Snails and Bettas

Question
Hey lynda i have a male betta fish that lives happily in a 2.5 gallon fish bowl with a 7.5 watt mini heater. He lives very happily and whenever i change his water and put him back in his cleaned bowl there is always a new bubble nest within 2 days. I would really like to add a snail to his bowl. I was wondering if this would be a possibility. And would you sggest asking petsmart for a free pond snail or spend the money and buy an apple snail? Also what do snails eat and how often would i need to feed them. Thanks alot.

Mitch

Answer
Hi Mitch,
I would not advise you to buy a snail, since you don't have a filtered tank.  Snails are little pets too, and they eat lots, making a tank messy, and bringing up the ammonia level very quickly in small tanks.  They must have algae waffers, salade, celery, cucumbers, carrots, brine shrimp. They do not eat wastes like so many people think, and must be fed with good food daily.  A dead snail in a tank can quickly poison the water, and kill any fish that is in it, so it must be treated the right way.   They also must have limestone, and chalk for their shell to have enough calcium.  A betta needs a very very clean tank, so I would not recommend a snail.  If you every upgrade to a bigger tank with filtration, then I would recommend the Apple Snail, and if possible, would put the snail in the tank first before adding a betta.
I hope this helps you understand the snail a little better.
Lynda