Is this a pond or bladder snail?

[Cyberkinetic]

Hi, I have been catching 4-5 of such snails from my newly setup 10gallon planted tank(no fish, currently cycling).

They started appearing a week after I setup the tank and the size is very small, like a sesame seed or so.

Was trying to search in the forum and google but got confused whether these are pond snails or bladder snails.

Can anyone help to ID?

I'm not sure if one day I will just wake up and find a gazillion number of these guys in my tank. But as they are so so tiny, it doesn't make sense for me to get assasin snails since they will not be enough for them even for breakfast right?

I've not introduced my fishes yet, and fish food is placed inside a mesh pocket which I attached to the top of the tank(for the fishless cycling part). Only guess is that they are feeding off my plants else there really isn't anything for them to eat.

snail.jpg

[Trichopsis]

The terms pond snail/bladder snail seems to beused interchangeably (which is why it can be useful to learn some scientific terms). In any case, this is what some resources call bladder snails (Family Physidae). The local species I've found in many drains, ponds, and reservoirs is Physastra sumatrana. Note that in some references, the bladder snails are classified under the same family as the ram's horn snails (Planorbidae).

The easiest way to differentiate bladder snails from pond snails (Lymnaeidae) is in the structure of the shell. In physids, the shell is sinistral; if you look at the underside, the aperture (opening) faces to the left. (See photo below)


Physid shell

Lymnaeids have a shell that is dextral; the aperture faces to the right. (See photo below)


Lymnaeid shell

Otherwise, both groups seem very similar in their ecology & behaviour, although I do find that physids have a greater tendency to undergo population explosions in the aquarium. Hope you find this useful!

[Navanod]

Best reply

[Cyberkinetic]

Thanks!