{"title":"Oddballs","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"zebra-nerite-snail","title":"Zebra Nerite Snail","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"sz-acc\"\u003e\n\u003ch2 class=\"sz-acc__title\"\u003eZebra Nerite Snail\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003clabel class=\"sz-acc__row\"\u003e\u003cinput type=\"radio\" name=\"sz-acc-zebra-nerite-snail\" checked\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAt a glance\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/label\u003e\n\u003csection class=\"sz-acc__panel\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecies:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eNeritina natalensis\u003c\/em\u003e, the striped form.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e about 2.5 cm across the shell.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWater:\u003c\/strong\u003e 22–26 °C, pH 7.2–8.2, moderately hard to hard.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEats:\u003c\/strong\u003e algae, biofilm and dead leaves; leaves healthy plants alone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBreeding:\u003c\/strong\u003e lays eggs, but they cannot hatch in fresh water.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003clabel class=\"sz-acc__row\"\u003e\u003cinput type=\"radio\" name=\"sz-acc-zebra-nerite-snail\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDescription\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/label\u003e\n\u003csection class=\"sz-acc__panel\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe zebra nerite is a rounded, thick-shelled snail marked with bold black and gold stripes that run in a spiral across the shell. It comes from rivers and estuaries along the east coast of Africa, from Kenya down to South Africa, where it lives on rocks in flowing water. In the aquarium it does one job well: it grazes algae. It works over glass, wood, rocks and the broad leaves of tougher plants, and it is one of the few animals that will clear green spot algae, the hard, flat dots that build up on glass and slow-growing leaves. It eats only algae, biofilm (the thin living film of bacteria and microscopic life that coats every surface underwater) and dead or dying leaves, so healthy plants are not touched.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne thing to know before you buy: females lay small, hard white eggs, each about the size of a sesame seed, on wood and rock. In fresh water those eggs never develop, because the larvae need salt water to grow, so the population cannot get out of hand. The eggs themselves are stubborn and take some scraping to remove. Nerites live around one to two years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003clabel class=\"sz-acc__row\"\u003e\u003cinput type=\"radio\" name=\"sz-acc-zebra-nerite-snail\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKeeping\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/label\u003e\n\u003csection class=\"sz-acc__panel\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWater:\u003c\/strong\u003e 22–26 °C and a pH of 7.2–8.2, in moderately hard to hard water (about 10–25 dH, a measure of dissolved calcium and magnesium). Calcium is what the shell is built from, so very soft water leads to pitted, thinning shells over time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTank:\u003c\/strong\u003e a mature tank with some algae already growing gives it something to eat from day one. Nerites climb, and they will wander above the waterline and out of an open tank, so a lid with no gaps is needed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFeeding:\u003c\/strong\u003e in a clean tank with little algae, offer an algae wafer or a slice of blanched vegetable such as zucchini or cucumber a couple of times a week, and remove what is left after a day.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"sz-acc__rule\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"sz-acc__note\"\u003ePhotos show a mature example. We send young, healthy stock that colours up as it settles. For water parameters, acclimation and our Live Arrival Guarantee, see our FAQ.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Shrimp Zone","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52845949616440,"sku":"PLACEHOLDER-zebra-nerite-snail","price":9.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}]},{"product_id":"horned-nerite-snail","title":"Horned Nerite Snail","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"sz-acc\"\u003e\n\u003ch2 class=\"sz-acc__title\"\u003eHorned Nerite Snail\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003clabel class=\"sz-acc__row\"\u003e\u003cinput type=\"radio\" name=\"sz-acc-horned-nerite-snail\" checked\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAt a glance\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/label\u003e\n\u003csection class=\"sz-acc__panel\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecies:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eClithon corona\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e small, about 2 cm across.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWater:\u003c\/strong\u003e 22–27 °C, pH 7.2–8.2, moderately hard to hard.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEats:\u003c\/strong\u003e algae and biofilm; only dead or decaying plant matter.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBreeding:\u003c\/strong\u003e lays eggs that will not hatch in fresh water.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003clabel class=\"sz-acc__row\"\u003e\u003cinput type=\"radio\" name=\"sz-acc-horned-nerite-snail\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDescription\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/label\u003e\n\u003csection class=\"sz-acc__panel\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe horned nerite is the smallest nerite we sell and the most unusual looking, with a row of short dark spikes standing up along the shell's edge. Colour varies from individual to individual: most are patterned in black and yellow or olive, which is why it is also sold as the bumblebee horn snail. It is recorded from Guam and the Philippines and probably ranges more widely through the western Pacific, living where rivers meet the sea.