Hi there, I also have two mystery snails in my 10 gallon tank with my male betta, they get along pretty well...I don't have answer regarding a fish vase or bowl,but maybe this website can't help.www.applesnail.net

Before I give background and pro's cons, I would say this - they are a very interesting snail, often beautiful (some astounding colors but banned for trans state travel these days in many states) and make interesting pets in their own right. (esp if they mate and lay eggs above the water line so on). (Apple, Mystery, and other names often confused - see Robyn (breeder) link below)... In a large enough set up with live plants and scaping, and correct water parameters (ie ph, hardness, snails need minerals for their shells and this means higher ph often) they can be interesting "pets". So, if you do some research into all of these important factors, you can really mho enjoy these interesting creatures. They also need to be fed independently of fish ie softly cooked zucchini, and other vegetable matter (see Robyn link below) and calcium and other important minerals are needed in their diet or there shells disintegrate. In reality, usually not the best choice of snail for any type of fish set up.... see last link (I have a background in aquariums for over 45 years, biochemistry sciences so forth and just plain old experience with many species.) ................................................... Mystery snails as well as other snails have a "bio" load and one must consider that waste as part of a total load, ie give more space if you keep this snail with a fish. In other words, most bettas are in too small a tank, and adding these will foul the water fast. That said most bettas view the snails "feelers" (tentacles) as food stressing the snail. As well, Betta's prefer (genetically) softer water and a snail of any type needs higher ph (ie calcium and other minerals) in the water for it's shell. That factor alone would make it hard to keep a betta with a mystery or apple snail. (although bettas are bred commercially these days and unless you have a wild type where ph's can be super low (4 - 5 ph) it can be done (IF) you have a large enough environment, filtration (and not fast flow for betta fins) and superb water quality (for the betta). But one must consider other factors - Betta's need a fairly constant water and air temp of close to 80 - which is way to hot for these snails. In the end I would say no, but it has been done (me) until I saw the betta nibbling on the tentacles, and of course the pour snail was not fond of this... so out they went into another set up. This was before I did MY research, and in the end I would conclude that for the most part (if one wants the best environment for both fish and snail - keep them in their own proper environment and not together. .................................... In answer to your question this larger snail needs for two at least a ten gallon (20 would be better), plenty of vegetation for their diet (some consume plants so fast - and unless one really studies a slight variation in the shell you won't know until your tanks plants are stripped bare! I know, I had one in a 20 gallon heavily planted with expensive swords of differing types - gone the next day! The entire grove!) They need superb filtration not so much that they can not be found in nature in differing water qualities but nature cleanses out the environment and so must aquariust... or big trouble with pooh up ahead. And, poor water quality is the number ONE cause of betta disease (their fins are single celled and bacteria easily invade their tissue). So, like fish they have requirements. See the link of Robyn for excellent snail care. Here is some great information (breeders) http://www.fishpondinfo.com/snail2.htm http://www.applesnail.net/ Water In general one should apply the same rules for water quality as with fish (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate etc) and the water should not be too soft. Like most snails, apple snails prefer calcium rich water. If the calcium concentration in the water isn't high enough (soft water), they aren't able to build a strong shell and become susceptible to shell damage, but even in good conditions, some snails still get little holes in the shell surface, especially in the older parts of their shell. This is a naturally occurring process and as long it's only at the surface, you shouldn't worry too much about it. In the 'snail disease' section, you can see an example of a snail with a damaged shell. Young and healthy snails are somewhat protected against this as the outer layer of the shell consist of a protein layer that prevents a breakdown of the shell, but damaged shells and shells of older snails are quite vulnerable to shell deterioration. Warning! If the tap-water in your area contains copper and/or other metals, use one of these water preparation products that catch away those metals bofere putting the snail in the water. Apple snails are very sensitive for these compounds (especially copper). You won't be the first one loosing a snail due to this snail-toxic substances in the water. If you see that the snails become completely inactive or if the snails, especially the little ones, try to leave the water after a water change: get a product to treat the water (like aquasafe or for those with access to a lab: use EDTA or something similar). .................................. Apple snails are easy animals that do well in a common aquarium or a pond. They can live together with most fish species and they can be used to keep the aquarium clean of algae. Not all apple snail species are a good choice for aquaria as their voracious appetite for aquatic vegetation is often not desired and the bigger species can cause problems with the water quality in smaller tanks. The purpose of this guide is to provide a solid guide for everyone keeping these snails and to avoid the most common misconceptions and pitfalls. Species specific needs Most apple snails are voracious plant eaters (herbivores or macrophytophagous) that eat a wide range of vegetation. Held in captivity, they do well on common vegetables in combination with fish food. Unfortunately, many species have a great appetite for aquatic vegetation and algae are not their preferred food. In such cases these scavengers can reduce the aquatic vegetation very quickly. They can ruin a beautiful aquarium within days. ...................................... Links to the pro's. (well some of them are, lol) http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwsnailcompfaqs.htm Apple snail input for WWM and Betta woes <Incomp.