single nerite; I don't think I'd go crazy and get a bunch. I have a chunk of driftwood that is almost entirely covered with christmas moss. Maybe it'd find a way to lay them in there... Worst case, I get one and the eggs drive me insane. I'm sure I can find a home for him. Edited February 4, 2011 by heff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ishkabod Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 check to see if they need 2 to reproduce or not. you could also add a small piece of driftwood hidden in the back to attract it to lay eggs on it instead of the glass or other areas you don't want them. Good luck L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 Weird, Ive had dozens of zebra snails over the years and have 3 right now but i've never noticed a problem with having eggs. I've seen the odd few on my driftwood but its always just a couple and after a while they disappear. Not sure if they are getting eaten by something or what happens to them. They are great at keeping the glass clean though. Mine spend 99% of their time on the glass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heff Posted February 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 (edited) I hit up Nature's Corner and grabbed a nerite. Very similar to this, however a much, much darker shell color. It seems to have found my GSA (as if it were hard, even for the nearly blind) so we'll see what comes of this, eggs and all. Update: He's put a significant dent in the algae corner I've been rearing for months. I think I'm in love. Edited February 8, 2011 by heff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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