Introduction: I never ran across these thru "normal" wholesale channels.

Perhaps
because of the "Apple" in their name. Apple snails have acquired a reputation as crop
destroyers in taro and rice fields. This includes the Colombian Ramshorn Snails which
falls into the "apple" category. We don't see any of these anymore. In fact, the last
"apple" snails we acquired, turned out to be gold mystery snails. Anyway, you can't ship
snails across state lines without a federal permit. This requirement also dried up the
supply of Land Snails.

Spixi Apple Snail Factoids

Origin Brasil -- Rio Parana and Rio Grande do Sul areas, ditches, lakes, and ponds
Maximum Half the size of a mystery snail
Size
Longevity One year in warm water, longer if kept cooler
Housing Immaterial
Security Lives in a shell. May bury itself during the day. And during cooler weather.
Temperature Prefers warmer waters
Breeding Lays eggs under water in gelatinous mass
Attitude More active at night
Foods Bottom feeding omnivore. Will also eat other snails and snail eggs.
Water Prefers hard water
Threats Salt, copper, cichlids, loaches

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Half-grown youngsters. Adults grow to twice this size.
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Couple of them crawled right out of this shallow bowl.

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They'll crawl out of the water on a whim.

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Compared to a mystery snail.

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Motates all over the tank.
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If they stumble across a deceased fish, of course they eat it.
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Likes to burrow into the gravel -- actually more at night.
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Inside a mystery snail shell.
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They have an operculum to shut out threats.
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Spixi snails prefer flakes over algae.

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They'll even burrow thru the gravel looking for food.
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Not much of a threat to plants.
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Morning, before adding food.

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30 minutes after adding food.
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Morning all at the surface, obviously they need a water change.

I'll add egg shots when they lay them. All the above died.

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New Batch, June 18, 2014.
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Into their new tank.

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!0 minutes later, half are headed topside.
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Makes for a good pic.

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I hope this does not mean they hate their water.
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They all cleched up so I moved them to a new tank.

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This little axoloth insists on trying to eat them. I may need to move them again. June 20, 2014.
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Axolotls do like small pellets.

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Next day. The new tank worked One of the axolotls was trying to eat this mass of eggs. June 21, 2014.

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Same egg mass photographed differently to make the eggs visible. Unfortunately, they were destroyed the same day.
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Next day these were on the front glass. The snail remained next to them for a couple hours.
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This mass was on the side glass the same day, June 22, 2014.
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Next day, June 23, this guy stayed next to this egg mass at laeast an hour
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I found six masses this day.
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With Kellie's help, I found a total of eight today.

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Couple more today, June 24, 2014
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Could be because they're sniping the axolotls' food -- kelp pellets.

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Usually they eat cichlid or color flakes.

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New eggs June 25, 2014.
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Still eating the axolotls' food.

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More eggs, June 28, 2014.
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They seem to like kelp pellets.

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As do the axolotls which also have started eating the snail eggs. Those were gone the next day.
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Next am.

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July 2, 2014.

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July 3, 2014.
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Eggs laid June 23, starting to hatch July 6.
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Next day with added food.
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July 19, 2014.
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July 20, 2014.

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July 25, 2014.

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Same egg mass over time.
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Small guy eating the rggs.

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Little guys eating the eggs.
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