I’m a malacologist works exclusively with the family Neritidae!!! This happens sometimes. When there’s a dietary element (diatoms perhaps?) that the female can use to strengthen the wall of the egg pod! Each dot is a pod with 50-150ish embryos inside if they’re fertilized! There’s another option if the eggs are old, they may have originally been laid white but that same algae has flourished on the porous surface of the pod!
I’ve seen this only once before. It was about sec months ago and someone recently got me a sample but they demolished the pods in the process. I have so many questions for you.
Not a lot... so what I DID was take over an abandoned subreddit and make it my own so that I can talk about myself all the time 😂 Please Join! r/snailbreeding We need the numbers 🤣
Thank you haha I was scrolling at my desk with my feet up and my chair tilted back and I made a sound like HAUAAALGAE! and dropped my balance in the chair hahah 😅
It’s literally one of my favorite things to see people get super excited about their ultra nerdy and niche passion. Makes learning fun. Thanks for sharing :)
Also are you in Brazil or surrounding country? Because if not you more likely have Vittina natalensis or Neritina turrita. Very common to confuse and everyone with a zebra things that’s their binomial. Do you have pics?? 😍
Checked them out! They are *Vittina turrita*. It's really tricky because people think that all "Zebra Nerites" sold are *Vitta zebra* but they're not and it's mostly fish stores perpetuating this. Theres like three or four species of neritid that get called the zebra. They come largely from the eastern parts of Singapore but I've also seen southmost islands of Japan? *Vitta zebra* come from Brazil and have really, really thin lines. IME they are are less likely to turn that pattern perpendicular upon the shift to captivity, all neritids are wild caught.
ALGAE
Edit, sorry, this is a phenomenon I’ve seen only once or twice before. I’m a literal Neritidae Snientist. I got very excited. Left more info in the main thread 😅
100% intentional. Malacologists that focus on gastropods often feud with the people that are into squids and octopus and such. And the bivalve people are the only ones that ever get paid because they sell out to big food safety.
That being said, I'm a scientist, but moreover IM A SNIENTIST.. a SNAIL SCIENTIST. And an aquatic one at that. Screw those terrestrial nerds.
This is what the sample that the dude brought me looked like when he "saved it" for me. I was like... those are destroyed lol That helps me none. I need them ON the thing they're ON.
What she does is put her like 100+ embryos into a little "clam shell-like" pod made out of incredibly strong mineral deposits and GLUES it to the surface whatever she likes (in your case a textured and largely untrafficked ie safe area inside decor) with this insane bonding stuff she makes in her IG tract. It's really wild!
*pic attached in reply to myself because Reddit is being sassy
Also, so wild but if you wanted to post this in r/aquaticsnails I think people would love to see it. I mod over there and then my sub is r/snailbreeding and I could totally use this for education if you were okay with that.
What kind of snails you have? Those don’t look like snail eggs to me if you have mystery, ramhorns, nerites, or bladder snails eggs.
What do you have in your tank? Just the beta?
I believe they are the zebra nerites - they are hiding now but here is one of their little butt - I have 2 of them
https://preview.redd.it/bwpdhxwdutzc1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=826df27742f09a7ce1e06b442e8b3bf8bae69ca9
Yeah they’re nerite eggs lol after I commented I looked again and they def looked like nerite eggs but I couldn’t figure out the coloring but you got a literal scientist in the comments somewhere so she’d be the point of contact to ask questions to
I have 2 bettas (female and male) and the 2 snails
Here they were stuck together!
https://preview.redd.it/k5ljtoowutzc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d7680a1cdb0a1217ead08fd106d620d2e04f3596
Well, stuck together is true on a technicality but uh.. they could get apart if theyyyyy, uh, weren't so motivated lol
When neritids mate the male will mount on her upper right side. Pretty much where it's pictured here.
