Bladder Snails ARE The BEST Pets! 🐌

[@fawneh1359]

I've seen bladder snails swim through water. I've seen a mass of them rotating in the middle of the tank. I've seen one go down, one go up, and when they collided, they got caught off guard and yanked to the surface incredibly quickly, almost like opening a parachute. It was so so cool! And their faces are so cute!

[@fawneh1359]

Is there a specific reason you chose to breed bladders vs the other "pest" species? I have a bladder tank and I'm trying to breed rabbit snails because I Adore them (I WISH they reproduced like this! lol) but I'm considering trying out some other species or even mixing them in a tank.

[@BucketPonds]

They're pretty majestic... and kinda derpy at times! It's hard not to love them either way. Yes their little faces are the best! They remind me of tiny elephants or cows? You might enjoy the Microfauna aquarium series I did a while back. Should be a playlist on the channel for it

[@carlgrimes2512]

Always have them. Never get rid of them.

[@hugoagogo4324]

Get some assassin snails in yo get rid of yhem

[@doofy28]

Listen to Carl.

[@PeggyShields-lr3yo]

I have a tiny glass block that I planted with monstera and pathos, Bill, the snail, hitched a ride, he/they was alone for 6 months, then there were babies, soo excited, my whole office watches our emotional support snails

[@BucketPonds]

Hey Peggy! I mentioned Bill the snail in our upcoming video. Hope he's ready for a shout out! Can send a photo to the Facebook page if you'd like an extra mention

[@tigerbokken6922]

I got a bladder snail who will run at extreme speed all over my tank, it laids various eggs, I ll try to select the faster babies to build a new breed

[@LushSaltyAquariums]

Aren't these the snails that use air (hence their name) to rise and/or submerge in your tank like a submarine?

[@loganroman6546]

Yup

[@redlilwitchy6088]

I have Bladder snails, carried in by a live plant. I'm glad I found your cannel. All else were negative. Thank you!

[@St.Abyssal]

Bladder snails are awesome. It's nice to see them get their due respect.

[@BucketPonds]

Nice to meet another enthusiast. They really are awesome little biomachines

[@marionnye3690]

@@BucketPonds what else can i feed my snails as they dont seem to go for cucumber or lettuce ..i was told they need dried fruit tree leaves ..dried ok tree leaves and old apple tree branches with the bark removed (uk here ) am asking becuase i cant seem to keep them alive and breeding outside in my little ponds ?? csn you help

[@MezoBear]

I'm so happy to see some bladder snail love! I keep them in all my fish tanks! If I get "too many" I'll scoop some out and put them in my tank with the loaches. The circle of life. 😅

[@BucketPonds]

Hey Mezobear! That is the way! Love em and raise em well. Then allow nature to cull the herd when needed. Nothing wrong with that.

[@yeashanbanks281]

I got them with some plants and always assumed they were pest. This video and comments have changed my perspective.

[@BucketPonds]

Hey that's great! They're really not so bad. Best of luck with your aquarium adventures

[@mark70s29]

💯% agree with you! I don't want fish.. only snails.. apple/mystery are my first love but bladders are very close behind:) Their ability to survive in terrible conditions is amazing. Idk what happened. But just before Christmas I lost three healthy active apples, my two mussels, my four pea clams and all my bladder snails, my lovely big red rams horn too! Was gutted..water etc is perfect.. plants happy ph, nitrogen etc etc. the only remaining apple snail had to have lots of TLC..IE "air bathing" twice a day for about two weeks, now he is feeding again. But appears unhappy on his own, all four would interact in a way I never thought I'd witness in a snail. If you have any thoughts etc I'd love your help and experience. It just doesn't make sense to me. The tank was built for them about two years ago and never had a problem. 👍🐌

[@thehairywoodsman5644]

I love snails ! in every tank I have bladder, pond, mystery, rams horn, and Malaysian trumpet snails ! I feel the more different types of creatures I can get living in my aquariums, the healthier they will be.

[@christopherollar6350]

Just got to add a rabbit snail. They're just as cool

[@vanissaberg5824]

Ramshorn snails are probably my favorite next to bladder snails. They're the first creatures I got to watch breed and hatch babies in my fish bowl that thrived. I'd watch them lick th and glass with their little tounges with a magnifying glass for ages. They're slow so it's almost therapeutic to slow down and watch them move around.

[@ariadneunsworth6248]

I got fascinated by their behavior. They are top tier divers among snails and move about so freely. I think a lot can be learned from their motor systems

[@BucketPonds]

I'd love to see them involved in some of the recent experiments that study aquatic snail movement in microgravity environments. Bet they would make excellent astronauts!