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt does the same work as the larger zebra nerite: it grazes algae and biofilm (the thin living film of bacteria and microscopic life that coats every surface underwater) from glass, rock, wood and leaves. Because it is small it fits into corners, between stones and along the fine stems that a bigger snail cannot reach. It eats only dead or decaying plant material, so slow-growing plants such as \u003cem\u003eAnubias\u003c\/em\u003e are grazed clean rather than damaged.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLike all nerites, females lay trails of small hard white eggs on hard surfaces. The larvae need brackish water (a mix of fresh and sea water) to develop, so in a freshwater tank the eggs never hatch and numbers stay exactly where you set them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003clabel class=\"sz-acc__row\"\u003e\u003cinput type=\"radio\" name=\"sz-acc-horned-nerite-snail\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKeeping\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/label\u003e\n\u003csection class=\"sz-acc__panel\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWater:\u003c\/strong\u003e 22–27 °C and pH 7.2–8.2, in moderately hard to hard water (about 10–25 dH, the measure of dissolved calcium and magnesium). The calcium keeps the shell and its horns solid; in very soft water shells erode.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTank:\u003c\/strong\u003e best added to a tank that has been running for a few months and carries some algae. A lid without gaps matters, because nerites climb above the waterline and can leave the tank.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFeeding:\u003c\/strong\u003e if the glass is spotless there is little for it to eat, so offer an algae wafer or a small piece of blanched vegetable now and then, and remove leftovers after a day.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"sz-acc__rule\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"sz-acc__note\"\u003ePhotos show a mature example. We send young, healthy stock that colours up as it settles. For water parameters, acclimation and our Live Arrival Guarantee, see our FAQ.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Shrimp Zone","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52845949649208,"sku":"PLACEHOLDER-horned-nerite-snail","price":9.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}]},{"product_id":"malaysian-trumpet-snail","title":"Malaysian Trumpet Snail","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"sz-acc\"\u003e\n\u003ch2 class=\"sz-acc__title\"\u003eMalaysian Trumpet Snail\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003clabel class=\"sz-acc__row\"\u003e\u003cinput type=\"radio\" name=\"sz-acc-malaysian-trumpet-snail\" checked\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAt a glance\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/label\u003e\n\u003csection class=\"sz-acc__panel\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecies:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eMelanoides tuberculata\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e a cone shell of 2.5–3.8 cm.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWater:\u003c\/strong\u003e 22–30 °C, pH 6.5–7.5.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEats:\u003c\/strong\u003e biofilm, algae and detritus; does not harm healthy plants.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBreeding:\u003c\/strong\u003e gives birth to live young and breeds readily.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003clabel class=\"sz-acc__row\"\u003e\u003cinput type=\"radio\" name=\"sz-acc-malaysian-trumpet-snail\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDescription\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/label\u003e\n\u003csection class=\"sz-acc__panel\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Malaysian trumpet snail has a long, pointed cone shell in shades of brown, often with darker flecks, and comes from fresh waters across Southeast Asia. It is a burrower. By day it works down into the sand or gravel, and after lights-out it comes up to graze across the substrate (the layer of sand or gravel on the tank floor) and the glass.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat burrowing is the reason people keep it. As it moves through the substrate it loosens the top layer, which helps stop it packing down into pockets where no oxygen reaches and waste rots. It eats biofilm (the thin living film of bacteria and microscopic life that coats every surface), algae and detritus (the fine waste of food and dead leaves that settles on the bottom). Healthy plant leaves are not eaten and roots are not disturbed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a livebearer: rather than laying eggs it releases fully formed baby snails, and it breeds readily. Numbers track how much surplus food reaches the bottom, and because the snails live in the substrate and can survive months in damp gravel, they are very hard to remove once established. It is worth deciding on them deliberately rather than discovering them later.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003clabel class=\"sz-acc__row\"\u003e\u003cinput type=\"radio\" name=\"sz-acc-malaysian-trumpet-snail\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKeeping\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/label\u003e\n\u003csection class=\"sz-acc__panel\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWater:\u003c\/strong\u003e 22–30 °C and pH 6.5–7.5, with a carbonate hardness (KH, the water's buffer against pH swings) of around 2–12 dKH. Some dissolved calcium keeps the shell from eroding.