Do snails eat eggs?

Otterwoman · Jun 9, 2015

This may seem like a stupid question and that I should know the answer, but recent tank event have caused me to question: Is it possible that snails are eating my newt eggs? I'm talking about the relatively small ramshorn snails that seem ubiquitous in tanks. Or sucking out the larva and leaving the jelly behind? I also realize what I see might just be a snail leaving its own eggs, but their behavior seems very suspicious sometimes.

Chinadog · Jun 9, 2015

In my experience some do and some don't.
I have some small orangey coloured Ramshorn snails in some of my tanks that have definitely been eating pyrrho eggs because I've watched them do it, yet I've had loads of Greater pond snails, Bladder snails and Greater Ramshorn in all of my tanks for years and I'm certain they've never touched eggs, even when food has been scarce.
The orangey ramshorn ones are also do much more damage to my plants than other types and look to have different mouth gear than the others so maybe they are less specialised feeders?

These are the guilty ones, they look orange unde aquarium lights.

Blackbun · Dec 29, 2015

Every year the frogs spawn (Rana temporaria) in my pond, few tadpoles hatch as the great pond snail (Lymnaea stagnalis) and to a lesser degree the ramshorn snail (Planorbarius corneus) feasts on them day and night. I do make an effort to remove the snails in the vacinity of the spawn. Having said that, the greatest predator of these eggs are the smooth newt (T. vulgaris) and the palmate newt (T. helveticus). Would I trust a small snail in a tank with newt eggs? No. Be aware that there are snails which hice in the substrate during hours of day light and are over looked yet they can form substantial populations so have a check a couple of hours after lights out!

Bellabelloo · Dec 30, 2015

I wouldn't intentionally have snails in with any of my breeding tanks.
I sit beside a tank with pyrrhogaster and spend a fair ammount of time gazing at them. After a Hydra outbreak I added some Ramshorn snails. The pyrrho's decided that these tasted good and managed to eat all but one. I didn't see any of these eat any of the pyrrho eggs. I then added some Greater pond snails, who survived various muggings ( Its pretty cool how they manage to avoid being eaten) They laid eggs, which where eaten by the Ramshorn snail. The Greater pond snails ate the pyrrho eggs.

Jennewt · Jan 1, 2016

I have small pond snails and ramshorn snails in all my tanks and haven't ever seen them eat or damage a newt egg. There are many kinds of ramshorn snails though, so it's certainly possible they could.

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Do snails eat eggs?

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