What Do Mystery Snails Eat – Mystery Snails Diet

Mystery snails are freshwater snails that posse both gills and lungs. They are well known for being kept as pets in an aquarium. So whenever, you decide to add them to your aquarium, the first question that might come to your mind is What Do Mystery Snails Eat so that you can arrange the food that is part of the Mystery Snails Diet. So here we will answer all your questions about Mystery Snails Diet, both in the wild and in captivity, what to feed mystery snails, how often to feed them, and how much to feed them.

What Do Mystery Snails Eat

• A mystery snail is an herbivore and eats a wide variety of plants and algae.
• They are slow-moving creatures and feed on biofilm, algae, and dead plant matter.
• They are optimistic scavengers and consume foods of a wide range. 
• Mystery snails have a tongue-like organ known as a radula, which they use to scrape up plant matter.
• A radula has very small microscopic teeth that are thousands in number, which a mystery snail uses as a scraper.
• Mystery snails are available in pet stores and are often kept in the fish tank to clean algae and fish leftovers from the tank.

What Do Mystery Snails Eat In The Wild

• In the wild, mystery snails eat all types of algae grown off the surfaces. They also eat algae growing on rock surfaces and sand.
• They also eat biofilm and dead and rotting plant matter.
• They are natural scavengers of the ecosystem and clean the dead and rotting plant matter and the leftovers of fish and other invertebrates in the habitats where they live.

What Do Mystery Snails Eat In Captivity

• In captivity, mystery snails eat algae and biofilm.
• Besides it, they are also fed with blanched vegetables (like spinach, kale, zucchini, carrot, lettuce, canned green beans, and cucumber), and algae wafers. 
• Mystery snails do well on the foods formulated for fish in the form of flakes or pellets.
• They also need calcium supplements that are necessary for keeping their shell strong.

What To Feed Mystery Snails

• Blanched vegetables and leafy greens (such as spinach, kale, lettuce, zucchini, carrot, and cucumber) are the favorite foods of mystery snails.
• Some types of mystery snails also like to eat fish/invertebrate pellets.
• When feeding a mystery snail, special care should be taken that vegetables are fresh and carefully washed. Otherwise, it would be harmful to the snail.

How Often Do Mystery Snails Eat

• Mystery snails are opportunistic scavengers and eat whatever they find in the wild.
• In captivity, people often fed them every day or every couple of days with a piece of algae wafer or blanched vegetables. However, overeating harms them so special care should be taken.

How Much Do Mystery Snails Eat

• Mystery snails often eat whatever they find.
• All mystery snails do not consume the same amount of food. The amount of food they need per day can be figured out through observations.
• However, they should not be fed too much because they can overeat and get stomach aches, which is harmful to them.
• So, if someone found that his snail is stuck to food for too many hours, the food should be taken out.

Do Mystery Snails Eat Java Moss

• Mystery snails are known to love any type of green plant. So obviously, they will also eat Java moss.
• Mystery snails in captivity are known for eating Java moss.

What To Feed Baby Mystery Snails

• Baby mystery snails eat the same type of food as their adults.
• The most preferred diet for baby mystery snails is fish food, however, they may also consume aquatic plants.
• If they are in the tank or aquarium, the light should be provided to allow the growth of algae on the walls.
• Baby mystery snails also consume blanched vegetables like carrots, zucchini, cucumber, spinach, and lettuce, etc.

What Do Black Mystery Snails Eat

• Black mystery snails eat the same diet as the other mystery snails do.
• In the wild, they eat biofilm, algae of the surfaces (as well as those grown on any surface like sand and rocks), and dead plants.
• In captivity, they are fed with:
  • Algae wafers
  • Blanched vegetables
  • Fish or invertebrate pellets.

What Do Blue Mystery Snails Eat

• Blue mystery snails also eat algae and dead plant matter in the wild.
• In captivity, they eat:
  • Blanched vegetables
  • Algae wafers
  • Fish or invertebrate pellets.

What Do Gold Mystery Snails Eat

• Gold mystery snail is an opportunistic feeder and a great scavenger. It often consumes the leftovers of fish.
• They also readily eat foods formulated for fish.
• Like other types of mystery snails, they eat algae, biofilm, and dead and rotting plants.
• Freshly blanched vegetables are their favorite food. Spinach is especially beneficial as it provides them valuable nutrients (such as calcium and iron) necessary for their growth.

What Do Mystery Snails Eat Video