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTank:\u003c\/strong\u003e a bed of sand or fine gravel a few centimetres deep gives it room to burrow, and this is where it does its most useful work. Expect to see very few by day.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFeeding:\u003c\/strong\u003e it lives on what settles to the bottom. Offer a blanched vegetable or an algae wafer only if the tank is very clean, and feed the tank lightly overall, since food that reaches the substrate is what drives the population up.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"sz-acc__rule\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"sz-acc__note\"\u003ePhotos show a mature example. We send young, healthy stock that colours up as it settles. For water parameters, acclimation and our Live Arrival Guarantee, see our FAQ.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Shrimp Zone","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52845949747512,"sku":"PLACEHOLDER-malaysian-trumpet-snail","price":5.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}]},{"product_id":"sulawesi-orange-poso-rabbit-snail","title":"Orange Poso Rabbit Snail","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"sz-acc\"\u003e\n\u003ch2 class=\"sz-acc__title\"\u003eOrange Poso Rabbit Snail\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003clabel class=\"sz-acc__row\"\u003e\u003cinput type=\"radio\" name=\"sz-acc-sulawesi-orange-poso-rabbit-snail\" checked\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAt a glance\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/label\u003e\n\u003csection class=\"sz-acc__panel\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecies:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eTylomelania\u003c\/em\u003e sp. \"Poso Orange\", not yet formally described.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWater:\u003c\/strong\u003e 26–30 °C, pH 7.5–8.5.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEats:\u003c\/strong\u003e biofilm, algae, detritus and offered foods.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBreeding:\u003c\/strong\u003e gives birth to one large live young at a time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003clabel class=\"sz-acc__row\"\u003e\u003cinput type=\"radio\" name=\"sz-acc-sulawesi-orange-poso-rabbit-snail\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDescription\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/label\u003e\n\u003csection class=\"sz-acc__panel\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Orange Poso is the best-known Sulawesi snail in the hobby: a bright orange body and long wrinkled snout under a long, dark, ridged shell. Rabbit snails (\u003cem\u003eTylomelania\u003c\/em\u003e) live only on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, in Lake Poso and the Malili lakes, in warm alkaline water over sand, mud and rock. This is the Lake Poso orange form. Retailers often list it as \u003cem\u003eTylomelania gemmifera\u003c\/em\u003e, but that is a described species from the Malili lakes; the Poso orange form is recorded in hobby surveys as \u003cem\u003eTylomelania\u003c\/em\u003e sp. \"Poso Orange\" and has not been formally described. What you are buying is the animal, not the label.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is a grazer of biofilm (the thin living film of bacteria and microscopic life on every surface), algae and detritus (fine settled waste), and it takes any food offered. Plants are mostly ignored, though soft leaves may be tested; firm plants come to no harm.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRabbit snails are livebearers: the female carries a single embryo and releases it as a fully formed baby snail already around a centimetre long, at intervals of weeks. Numbers build slowly and never run away the way pond snails do.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003clabel class=\"sz-acc__row\"\u003e\u003cinput type=\"radio\" name=\"sz-acc-sulawesi-orange-poso-rabbit-snail\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKeeping\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/label\u003e\n\u003csection class=\"sz-acc__panel\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWater:\u003c\/strong\u003e warm and alkaline, 26–30 °C with pH 7.5–8.5. Alkaline means a pH above 7, the opposite of acidic. A heater holding the high twenties is not optional; the lakes it comes from sit near 28 °C year round. Published guides describe the lake water as soft to moderately mineralised rather than very hard, so avoid buffering soils that pull the pH down but do not chase very high hardness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTank:\u003c\/strong\u003e a mature tank with sand or fine substrate to root about in and rock to graze. Let the tank settle for months before adding it, as for Sulawesi shrimp.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFeeding:\u003c\/strong\u003e algae wafers, sinking pellets, spirulina and blanched vegetables a few times a week, with leftovers removed after a day.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"sz-acc__rule\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"sz-acc__note\"\u003ePhotos show a mature example. We send young, healthy stock that colours up as it settles. For water parameters, acclimation and our Live Arrival Guarantee, see our FAQ.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Shrimp Zone","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52911621833016,"sku":null,"price":20.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}]}],"url":"https:\/\/shrimpzone.com.au\/collections\/oddballs.oembed","provider":"Shrimp Zone ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}