Decorative snails are quite widespread inhabitants of an aquarium. They well decorate it and help to relax after unlucky day: their elegant sluggishness bewitches many. Except an esthetics and beauty, these mollusks bear also practical function.
Snails are capable to bring both harm, and advantage to an aquarium ecosystem. Everything depends on their version and quantity. Such species of mollusks as an ampulyariya, the horn coil, akroluxa, Melanija enjoy wide popularity at aquarians. If you properly look after an aquarium and control the number of snails, they will bring a lot of benefit. Mollusks are great aquarian hospital attendants. They not only eat up a forage which was not eaten by fishes, but also their excrement. Thereby these aquarian inhabitants promote water clarification. The remains of a forage are the favorable environment for growth of pathogenic bacteria which can make in few hours of transparent water muddy. Besides, mollusks eat the died-off parts of plants and well clean off the rough language a bacterial plaque from walls. It influences installation of a favorable microclimate and biological balance in an aquarium. Certain species of mollusks, for example, of an ampulyariya, serve as a peculiar indicator of a condition of aquarian water. It is possible to determine by their behavior whether oxygen in water suffices. At its shortage and also at sharp change rn waters, an ampulyariya climbs glass to a water surface and extends the tube siphon – body which allows it to breathe air. In this way the snail "signals" the inexperienced aquarian that it is time to make substitution of water or to buy the good aerator. One of minuses of decorative snails is their active reproduction. The big number of mollusks in an aquarium can lead to overpopulation and, as a result, a lack of oxygen on other inhabitants. Besides, big population of snails is capable to eat around strongly plants. Optimum it is possible to consider a ratio: one snail on 10 liters of water. Therefore in due time scrape off their caviar from glasses which they lay with enviable constancy not to allow overpopulation of an aquarium. Whether snails will live in your aquarium, or not – to solve only to you. But you remember that it is impossible to place in it mollusks from reservoirs as together with them the infection can get. Besides, some pond snails emit slime in water which pollutes it. Get mollusks for the aquarium only in pet-shops.