Apple Snails Questions 101

[MobileImage]

Hello,
I have some questions about the Apple Snails. Someone on this board must be able to answer them;)

- How long is the life span for P. Bridgesii and A. Spixi?
- When are they mature enough to lay eggs?
- Do diff. colour P. Bridgesii inter-breed and create new colour hatching?
- How to tell if they are male or female?
- Can I clean the algae off their shells with a brush?

Thanks in advance for the answers!:yes:

[Melody]

- Most Applesnails live for around 2 years, sometimes longer.

- The Bridgesii can start breeding when they're around the size of a quarter. I think Spixies are around penny size.

- The colors can all breed with each other. The majority (or all) of the offspring will be either one color or the other, just like their parents. Depending on the colors, you may get more or less variety. For example, if your blue and gold crossed, you could get blue, gold, jade and ivory, but most would be blue or gold.

- There is an excellent illustration of how to sex your Applesnail here (http://www.tronchaser.com/~cindi/ss.html). Warning: Explicit pictures of nude snails. :DevilGrin:

- Plecos clean them to a shine. Here is one of Mr. Mykiss' babies at work on a Thorny Snail:

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f227/canadiansinternetdotcom/MM-BNPleco_Brotia-pagodula.jpg

Good questions!