Habitat (A.achatina & Arch.marginata) Question

[Kevin]

I will be getting some Large Tiger Snails soon, and more Marginata Snails and I would like to replicate their natural habitat as much as possible with their housing...I have a fairly large 2.5 x about 2ft tank, for them amongst others, and should be getting larger glass tanks soon,

My smaller snails are kept naturalistically, but really in simple set ups of coco humous, moss, water bowl and plantpots...Any idea's, suggestion's for a much more naturalistic set-up, I will be using heatmats for them, and what about lighting? is any lighting acceptable for snails? I would think not, but am curious...
Pics of snail set-ups welcomed...I will be setting up several large housing in the coming day's, and am open to all idea's...Also, for Tiger Snail keepers, Whats the best foods they enjoy? and is there any other important information on them that I would find usefull

Thanks

[natrat84]

Hiya Panda.
I don't really know. I've only just got my tigers this morning and their barely 1cm ;D But... My tanks are like this... Sphagnum moss for substrate which I spray twice a day so it stays nice and damp. A little dish to keep their food in, which they seem to like for hiding under, cuttlefish and a plant pot. Plant pot never gets used, the food dish and moss are nicer I would like more for them for I just don't know what Its tricky knowing whats safe.
Sorry I can't help much, but I'm sure your tanks are fine
Nat

[Paul]

Threads about sunlight:

petsnails.proboards3.com/index.cgi?board=habitat&action=display&n=1&thread=4754
petsnails.proboards3.com/index.cgi?board=behavior&action=display&n=1&thread=1472&page=1

Feeding tiger babies:

petsnails.proboards3.com/index.cgi?board=feeding&action=display&n=1&thread=2786

[Paul]

Have a think about cork bark. I have some, the snails like to burrow under it and it looks nice and natural. It's a good one to keep in a tank coz it is so waterproof. Don't bother with an elaborate bark structure, they'll trash it by morning, lol. Then there is plastic or real plants. If you use real, plant them in a pot, and then plant the pot in your substrate, so they can be easily removed.

[Kevin]

Thanks Nat and Paul

I'll definitly get some cork bark for them early next week, or tommorow if I go then, Is bark from the mountain ok if its been soaked and washed? or am I best to get the cork bark sold in petstores?

Ive thought about real plants before, and will be getting some of them over the weekend hopefully, I'd like plants thats found in the same area as the giant snails (west africa) if possible, I know that would be very tricky though...And would the soil the plant is already in be harmful at all to the snails? or wouldnt it matter as it would be in with the soil already in the tank also...Would real plants need a uv light though?....edit: that wouldnt be a problem, i've decided to get a uv light for the snails thats going to be kept with live plants, and maybe more for the other snails later...I'm try to get their housing as elaborate as possible, without making it easy for the snails to dismantle ;D

Thanks!

[Paul]

Real plants would need UV but the type you need are ones that do well in humidity with little light. Look for bottle-garden plants. It shouldn't be too hard to find plants that are native to Africa. A lot of indoor plants are from places like that, they just manage to survive. Take a cheese plant (Monstera deliciosa), they grow OK in a house with low light. But in the South American tropical rain forest they are from, the humidity causes them to create fruit like a banana!

I tried a few bonsai cuttings in my tank, Serissa foetida. It did really well in the tank because it loves humidity but they ate all the leaves.

I am just about to try a Fittonia, they need more humdity than my house can give them so I'm gonna try it in a tank. I think most poisnous plants will be left alone. I hope. Just keep an eye on anything you put in.

I tried some Crassula ovata and Graptopetalum pentandrum superbum which they ate, but with these being succulents, the moisture was too much and they didn't do well. Both are African species though.

I'd look for plants that originate from the Congo that aren't poisonous. If you find any species, let me know coz I am interested in knowing what they are. I'll have another dig and let you know of any species I find that are worth trying.

[Paul]

Oh and just to add, plants like Privet and perhaps Ivy will cope with tank conditions, they are indestructible and very fast growing. The snails don't eat them which is just as well seeing as they are poisonous. But they will brighten a tank up, especially Ivy which trails, it'll look like rainforest vines!

[Paul]

As for the bark, any stuff taken from the wild will need heavy sterilisation. But, where do you get cork bark from except from the pet-shop?

Even pet shop stuff, you should be careful with, it is always riddled with woodworm holes.

[Paul]

This link may of use to you:

www.petsnails.co.uk/index.php?action=care&type=equipment#e_decoration

[Paul]

I keep thinking of other stuff....

When you see African snails pictured in the wild they are always near leaf-litter. Now, using leaves from outside is probably not the best idea, you could bring in anything, but I am wondering if cutting an artificial plant up and saving the leaves would be useful. Especially if they were fabric and held moisture. I'd go for plain, simple, unpainted ones.

Just an idea, they'd probably like to burrow under them and if you choose the right ones, it could look very natural.

[Kevin]

Thanks!

I'll have a look online for plants from the congo for sale, im about a mile from a huge garden centre, I will go for a walk there sometime this weekend and have a good look too...I'll let you know if I find anything I think's suitable...About the privet and ivy, my back's full of both, my garden shed is covered in ivy on all sides, and its growing well on the back of my house also, I had no idea it could be suitable for snails, I'll definitly use some of both

About the bark, I mistoke cork bark with bogwood and pieces of tree bark I often find up my local mountain

Ive found some great pieces of bogwood Ive used for roaches and stuff, but again had never thought of using it for snails

If I use bark from my mountain I will heavilly steralize it first

[Paul]

I ain't sure about this but isn't bogwood acidic. I seem to remember reading warning about using it in an aquatic snail tank because of damage to their shells. I'm not sure if this is they case and even if it is, I'm not sure it would affect land snails like aquatic ones. Worth being cautious though.

As for Privet and Ivy, I'm not saying they are suitable for snails particularly. I'm just saying both plants should survive tank conditions and the snails don't seem to eat them so they could be ideal.

[Kevin]

admin said:

I ain't sure about this but isn't bogwood acidic. I seem to remember reading warning about using it in an aquatic snail tank because of damage to their shells. I'm not sure if this is they case and even if it is, I'm not sure it would affect land snails like aquatic ones. Worth being cautious though.

As for Privet and Ivy, I'm not saying they are suitable for snails particularly. I'm just saying both plants should survive tank conditions and the snails don't seem to eat them so they could be ideal.

Ill avoid bog-wood then, I dont want to take any risks with my snails

[Kevin]

Searched ebay to see if they sell plants, they do ;D

The link i posted just takes you to ebay, and not directly to the right section, so I edited it out, just look under Home&Garden and keep narrowing the search option down...They have over 400 house plant's and seeds in the uk..Ill have a good look later to see if any's suitable

[bookitten]

Bit late now but...
i use garden compost [organic i think], and whenever its sunny [in england? where? where?] i put half the tank in the sunlight.