When it comes to Mystery Snails aka Spike Topped Apple Snails, getting a female to lay a clutch can be somewhat difficult. Females are known for storing the males sperm after mate, waiting months for the optimal environment to lay their clutch in. If they feel the environment is not suitable, a female might never lay a clutch. Note: Females that have never mated with a male may still lay a clutch however that clutch will not be fertile.
Ways To Promote Breeding & Lay Clutches
Females should be at least quarter size or large
Ratio 3 Female to every 1 Male
No overly curious or aggressive tank mates
Routine bi-weekly water changes
4 inches or move space available above the waterline
Temperature between 78-82
PH level stable between 7.8-8.5
Daily balanced diet high in calcium and protein
There are many different methods uses to hatch a clutch.
3 Stages A Fertile Clutch Will Go Through
Stage #1
Freshly Laid 0-48 hours old. Will appear a soft light pink shade and be soft to the touch. It not recommended to remove a clutch from the glass at this stage.
Stage #2
Not every clutch will be fertile. If a clutch remains in stage 2 after 5 weeks the clutch is not fertile and should be disposed of properly.
Stage #3
Once you clutch starts to turn into a white/grey moldy appearance the clutch is close to hatching. The clutch will be very delicate in this stage and you should see babies emerging within 48 hours.
Proper disposal method for a clutch is to remove the clutch is after 48 hours of being laid, put it into a Ziploc bag and place it in the freezer for 24 hours. After 24 hours in the freezer, keep it in the Ziploc bag and smash the clutch into a fine powder. Then you can add the powder back into the water as a calcium source or trash the powder.
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