Unlike some snails, the Olive Nerite Snail is an excellent algae eater. They are also good at cleaning glass and plant leaves. They do best in aquariums that are well aerated and have plenty of space. If you are worried about the snail population in your freshwater aquarium, these snails are the best choice for you. They grow to a size of about a dime, and are known to be substrate scavengers. They can be fed pellet foods, cuttlebone, spirulina discs, and algae wafers.
The Olive Nerite Snail is native to brackish waters and lagoons in Florida and the Caribbean. It is found in waters with a pH of 6.3 to 8.4. It is also known as a tidal snail. Its body is jet black with thin black stripes. In the wild, it may develop barnacles. However, it does not grow barnacles when it is commercially reproduced.
Nerites are one of the few animals that eat green spot algae. Green spot algae is hard to remove from plants. If your plant leaves are covered in green spot algae, nerite snails may help control algae. They will also eat most types of algae. When you have algae problems in your aquarium, the first thing you should do is find out what is causing the algae. Identifying the root cause of the problem is the best way to control algae.
While nerites are excellent algae eaters, they are not very social animals. They are not easy to breed. They are also very sensitive to heightened nitrogenous waste products. Adding nerites to your aquarium can increase the level of nitrite and ammonia in your water. This can be toxic to your snails. Fortunately, you can avoid this by feeding them only green water.
You can also feed nerite snails algae wafers and blanched vegetables. While they are good algae eaters, they can become stressed when they are not given enough food. Stress can also be caused by problems with the water quality. For example, if the pH of the water in your aquarium is too high, nerite snails can become toxic.
While Olive Nerite Snails do well in soft water, they are also tolerant of harder water. They can be kept in brackish water or marine saltwater. The best water hardness for nerite snails is between 6.5 and 8.5.
The Olive Nerite Snail will migrate to brackish waters or lagoons for breeding. The adult snail will lay its eggs on driftwood. When the eggs hatch, the snails will move the driftwood to a saltwater tank. They will also crawl up to the water's surface, eating mineral deposits.
If you are worried about algae in your freshwater aquarium, Olive Nerite snails are a good choice. They are one of the few snails that eat green spot algae. Their hard shells make them ideal for combating algae. However, nerite snails do require clean water. You should also be careful to check the water quality regularly. If the water is too hard for nerite snails, they may die. Also, if the shells are discolored, nerite snails may have an issue with calcium. This can be remedied by adding calcium supplements. The calcium will help them build strong shells.
