Rams Horn snails

Hello all, My pond water is very clear and full of weed with no fish only frogs and newts and other creepy crawlies.6x3x2'6" deep. I used to have hundreds of Ramshorn snails with young ones all over the sides and undersides of leaves a healthy happy crowd. Now not one.. and my neighbours pond is the same..completely gone not a dickiebird. Has anyone come accross this situation. thanks.

 

I've found water snails in general seem to come and go, not sure why.

I think they are more likely in alkaline water,perhaps your pond has turned acid.

But I'm sure someone will know the real reason.

 

Never thought about the acid level. There is about 3 to 4 inches of silt in the bottom which has arrived with age, I leave it there for creatures to hibernate in and to add to the ecology of the pond. Lots of young newts but few new tiny frogs and the hundreds of tadpoles seemed to dissapear rather quickly. I will check the Ph later this week.

 

The only reason I mention ph is that the shells of snails are made from calcium I believe.

 

It might be that the three or four inches of silt you have in the bottom, due to the relative shallow depth of water, may have been "brewing" in the warm weather. We've a "frog pond" only 3' X 2' and not more than 18 inches deep, but I clean it out each year before the frogs start to "get together" they hibernate in the folds of the liner and the sump of my koi pool. After the pond has been cleaned out and left for a week or so, most of the the frogs make their own way to it.

 

I have noticed there all sorts of things in the silt so I have left it there for the time being. I visited a friends house a few weeks ago and he wanted to give me some pond weed, I had already got more than enough, but, a old friend is a good friend and I came home with some. I intended to put it on the compost heap and say no more apart from returning the bucket which I had forgotten about until now. I spotted a couple of very small water snails in amongst the weed and put them in my pond. As they were so small I thought something may eat them. This morning lifiting up the weeds to look for young newts (lots) I found one snail much bigger than the ones I put in but almost certainly one of these 2 looking fine. So I may have a few snails in the future. Pond snails are dear to buy £10 for 6 on one page ..I feel have missed a great buisness oppertunity.