How to raise aquatic snail babies

Question
Hi Karen,
We have small red-shelled snails that have laid eggs in round discs on the side of the tank.  Do you know what kind of snails these are?  Could you give us advice for raising them?  We had five of these snails in a one gallon tank with a zebra danio.  After we discovered the approximately 300 eggs, we removed the snails and the fish to another tank.  We need help about how to take care of the eggs.
Alexander (age 8) and Rachael (age 11)

Answer
Hi Alexander and Rachael!

If the snails are small and their shells are red to reddish-brown then more than likely you have Ramshorn snails, these are very common snails that often sneak into people's aquariums by hitchhiking on live aquatic plants from the petstore. They are a really nice snail to have because they help clean up the tank by eating leftover food, algae and even dead plant leaves. Ramshorn snails are very prolific breeders and sometimes they can over-run a tank! These animals are great to have in the aquarium because they require virtually no care and they can thrive in almost any tank. The eggs will hatch in probably around a few days or so. Sometimes you can see the developing snails inside the translucent eggs. When the baby snails hatch, they will usually be a clearish-white color. They can eat the same foods as the adults can. Regular fish flakes made to sink to the bottom so the snails can get it will work. But lettuce, cucumber slices, or food pellets work fine great also.
Usually the baby snails grow quite fast if they get enough food.

Best of luck and I hope this helps!
Happy holidays,
Karen~