How old are snails?

A few decades ago, these bizarre mollusks - snails - were considered exotic, and now almost every owner of an aquarium has them. They perform an important function in this microenvironment - they process the waste products of fish and aquarium plants.

It is about the latter, as well as how to prolong their existence in captivity, we will talk in this article.

The average life span of a snail can last from 12 months to 4 years, and there are only a few species that live more than 10 years. It can be argued that the artificial environment has a bad effect on the lifespan of mollusks, however, there are several factors whose presence or absence affects the increase in the life of a snail.

• The temperature of the water in the aquarium. The normal temperature at which existence is possible should be at least 23 degrees Celsius, but not more than 27 degrees. Too cold or hot environments adversely affect the snails, wear out their body.
• Hardness of water. The water in the aquarium should have a hardness of at least 8 units, but not more than 15 units. The great softness of the water over time destroys the calcareous coating of the mollusks.
• The acidity of the water. Normal acidity of water is about 7 or 8 units. Too much difference in water from these values ​​can even kill snails.
• Food. For normal life, snails need calcium, which forms their shells.Be sure to include fresh vegetables in the snail menu, as well as vitamins, which can be purchased in special stores.
• Relations with other aquarium inhabitants. Of course, you cannot place animals that feed on snails with the snails themselves. This will not only endanger the habitat of snails in the aquarium, but also negatively affect other individuals who are lucky enough to avoid a sad fate.
• Relations with other snails. Loneliness affects these mollusks quite badly. It is best to start several snails at once. They need to communicate with their own kind.
• Conditions inside the aquarium. Pure water, a high level of soil aeration, regular water filtration positively affect the overall health of snails, as well as most underwater living creatures.
• Communication with a person. In general, communication with a person does not cause severe damage to snails, however, it is necessary to adhere to some rules. You can’t take the snail by its shell and in no case should the mollusk fall. Most often, the snails themselves climb into the palm of a person, it will be enough just to substitute it.

About 100 thousand different species of snails live on Earth. Here we will consider only the main ones that people have kept in artificial ponds for centuries, and the care of which is relatively simple.

• Tiger snail / neretina. The average lifespan of such mollusks in an aquarium is about 4 years. They prefer to live in hard water. It got its name due to its peculiar color. It feeds on algae and does not require special care. When living at home, it can creep out of the aquarium tank, which shortens its life, since it is fatal for it.

• Coil. These small snails are typical inhabitants of aquariums by avid professionals. They live about 3 years, sometimes they can live 4 years. Actively and often breed. They can swim upside down on the surface of the water.

• Ampularia. It has a bright, pleasant, yellow color. It is a relatively peaceful inhabitant of the aquarium and deals mainly with cleaning the aquarium of waste. In captivity, unfortunately, lives only about 2 years. In nature, in its homeland - the Amazon - can last about 4 years.

• Fiza. They have an unusual brown-spotted color. Pretty small, like coils. Because of their size, they often become additional food for some fish. Usually they are not brought up consciously, more often they get into the aquarium by accident. They fail to live long - their life expectancy is about 10 months.

• Melania. It has an unusual purple color and an elongated shell. It has a reputation as a parasite of the aquarium, as it actively and quickly multiplies. Can live up to 3 and a half years, does not require special care.

• Achatina. A typical representative of the land species of snails. These large snails should live in terrariums.

On average, he lives about 5 years, however, with good care, he will live twice as long.

• Megas They look quite ordinary - they have inconspicuous cream or brown color. Compared with Achatina, much less mucus is secreted. Near a person can live for almost 14 years.

• Archakhatina marginata ovum. This species is a snail in the classical sense of these mollusks in the minds of most people (exactly as they are depicted in children's books). They can have a different color - from beige to brown. The pattern of the shell can go in stripes and dots. They have a large, twisted shell. In captivity they can live up to 10 years.

Other species are mainly represented by pulmonary snails. Their feature is that they can live both on land and in water. In the aquatic environment, they prefer only fresh water bodies, with rare exceptions they can live in fresh areas of salty seas.

• Tilomelania. Looks like chalking. Usually it has a corpus luteum and a dark elongated shell 13 cm long. Under normal conditions, lives from 5 to 7 years.

• The pagoda of brotia. It is a small mollusk with a twisted shell on which spikes are formed. It has a spotted body, yellow-brown-black shell.

• Marisa. Small clam, the height of an adult is about 5 cm, width is about 2. It can live from 2 to 4 years. The sink is twisted into a regular funnel. Outwardly similar to a coil.

• Pokemon Another name for the snail is a tropical pond. It is distinguished by a fragile, almost transparent shell covered with sequins. It can be beige, yellow and green. It is small in size, lives only about a year.

In addition to the implementation of the factors described above, it must be remembered that it is necessary to colonize mollusks in aquariums or terrariums of a suitable size. For example, in order for one Achatina to feel comfortable, you need to purchase a terrarium of at least 10 liters.

Another important component of snail life is high quality soil. It must be at least 3 cm thick so that the snail can dig into it. Without these factors, your pet’s life can be significantly reduced. Of course, compliance with all conditions will be useless if you do not monitor the health of the snails and timely recognize and treat the disease.

In general, it can be noted that one should not expect from a snail a long existence, characteristic of most mammals. However, if desired and following certain rules, the life of the mollusk can be extended almost twice.

About how much Achatina live and how to care for them, see below.