Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Creating the food chain Snails for the Shell crackers

In a new pond, are the snails that redear's eat introduced through nature or do I need to introduce some?

Don

I have a 2 year old (2 acre) lake in witch I origionly stocked Red Ear, Bluegill and F1 Florida Bass. This last winter I introduced some Rainbow Trout (for winter sport fishing).What I found when I was cleaning my Trout was that they were full of snails (must be a favorite food for them). My best guess is that you will have snails as soon as you have Plants for them to feast on. The plants will come by themselves as will the snails in due time.

Don Stuart

I am going to have to agree with Don #2. Snails just seem to show up...
For example, the pond I am constructing right now was just a dry barren hole last spring... bone dry... once we had some rain in the area and the springs started flowing again the snails started showing up... lots of them.. even with only mere traces of water and no visible vegetation. Just from previous experience I figure that a few months after you get some weeds establishing themselves you will find snails in just about every handful of weeds you pull out. (I also believe that snail eggs may be distributed on the feet/bodies of pond birds...)

Chris

DONT ADD SNAILS!

They become hosts for parasites that will get into your fish. Usually, the point of getting redear is so that they will deplete the snails and you wont have them. So snails cause parasites to enter your fish. Snails not good. Snails bad. No snails.

I concur with Nick. Snails are the intermediate host for the white grubs often found in fish. Redear are often stocked specifically in an attempt to keep that from happening.

"Snails bad . . . no snails" :p