[@Kellytwo]

I love your enthusiasm and respect for these sweeties. 🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌

[@fawneh1359]

Have you ever considered shrimp breeding? The initial cost is usually $10, $20 for higher quality colors, and I love them as much as my bladder snails. They actually go really well in a tank together and I find them really fun too. And low maintenance!

[@BucketPonds]

That's something I do want to get into. Initially we had a problem with planaria which scared me away from shrimp. My tanks were infested! But we have beaten them back with the power of mosquito fish! So yes we're probably going to get some neocaridina this year. Stay tuned!

[@velvetenigma6180]

I bought a 60x30 cm tank just for my. Snails, so glad to see something good aboubt them for once,, thank you for this amazing video 🍀💚

[@BucketPonds]

Hey thank you for watching. I bet they love their new tank. It's nice to meet another bladder snail enthusiast 🐌

[@doofy28]

With the mask, it looks like you're ransoming platter snails.

[@BucketPonds]

Honestly it's time to ditch the mask. It gives the wrong impression 🤣

[@LaRosi0114]

I got new plants in my 20g about 3 weeks ago. Never saw any signs of snails. Although, I do keep two nerites. All of a sudden I see a teeny tiny snail yesterday. It was so small that I couldn't tell what kind it is. Then today, I see three larger bladder snails crawling up the glass together. I don't know where they've been hiding or why they decided to come out now. I was worried at first because I know they breed like crazy, but I'm warming up to the idea of them. I, too, love life. I love all creatures and even save spiders from my house. I just don't really know what to think of these guys or what to do to keep the population under control. I have Otocinlcus Catfish along with a few other fish and I don't want the snails taking all of their food. Any tips you can provide would be amazing! ❤

[@ariadneunsworth6248]

Never overfeed and they won't reproduce that much

[@cloverdog85]

I just got some. I see lots of tiny ones in my 10g. I'm moving them to my 75 now to make the 10g a quarantine tank.

[@BucketPonds]

At first they may seem like a plague. But with a little management they become a great link in your ecosystem. They'll love the big tank

[@estherabrams7274]

I have them and I like them. This thought occurred to me though… you know that you can’t keep multiple colors of shrimp together because they’ll cross breed and produce wild coloured clear to brown babies? Well, you could, theoretically, keep multicolored nano snails together. There are 3 that have consistently shown up in my tanks, Ramshorn, bladder, and Malaysian trumpet snails. Ramshorns are already being bred in fancy colors, including pink, red, orange, and blue. If bladder and Malaysian trumpets were also bred in color lines, anyone could keep one species in each of three colors together in one tank, and overall, they would have 3 snail colors. You, Mr. Bucket Pond, are already breeding bladder snails, putting you in the best position to breed them for color. It would definitely rehabilitate their image in the hobby, and it would make you some good money. Please consider!

[@BucketPonds]

Hey Esther! Breeding bladder snails for color was one of our original goals. Both to boost their desirability and hopefully cut down on their bad reputation in the aquarium hobby. I ran several experiments some years ago buy isolating various populations based on body or mantle/foot color of the snails. We had orange, white/grey, blue and purple body colors. Each isolated in purpose built nano aquariums. Unfortunately it seems as though our bladder buddies can change color! Probably based on which foods they have available or some other environmental influences. Within a pretty short time, 30-60 days, each population defaulted back to the deep purple body color. I was mainly focused on the larger adults, ignoring the hatchlings which would have had unknown parentage. So it seems selective breeding might not be very effective with them (sad face) But I have tossed around other ideas over the years. Like purchasing a biolisitic particle delivery system, injecting DNA into embryos. Which is admittedly a bit beyond my abilities! Other ideas might be to repeatedly isolate and encourage snails to self fertilize. Over a few generations this would reinforce negative elements in their genetics. Possibly showing things like albino morphs BUT it would also weaken them. Shorten their lives, weaken their immune systems etc. All that being said, I do see rumors online of albino bladder snails, red morphs and other stories. Though they usually turn out to be pond snails and other species. Great comment by the way! Hope you don't mind a long reply!

[@estherabrams7274]

@BucketPonds Yes, you know exactly what to do! Please leave me another note if you ever achieve what you’re going for. Honestly, I think this is a species that can afford a little weakening! Shorter lives and less reproduction would probably make them more popular. It may also be possible to get that wild strength back by cross-breeding different strains of the same colour. I’m also waiting for someone to create colourful scuds. Our world is quickly filling with humans, meaning that we can expect to live in ever smaller homes. The smallest creatures are the future of the hobby.

