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MTS behaviour

jameson_uk

jameson_uk

Member
Joined
10 Jun 2016
Messages
879
Location
Birmingham
Having added three MTS a few months ago I can concur they breed fast!!!

Their behaviour however isn't what I expected.

There are lots of stories about only seeing them at night and them vanishing when the lights come on but I have plenty which don't seem bothered by the light and are often out scavenging.

Lots of the also climb the glass to get to the frogbit
1eac58e5375ce3032949eabe5f06e1dd.jpg

Which I wasn't expecting.

Could them heading for the floaters be a sign there isn't enough food for them on the substrate any more, there isn't enough substrate or this is normal behaviour.
4c2bd6124b75bbe09679e51e0cc1f7f5.jpg
 
In my experience MTS will come out during the day. But most will hide during the day. They could be looking for food. Lots of time if there isn't enuff for them they will start to thin out the leaves on plants. not that they are eating them but incisively looking for algae on them. It's a good way to keep their numbers in check. Less food less breeding. I'm not a fan they get out of hand way too quickly.
 
Sounds normal to me. If I look at my tanks when the lights are off I see them crawling up the front glass. They are more active in low light but do come out if there is food about in the daylight hours.
I've never known them to eat plants and their population is limited by available food, so if you see a biblical plague forming, reduce the amount of food that goes in.
 
mort said:
Sounds normal to me. If I look at my tanks when the lights are off I see them crawling up the front glass. They are more active in low light but do come out if there is food about in the daylight hours.
I've never known them to eat plants and their population is limited by available food, so if you see a biblical plague forming, reduce the amount of food that goes in.
Click to expand...

Not seeing any plagues as such but I reckon i have seen about 30 so I guess there are probably double that. Quite impressive given there were 3 only six months ago. I think part of that was the amount of food in the substrate so I guess it is understandable that now they have cleaned up 4+ years of build up they are moving onto other stuff

Saw one of the larger ones on top of the frogbit earlier. Still makes me chuckle that even the other snails get nerite eggs on them.
f60b7c4553d49e7087c7844e0ac22f56.jpg
 
Prob NOT rabbit snails
;)

mort said:
their population is limited by available food, so if you see a biblical plague forming, reduce the amount of food that goes in.
Click to expand...
Hmmmm
I guess my MTS never read this (of course mine were also not the “rare black MTS” :lol: )
It takes along time for reduced food to reduce MTS fecundity (they do stay smaller though, grow slower)
I’d broken down a tank that had become yet another MTS Colony (after receiving 3 of these wonder cleaners “free of charge” from my lfs), thoroughly rinsed the fine gravel, stored tank and slightly damp gravel in a cool, dark place for a couple years
Set up tank with that nice clean gravel ... weeks later I saw the MTS horde active again in dim light - they hadn’t immediately returned to day activities
I dumped the lot in the garden :sorry::sorry::sorry:
 
alto said:
Prob NOT rabbit snails
;)


Hmmmm
I guess my MTS never read this (of course mine were also not the “rare black MTS” :lol: )
It takes along time for reduced food to reduce MTS fecundity (they do stay smaller though, grow slower)
I’d broken down a tank that had become yet another MTS Colony (after receiving 3 of these wonder cleaners “free of charge” from my lfs), thoroughly rinsed the fine gravel, stored tank and slightly damp gravel in a cool, dark place for a couple years
Set up tank with that nice clean gravel ... weeks later I saw the MTS horde active again in dim light - they hadn’t immediately returned to day activities
I dumped the lot in the garden :sorry::sorry::sorry:
Click to expand...

Also A rabbit snail

e2eefa5a2298237a62b96b0ca68f45d6.jpg
 
Yes I laugh every time at the name “rabbit snail” as “breeding like rabbits” is definitely not in their toolbox
(they don’t look like rabbits either)
 
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