Collecting snails

Discussion Of Local Group Meetings For the Baldwin County and Mobile Area

Moderator: snoopdog

Post Reply
neverendingninja
Amoeba
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2007 1:47 pm

Collecting snails

Post by neverendingninja »

I've been looking for nerite snails for a while, particularly for a freshwater tank. I can not seem to find them anywhere locally, B&B offered to order for me, but they said it was, obviously, all based on what was available to them.

Anyhow, I know they're native to the Gulf of Mexico, and saw on here someone talking about collecting them in Florida(Pensacola I believe). Does anyone have any idea of a locale I could check out to potential grab a few? I know they would need to be acclimated VERY slowly into freshwater, but apparently there is not much of a problem doing that with them.

Anyhow, any help would be appreciated. Thanks a lot guys.
User avatar
Fishfood
Chromis
Posts: 1831
Joined: Sat Feb 22, 2003 12:41 pm
Are you a Bot ?: No
Location: Mobile

Post by Fishfood »

The Nerites can be found in the salt marshes around here. I'm sure they are all along the gulf coast. They spend a bit of time out of water and when we had the emergent grasses growing at the greenhouse the nerites would typically die after being in fresh water pools. You can give it a shot but I'm not so sure they will do too well in a fish tank, salt or fresh.
neverendingninja
Amoeba
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2007 1:47 pm

Post by neverendingninja »

Thanks. I know a lady who has had a pair in her freshwater tank since 2001. I think they're a bit more popular in the FW scene because there is a limit on what kind of snails we can get, but there are apparently better snails for SW tanks.

Anyhow, thanks again. I'm going to go check out the eastern shore of Mobile Bay today, since its less than a minute from my house. :)
User avatar
Fishfood
Chromis
Posts: 1831
Joined: Sat Feb 22, 2003 12:41 pm
Are you a Bot ?: No
Location: Mobile

Post by Fishfood »

Give it a shot. They are typically on Spartina alterniflora. This is an emergant seagrass and it will be found growing in water from a few inches deep up to about thigh high, although I think they got on the Juncus as well, but it wasn't a broad leaved plant like the Spartina which is probably easier for them to hold onto. I don't know if you will find too many at this time of year. I'm not too familiar with them. I was collecting and growing the plants at a green house and just know that we had tons of snail shells everywhere from when they died off.
neverendingninja
Amoeba
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2007 1:47 pm

Post by neverendingninja »

Well, I went and looked at Mobile Bay and did not find any, although the area I was looking in did not have many natural plants, there are quite a few planted in the replicated "wetlands" area, which is fed by bay water.

Then, I went down to the Weeks Bay boardwalk in Fairhope, and still did not find any there. I'm assuming they may be wintering over. I can order some from AZGardens.com for 79¢ a piece, but they have a minimum order of $35, and then shipping...so we're looking at $50+ for some snails. Of course, I'd order something besides snails, but if I can find them for free, it'd be excellent.

The Spartina looks like what I saw when I went into the Mobile River Delta...it was all over the place. I may have to go rent a canoe or kayak again and check it out in the spring.
User avatar
crsswift70
Copepod
Posts: 261
Joined: Wed Jul 06, 2005 3:27 pm
Location: Spanish Fort

Post by crsswift70 »

well, if you want a good place to look through grass beds, go to daphne and hang a right just past the blockbuster. go down to the waters edge. there is a pier there and the whole area is a shallow grass bed. easily accessible from the parking lot. you can also walk down the trail to the left and go to the other pier.. the whole cove i think has grass and cat tails.
acpoweradapter
Amoeba
Posts: 77
Joined: Sat Mar 28, 2009 1:40 pm
Location: Fairhope, AL or Auburn, AL

Post by acpoweradapter »

Check out reef cleaners. You can get snails cheap there with no minimum order and shipping is 3 day for 10$.
Neuticle
Copepod
Posts: 258
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2009 3:35 pm
Location: Mobile

Post by Neuticle »

Get up closer to the mouth of the Mobile River. A place with a gravel bottom will have a lot of them.

Up near McDuffie Island is the best. On broad street, across from Ft. Whiting there is the foundation of a giant old wherehouse, if you travel on the south side of that, you will come to the Arlington Channel, right next to the Coast Guard base, I have caught hundreds of Olive Nerites in that spot. Just look closely at the gravel bottom, and turn over bricks and stones.
100 gal mixed reef, 30 gal sump, 4x54w T5, 2x150w HQI, OctoX 200 skimmer, Kalk top-off, rocky mixed reef.
Neuticle
Copepod
Posts: 258
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2009 3:35 pm
Location: Mobile

Post by Neuticle »

I went to that spot at low tide yesterday (8am) and caught about 120 of them, acclimation took a looooong time (5 hrs +) due to all the fresh water pouring out of the river from our recent rains. In the end I only lost about 5 of them, def a success.
100 gal mixed reef, 30 gal sump, 4x54w T5, 2x150w HQI, OctoX 200 skimmer, Kalk top-off, rocky mixed reef.
User avatar
andy4499
Chromis
Posts: 1580
Joined: Fri Jun 25, 2004 5:26 pm
Location: Daphne, AL

Post by andy4499 »

I think I am going to try and go back out there on Saturday. Where about did you find them this time when you went out this past week end?
Neuticle
Copepod
Posts: 258
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2009 3:35 pm
Location: Mobile

Post by Neuticle »

Read three posts up, it's right near downtown Mobile. Go at low tide, it will make your work much easier.
100 gal mixed reef, 30 gal sump, 4x54w T5, 2x150w HQI, OctoX 200 skimmer, Kalk top-off, rocky mixed reef.
Post Reply