[@LadyandtheScamp4Ever]

I didn’t know I had them- when I first started putting plants in my aquarium some eggs must’ve come in on the plants. I saw a tiny one on my glass & went to try to pick it up but accidentally squished it 😢 but in no time they were EVERYWHERE & so were Malaysian trumpet snails so I just embraced them & now I love them 😍🤩🐌 I add a little mix of moringa, spirulina & calcium carbonate powder to the tank every day (my shrimp LOVE IT!! ❤) the snails seem to be loving it too they’re very healthy & keep my plants very well gardened for me xx I also have 1 single male nerite snails he’s 3 years old now xx I need more types!!

[@BucketPonds]

Hey @LadyandtheScamp4ever! I love these types of stories. Don't feel too bad about one accidental squish. Hatchlings can be very hard to handle. I'm sure they would forgive you in the long run. MTS are very cool! They are capable of parthenogenesis AND they give birth to live young. It's so good to see a snail enthusiast embracing their little mollusks, instead of the standard "snails-bad" mentality we see so often

[@DashDrones]

Love bladder snails too. They're really underestimated. Only problem is i have hungry pea puffers too and I'm sure you know the story there..

[@BearsCrochetCritters]

This was so helpful. I had started a jar from a natural spring and discovered some small little bladder snails in it when the water cleared. They are doing well. Then, I got a few more unwanted ones from the fish store for no charge. Now they are all together in hopes of more snails. The last bit of your video noting how they seem to want to breed more when new ones are introduced was very encouraging. I also, recently started a stock tank (100 gal) bucket pond with water from a natural spring, some muck and hopefully some more wild bladder snails and plant or two. Yay! May I have even more snails soon. 🐌

[@BucketPonds]

Collecting from a spring? With wild bladder snails? That's awesome! I think of it as the exotic snail effect. There is some obscure scientific documentation out there too. Mostly related to breeding experiments that study hybrid offspring and self fertilization. With a 100 gallon(!) stock tank I bet you'll be swimming in snails soon! I can't imagine that many bladder snails 😅 just toss some food in and watch the swarm descend. Thank you BCC great comment. Cool fish store too sharing some snails like that. The big chain stores always tell me no. Won't even sell them most times

[@BearsCrochetCritters]

Thank you. I'm lucky with our local little fish store and natural spring. I also have a couple jars from the river and plan to stop by another nearby creek this weekend to see what I find.

[@ameliepare6062]

Found a little guy in my plant only aquarium . I guess he can stay 😂

[@civrn368]

I keep my "pest" bladder, ramshorn, and big-ear radix pond snail in my planted tanks and separate tanks growing out my aquarium plants. They are my gardeners and keep my plants clean and healthy and the tank clean of waste. They're own waste is beneficial for plants and akin to adding beneficial worm castings to you garden soil. Bladders are fun to watch and quick little boogers.😊

[@juanurbanoabjaou7051]

Agree with u mate they deserve a place in the tanks

[@BucketPonds]

Hey good to hear from a fellow enthusiast!

[@ellioteriksson]

I accidentally got bladder snails and had a massive population growth in a short amount of time, at first I tried to eliminate them but that didn't work. Now I've grown to quite like them, they're my little clean up crew and help keep my aquariums clean and healthy for my fish and shrimp. :) Since you seem to know a lot about bladder snails, maybe you could answer a question about them (googling the answer to this is what led me to your video in the first place). The first bladder snails I got were fairly dark and grey/brow in colour. Over a few generations (about a year) they've gotten lighter and lighter, and are now beige on their bodies and the shells are light brown with "gold" spots. How come? :)

[@christopherollar6350]

Bladder snails actually are pretty cool they clean the tank well and are goofy to watch when they float around. Plus theyre faster than all my other snails

[@BucketPonds]

Hey Chris! Nice to meet another friend of the Physa. Yes their speed is remarkable for a snail species. And you can definitely tell the difference in a tank with or without bladder snails based on the condition of the glass

[@claywise43]

Fascinating little creatures. Have you gotten into ramshorn snails? Very similar from what I’ve seen. But definitely different shape

[@gayefanner731]

Ramshorns are lovely 🥰 I have two per three litre jar n they’re often together just keeping company! So sweet! I have been putting most egg clusters back in the pond, much as I love them I don’t want too many! 🐌🐌✌️

[@wheelbite9]

I love these little nano snails. That's actually how I found your channel. Bladder snails have so much personality. I'm always sad to see people call them pests, because they are such a great barometer of how much you're overfeeding a tank, so you can eventually get their population where you'd like it by cutting back, and all the while they're happy to keep your plants clean. I agree that they're amazing pets, not pests!

