How do mystery snails reproduce and how many offspring can they have at one time?

Answer

Most snails are hermaphrodites. This means that they are both male and female. All hermaphroditic snails can lay eggs. They can "mate" with themselves and thus only one can reproduce in an aquarium or pond. They also breed sexually as often as possible. Most snails lay eggs but some, like the trapdoor snail, give live birth. Trapdoor snails and a few other species of snails (apple, golden inca, four horned, etc.) are not hermaphrodites. They can only reproduce sexually.

Underwater Snail Eggs: For those snails that lay eggs in the water, snail eggs look like little jely blobs stuck on hard surfaces and plants. Favorite places to lay eggs include aquarium glass, clay pots, bricks, large plant leaves, and almost anywhere sturdy enough. The eggs begin clear but soon get a dark spot which grows larger as the snails grow. Unlike fish eggs, you will not see two large eyes looking up to you. After about 3-6 weeks depending on species and temperature, the babies emerge. They are quite vulnerable to being eaten at that time. There is nothing special to be done for their care aside from providing foods their parents like if algae and plants are scarce. People often add snail eggs to aquarium and ponds without knowing it as the eggs come hitching rides on live plants or even inert materials moved from another aquarium or pond. Rarely, eggs may be infertile or die. In that case, they will turn white as fungus attacks them. Healthy snail eggs are clear with a dot inside.

Above Water Snail Eggs: Apple snails lay eggs above the water line, usually on plants but in an aquarium, they often lay eggs on the lid. Apple snail eggs are yellow or pink. They need to stay damp but not submerged in order to develop. See the section on apple snails for more information.

Answer

Mystery Snails are most likely a species called Pomacea Bridgesii. These are freshwater aquatic snails which lay eggs ABOVE the water.

Pomacea snails are MALE and FEMALE. They are NOT aesexual. So you will have to have 1 male and 1 female, at least, before you see breeding and egg laying.

The male will climb onto the females shell, slightly over to one side, his penis looks like a flat white tube (similar to his breathing siphon, but shorter and fatter) and he will insert it into the female's shell and up into her body.

She will usually continue about her life, walking around the tank while the male continues his deed riding on her shell.

Females may or may not lay eggs after the male breeds her. Pomacea species snails can carry sperm in their bodies for many weeks.

When ready to lay eggs, the female will climb up the side of the aquarium wall and leave the water. She will continue up as far as she can go, or about 3-4 inches.. depending on how much room she has. If you do not have a lid on your aquarium, she can and most likely will, fall out of the tank.

My snails enjoy laying their eggs near the light bulbs in the light canopy. The eggs are a small hard mass, usually pale creme in color. Though some other Pomacea species lay bright red, dark pink, lime green, and solid white eggs.

If eggs are kept warm and moist, baby snails will hatch on their own in about 2-3 weeks. Sooner if they are kept warmer. Baby snails will eat their way out of their egg cluster and drop down into the water. They look just like their parents, only tiny. It takes some color-varieties a few weeks before they show their adult coloring, but wild- and golden-colored babies look pretty much like their parents from day 1.

Sometimes the eggs won't hatch. This is usually due to lack of humidity, though sometimes a virgin snail can lay eggs which are infertile. Usually if you leave the eggs alone, and let nature take it's course, you will soon have alot of babies in your tank.

One single egg clutch can hold anywhere from 20 to 2,000 eggs depending on the species. Asolene Spixi, which is a rare forum of apple snail, usually lay egg clusters that only have 15-20 eggs. Pomacea Canaliculata can lay clusters with up to 2,000 eggs.

Pomacea Bridgesii, which is what you most likely have, usually have around 100-200 eggs in a cluster... and on average, about 50-75 babies will hatch and start their lives in your tank.

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