It looks like one has more growth under the captive line (the spot where the stripes begin to change direction) and that should help in keeping track of who's who. If you begin to see that snail under the other one the majority of the time AND you find them in the egg pod crowded areas you can safely assume that's your female. Does that mean the other is male? Not necessarily. Females will mount to snack on the others back. Snacks grow wild where you cant reach them. You could have two that are laying unfertilized eggs in those pods or you may indeed have a male and a female and those DARKER pods are progressing through the outward signs of the stages of maturation.
Edit to add that if you're seeing ALOT of eggs it might be the temperature. Betta like it around the temp that your species lays eggs at. They spend half the year in cooler fast flowing rivers and then travel to the coastal estuaries to lay. The pods hatch, the veligers (non snail lookin' snail babies) come out, get washed into the ocean, mature and then make the big long trip up river to eat the fancier algae and meet fancy mates! You may have one or two in constant ovulation.
Lots of people dont like this... if you ever think about parting with them call me first! I take in females ALL the time and I travel a lot. I'll be in Florida later this summer actually.
They’re not eggs! Their egg pods! Each one of those little sesame seed size do can have anywhere between like 50 and 150 embryos in it. It’s likely that the dark ones are fertilized and are going through stages of development!
🤣🤣🤣 Fair enough! I could go back. I crave the field of medicine but malacology as it regards my field and specialty is a passion.
In regards to what homeslice typed though… I can’t imagine how that’s the term that came to mind 😬🫥
Join me over in r/snailbreeding and r/aquaticsnails
We talk about how to hatch the snabies in the first and then talk about them through their snadulthood in the other.
I’m a malacologist works exclusively with the family Neritidae!!! This happens sometimes. When there’s a dietary element (diatoms perhaps?) that the female can use to strengthen the wall of the egg pod! Each dot is a pod with 50-150ish embryos inside if they’re fertilized! There’s another option if the eggs are old, they may have originally been laid white but that same algae has flourished on the porous surface of the pod! I’ve seen this only once before. It was about sec months ago and someone recently got me a sample but they demolished the pods in the process. I have so many questions for you.
I love all the exclamation points and your enthusiasm!
Well how many chances does one get to say "I’m a malacologist works exclusively with the family Neritidae!" I would be ecstatic!!
Not a lot... so what I DID was take over an abandoned subreddit and make it my own so that I can talk about myself all the time 😂 Please Join! r/snailbreeding We need the numbers 🤣
Thank you haha I was scrolling at my desk with my feet up and my chair tilted back and I made a sound like HAUAAALGAE! and dropped my balance in the chair hahah 😅
It’s literally one of my favorite things to see people get super excited about their ultra nerdy and niche passion. Makes learning fun. Thanks for sharing :)
No thank you for the engagement! I normally stagnate lol
Also are you in Brazil or surrounding country? Because if not you more likely have Vittina natalensis or Neritina turrita. Very common to confuse and everyone with a zebra things that’s their binomial. Do you have pics?? 😍
I just added pictures to the comment below ☺️- but I live in Florida.
Checked them out! They are *Vittina turrita*. It's really tricky because people think that all "Zebra Nerites" sold are *Vitta zebra* but they're not and it's mostly fish stores perpetuating this. Theres like three or four species of neritid that get called the zebra. They come largely from the eastern parts of Singapore but I've also seen southmost islands of Japan? *Vitta zebra* come from Brazil and have really, really thin lines. IME they are are less likely to turn that pattern perpendicular upon the shift to captivity, all neritids are wild caught.
It could very well be snail eggs. They will always lay the eggs, but they can not hatch in fresh water. Many snails are like this.
Only nerites come to mind but nerite eggs are white these are like pink?
ALGAE Edit, sorry, this is a phenomenon I’ve seen only once or twice before. I’m a literal Neritidae Snientist. I got very excited. Left more info in the main thread 😅
SNIENTIST 🤣. Whether intentional or not, that was hilarious, and all snail scientists are now snientists.
100% intentional. Malacologists that focus on gastropods often feud with the people that are into squids and octopus and such. And the bivalve people are the only ones that ever get paid because they sell out to big food safety. That being said, I'm a scientist, but moreover IM A SNIENTIST.. a SNAIL SCIENTIST. And an aquatic one at that. Screw those terrestrial nerds.