> 7/12/07 Hi Crew! <Greetings.> This email is mostly to relate my experience in the hope that it might help others facing the same issues, especially since there is not a whole lot about Apple snails on WWM yet. <There's plenty. Go here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwinverts.htm and go here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwsnails.htm and then read the various connected articles as your fancy takes you.> After reading a couple of comments from Neale about Apple snails not faring so well in community tanks, I began to get worried about mine. <Sad but true. They don't really mix, and the reason aquarium shops sell so many of them is because they die quickly and people just go on replacing them.> He's been sharing an Eclipse 3 with our Betta for about 5 months. The temperature is around 80 normally, but in the summer it regularly climbs to 84-86, even with lights off and top door open. <Way, way too hot for an Apple snail. Anything in the 70s is fine, and a bit cooler in winter if possible.> But the main problem is that I recently noticed that the Betta was stealing food from the snail. He'd violently push the snail aside to get at the sinking wafers and then parade around the aquarium shaking his prize until it crumbled enough for him to eat (he ate one of our cherry shrimp too in our other tank, but we don't know if the shrimp was already dead or not). And since the Betta eats about anything (pellets, flakes, peas, Nori, sinking wafers, bloodworms, brine shrimp) and actively hunts for anything that falls to the bottom, I'm afraid the poor snail has not gotten much to eat in a while... <Indeed. The best thing would be to put aside something for the snail the Betta can't eat. Thinly sliced courgette (zucchini) and blanched lettuce (*not iceberg*) would be a good start. The snail will graze this stuff happily.> Not to mention that the snail is now keeping everything permanently tucked in (I used to enjoy the graceful antennae-waving dance, but now he keeps them where they're safe, under the "hood") and his shell very low over his head like a shield because the Betta kept picking at it... It got to the point where the snail was barely moving around the tank, and I became very worried. <Unfortunately what you're describing is all too common. If this persists, the snail will starve and then die.> I've now moved him (actually, if I can believe applesnail.net, it's a *her* because her operculum is concave - I've just referred to it as a *he" for so long I can't get used to thinking of him as a girl) to an unheated, unfiltered bowl that probably contains about a gallon of water - easy to change because there's no substrate yet, just a rock taken from our 10 gallon tank and a few water lentils that the other tanks keep producing in amazing quantity). It's going to be cooler too because there is no motor and no light, and it's uncovered so evaporation will do its job. I gave him plenty of food (found out he likes cucumber, will try other fruits and vegetables along with fish food) and a piece of a vacation feeder for calcium, until I get him either crushed coral or cuttlebone (his shell is very scratched and the new growth is very pale, so I'm trying calcium, iodine and food to see if it will make a difference on the new growth). I'll see how things go. I've wanted a fan shrimp for a long time and this might make a cute companion to my apple snail, if my research proves they're compatible (and be an excuse to get yet another tank!). <This all sounds dandy. Apple snails are terrific fun, and you do want to have a go at breeding them. it's quite something to see the HUGE egg mass, and when the babies hatch, they're a delight to watch.> So... Betta and Apple snail, in my case, didn't work out so well. The Neritina might have fared better because he eats algae (never seen him show interest in anything else) and already scoots around like a little tank with everything tucked in, even if everything in the tank ignores him. <Nerites are generally much more resistant to fish because of their very heavy shells. They evolved in the sea where there are many more snail-eating predators, not just fish, but crabs, mantis shrimps, whelks, etc. Apple snails are a strictly freshwater group, and the diversity of aquatic snail-eating predators is fairly small. In fact the main predator on apple snails is a kind of hawk, the Florida kite if I recall the name correctly. Anyway, be that as it may, Apple snails are not heavily armoured because evolution hasn't driven them that way. When kept in the tight confines of an aquarium, they end up being harassed by fish quite a lot.> Well, thank you for your time and I hope this can help someone! Audrey <It's always good to know when people have furthered their research and made good decisions. I'm sure you're going to have some fun with the Apple snail. There are some books out there about them, including one from TFH called "Apple snails" or something clever like that. A fascinating read, and well worth tracking down. Filled with stuff about their natural history and biology as well as aquarium care. Cheers, Neale>