Yesterday morning I found the snail egg cluster just above the waterline on the inside of the fish tank.
In the past, my Mystery Snails have all left the tank to lay eggs. But this time, I’m happy to say, Pearl, kept them and herself inside the tank.
The eggs were already dried out when I found them. Conditions for Mystery Snail eggs have to be just right. They need a certain amount of heat and moisture for them to hatch.
I’m not even sure if they were fertilized. I’ve read that you can eventually see a small dark spot on the eggs if they are. I do have two Mystery Snails right now and Pearl for certain is female, but I’m not sure if the other snail, Blue, is a male or female.
When Mystery Snails do hatch they have lots of babies. And we really don’t need a ton of baby snails in the tank. So even if the eggs didn’t dry up, I would have removed them.
But it was still exciting to see the eggs, which I’ve never seen in our tank before.
I recognize that type of egg – in Northern CA on the coast, we find them under rocks or old wood. That means there are hundreds of hungry snails just waiting to devour our gardens! It’s like a fright show to find them no matter how beautifully pearl like they seem. I can’t stomp them anymore but instead transport them across the street to the forest! Oh God – in my later years I am relocating snails and snail eggs!
Ha! Linda, aren’t you good to move those snail eggs. All those snails can become a problem for sure. I’m sure they’re very happy in the forest. 🙂
My word! How is it that such a small snail generates so much reproduction? Amazing! It certainly must be necessary function in its natural habitat, likely from a ‘chance of survival’ standpoint.
It does seem kind of painful Amy:). And you’re right many of the snail don’t survive.
Amazing! Thanks for sharing.
Well, thanks for appreciating it Marsha. I used to think I was alone in my Snail interest, but now I see there are lots of people who share it.