[@God-ec8ni]

my baby ducks love bladder snails

[@BucketPonds]

Hey! That's a great thing! Finding a use for a "pest" turns them into a resource. Also I love ducks 🦆

[@mastergrape875]

I have a bowl and a jar of Pondwater, Both have bladder snails. I think I’ve seen the first eggs how long does it take for them to hatch?

[@BucketPonds]

They take about 1 week to 3 weeks to hatch. Depending on the species. Hatchlings will be tiny and they tend to hide at first. Once they're large enough to easily see with the naked eye, they'll be pretty much ready to reproduce again.

[@rct6518]

I have them in all of my tanks. I have a Pea Puffer tank that enjoys them from time to time as a snack as well. They can get out of control if you overfeed and such. Great little snails to help clean the tank.

[@jeffreyquick6254]

Such a great video and topic! These guys are awesome! I have many tanks of them as well

[@BucketPonds]

Hey Jeffrey! Always nice to meet another snail enthusiast! They really are the perfect pet. Lil expressive faces/eyes. Fun and active. Love em!

[@jeffreyquick6254]

@@BucketPonds yes that is so true. I have more snail tanks than anything else. They are fascinating to watch!

[@Taooffreedom]

They are great in a planted aquarium.

[@InsideTheStadium]

I agree, they're beautiful and very helpful. Great video brother 👑

[@BucketPonds]

Hey Stadium! Thank you bro I hope you're having a great day

[@MaGladysSDecena]

Try rhamshorn snails another type of “pest snail” but have more colours and size

[@BucketPonds]

Hey Gladys! Yes we raise some Ramshorns as well. Brown, Red and some interesting tiny Ramshorns gifted by a friend. They also make great pets! But seem to benefit from a bit more aeration in their tanks

[@dax8753]

my favourite snail

[@miashadows]

I need to find some outside this summer. Mine came in on plants and such.

[@BucketPonds]

Hey Mia! Just be careful when collecting! I've had some close calls with stealthy alligators 🐊

[@Mattcc3]

I hated them when I first got them by accident now I have a bladder snail only tank

[@marionnye3690]

what do i feed them PLEASE x

[@BucketPonds]

Good question! They eat anything! I like to do cucumbers but they're not the most nutritious food. Watermelon and bananas as well but they are very messy. Best bet would be some fish flakes or sinking pellets for crayfish and shrimp

[@allisongriffin3604]

Do you share snails? I love bladder snails and also keep them as pets. It sounds like you've been able to really diversify the genetic pool in your colony; I would love to receive a genetically-vigorous bladder snail or two to join my little family.

[@GrumpyGillsFishing]

I like em, but ramshorns are prettier and breed just as rapidly.

[@gayefanner731]

Yep, adorable 🥰 🐌🐌✌️

[@Mattcc3]

I started a plastic flower planter pond the circle ones I put it outside a few days ago in indirect sunlight I have a few types of floating plants do I need to put it in direct sunlight soon or leave it indirect I’m use to indoor aquariums not outside

[@MaGladysSDecena]

I like bladder snails too I have some but try rhamshorn snails as well !

[@seundarsdevonta1992]

Update on the 3 yr old pickle jar paludarium?

[@BucketPonds]

Hey Devonta! Sure I can do that. But the tank is a bit lack-luster. I may combine it with an update on the most recent build. Old ideas vs new techniques that kind of thing. Thank you

[@jorgequinones687]

I really felt this video

[@sewerrat7612]

From what I've seen they come in two body colors white and a dark purplish think people are calling the white albino.

[@cathyemery7950]

Why do you have that thing on your face?

[@BucketPonds]

It's a long story 😅 some early thumbnails did so well with the mask - it just became part of the channel. Still seems to encourage some interactions with the audience. But the novelty has worn off. And I'm not half as shy as the early days

[@hugoagogo4324]

They are the worst snail

[@BucketPonds]

Hey Hugo, I disagree! 😅 Sure they aren't exotic or tropical but that's part of their charm.

[@hugoagogo4324]

😂 they are a bloody nuisance lol

[@gayefanner731]

Well I want some!! ✌️

[@ariadneunsworth6248]

They do swim better than any snails. So I guess they are annoying like a teacher's pet