Algae Eating Japanese Trapdoor Pond Snails

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JAPANESE TRAPDOOR ALGAE EATING POND SNAILS

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(Viviparis malleatus) -The Black Japanese Trapdoor snail is the preferred species of water gardeners world-wide. This snail is black in color, body and shell. We ship them when they get 1-1½" long. Trapdoor snails are one of the few larger varieties that can survive the winter in Northern climates. This snail is a great asset in keeping algae under control as they groom your plants, planting pots and watergarden walls. They also cruise the pond bottom and consume decaying matter such as leaves and fish food. Full grown snails can reach 2"-3" long.

Survive in warm ponds:	Yes	Algae eating capacity:	Moderate to High
Survive in cold ponds:	Yes	Plant eating capacity:	Low
Breathing:	Gilled	Breeding:	Sexual, live-bearing

DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS:
Get pond water and have it at room temperature in your house or basement. Put the snails in the water and let them get adjusted to your pond water. They are not happy campers when they arrive! They will appear lifeless from the shock of shipping, like a scared turtle in a shell. As they get active again release them. They have some algae attached to their shells. This is unavoidable as they get the same growth as rocks and structures and cannot clean themselves. A few may get cracked shells during delivery as they get bounced around like little ping pong balls, but they will mend. We cannot guarantee live delivery on each and every one of the snails due to shipping conditions out of our control. We ship healthy and active live snails using FedEx™. When the weather is hot in the summer we use a cold pack. We do everything in our control to get them to you in good condition.

NOTE: WEST COAST, SOUTHWEST AND DEEP SOUTH CUSTOMERS
The snails are shipped from Ohio. We cannot guarantee the live delivery of snails with our free FedEx™ Ground shipping due to cargo area temperatures that may get over 120 degrees when traveling through the desert, or in heat waves anywhere in the US. Please consider purchasing the 2nd Day FedEx™ Air option below if you want to insure they all arrive healthy.

Note: If you want air shipping select it now. You will not have a chance to upgrade at checkout.

REMEMBER: These are live bearing snails. They only breed a couple of times a year so don't expect them to multiply fast like regular egg laying snails. Order according to the size of pond you have. In a normal pond, Koi and other creatures tend to eat most of the young. If you see new tiny snails pick them out of the pond and rear them in an aquarium until they get to at least 1-1½ inches. In order for your snails to have a positive effect on algae growth you should have at least 25 for small ponds and 50 or more for larger ponds. Farm ponds should have at least 200 to have any positive effect.

WHERE DID THE SNAILS GO? We sometimes get email from people who put snails in their pond and in a few days cannot see them after they disperse. The fast answer to this is that the snails are still in your pond and you cannot see them. They are almost impossible to spot as they are the same color as the rocks and gravel. One way to check is to get a fishing pole and put a lettuce leaf on the hook and lay it on the pond bottom. Come back in an hour or two and you should have snails at the lettuce.

The snail packages below all include free FedEx™ ground shipping.
These snails will survive in any climate in the U.S.
The only exception would be for ponds less than 2 feet deep that could freeze solid.
In this case you would need to winter them inside or the shells may freeze solid and crack.

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* We reserve the right to substitute with like plants of equal or greater value unless you specifically request otherwise in the remarks section of your order you submit. This happens almost never though, and if it does happen it is usually in regard to floating and submerged oxygenation plants.