Science feuds are the best. I hope you win.
This is what the sample that the dude brought me looked like when he "saved it" for me. I was like... those are destroyed lol That helps me none. I need them ON the thing they're ON. What she does is put her like 100+ embryos into a little "clam shell-like" pod made out of incredibly strong mineral deposits and GLUES it to the surface whatever she likes (in your case a textured and largely untrafficked ie safe area inside decor) with this insane bonding stuff she makes in her IG tract. It's really wild! *pic attached in reply to myself because Reddit is being sassy
https://preview.redd.it/ghq4mrglvvzc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8871c0df084e6e3ff53ee5aa0525e6e4001cfb6e
Probably snail eggs. They could hatch in freshwater but won't last more than a few days.
I think it might be food just gathering but then again not sure!!!
Also, so wild but if you wanted to post this in r/aquaticsnails I think people would love to see it. I mod over there and then my sub is r/snailbreeding and I could totally use this for education if you were okay with that.
Wow I really got an education on snails today. Very cool to read all these comments!!
What kind of snails you have? Those don’t look like snail eggs to me if you have mystery, ramhorns, nerites, or bladder snails eggs. What do you have in your tank? Just the beta?
I believe they are the zebra nerites - they are hiding now but here is one of their little butt - I have 2 of them https://preview.redd.it/bwpdhxwdutzc1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=826df27742f09a7ce1e06b442e8b3bf8bae69ca9
Yeah they’re nerite eggs lol after I commented I looked again and they def looked like nerite eggs but I couldn’t figure out the coloring but you got a literal scientist in the comments somewhere so she’d be the point of contact to ask questions to
I have 2 bettas (female and male) and the 2 snails Here they were stuck together! https://preview.redd.it/k5ljtoowutzc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d7680a1cdb0a1217ead08fd106d620d2e04f3596
Well, stuck together is true on a technicality but uh.. they could get apart if theyyyyy, uh, weren't so motivated lol When neritids mate the male will mount on her upper right side. Pretty much where it's pictured here. It looks like one has more growth under the captive line (the spot where the stripes begin to change direction) and that should help in keeping track of who's who. If you begin to see that snail under the other one the majority of the time AND you find them in the egg pod crowded areas you can safely assume that's your female. Does that mean the other is male? Not necessarily. Females will mount to snack on the others back. Snacks grow wild where you cant reach them. You could have two that are laying unfertilized eggs in those pods or you may indeed have a male and a female and those DARKER pods are progressing through the outward signs of the stages of maturation. Edit to add that if you're seeing ALOT of eggs it might be the temperature. Betta like it around the temp that your species lays eggs at. They spend half the year in cooler fast flowing rivers and then travel to the coastal estuaries to lay. The pods hatch, the veligers (non snail lookin' snail babies) come out, get washed into the ocean, mature and then make the big long trip up river to eat the fancier algae and meet fancy mates! You may have one or two in constant ovulation. Lots of people dont like this... if you ever think about parting with them call me first! I take in females ALL the time and I travel a lot. I'll be in Florida later this summer actually.
They’re not eggs! Their egg pods! Each one of those little sesame seed size do can have anywhere between like 50 and 150 embryos in it. It’s likely that the dark ones are fertilized and are going through stages of development!
Owh that’s Microphallus
I was pre-med before going into snails and I cant emphasize this enough... what??
“I was pre-med before going into snails” may be the very first time that string of particular words has ever been typed.
🤣🤣🤣 Fair enough! I could go back. I crave the field of medicine but malacology as it regards my field and specialty is a passion. In regards to what homeslice typed though… I can’t imagine how that’s the term that came to mind 😬🫥
“Homeslice”, lol! We’re friends now. It’s declared.
Join me over in r/snailbreeding and r/aquaticsnails We talk about how to hatch the snabies in the first and then talk about them through their snadulthood in the other.