[HungrySpleen]

i couldnt find it on here today so.... why do my snail's shells keep dissolving ?

not really a problem seeins that i dont want snails but id like to know what is happening and if it is a water parameter i should correct

 

[mgamer20o0]

they are lacking calcium in their diet. if the water is soft it also might be the reason. i feed my snails food from kens fish he has a pellet with extra calcium to keep their shells extra healthy.

 

[fishscale]

I put a little piece of cuttlefish bone in from time to time. It kept my nerites healthy til my tank crashed.

 

[itzjustjeff]

so if the PH is below 7 and the water is soft, calcium rich foods can keep them healthy? Will their shells discolor at all?

 

[Burks]

Low calcium I'd assume. Had that problems with my snails as I was using RO/DI water for a while (dumb move....I should know better). I now do a 50/50 mix with tap water. Since then my snails shells are hard, not discolored, and no chipping.

As a side effect.....snail population exploded too.

 

[fibertech]

I use 100% RO/DI, I just add the minerals back before introducing it to my tank

 

[jlroar]

One trick i have used was using crushed coral (placed into a bio bag) in the filter. You can remove some if you overdue it and the best part is it helps to keep your PH more stable (less likely to crash).

Best wishes,
James

 

[killacross]

or you can do the same filter trick with egg shells (CaCO3) or blackboard chalk (CaSO4)...

same thing...the snails will pull the extra calcium from the water to rebuild their shells..

 

[A Hill]

Isn't it basic chemistry dissolving their shells as well? I've read the outer layer can't be repaired by snails, but the lower levels can be built up more to keep the shell from completely dissolving away.

Are you guys implying that your snails have perfect shells in acidic water when you add a little bit more Ca to their water/diet?

I'm intrigued.
-Andrew

 

[fishscale]

Not at all, mine just stopped dying. I think every nerite I've ever had has had some chipping on the shell, and they used to die in my CO2 injected tank from thin shells (the shells were basically see through by the time they died).

 

[A Hill]

Not at all, mine just stopped dying. I think every nerite I've ever had has had some chipping on the shell, and they used to die in my CO2 injected tank from thin shells (the shells were basically see through by the time they died).

Gotcha, see thru snail shells aren't good...

-Andrew

 

[Guy]

Why is it that low Carbonate (or Bicarbonate) can't be equally guilty? Aren't Snail shells only 50% Calcium?

 

[Nue]

I just throw in calcium pills each week. Mine love them!

 

[fishscale]

Why is it that low Carbonate (or Bicarbonate) can't be equally guilty? Aren't Snail shells only 50% Calcium?

Valid point there, I've got pretty hard tap water though.

 

[Guy]

Valid point there, I've got pretty hard tap water though.

Carbonate is definately not the problem then.

 

[cjp999]

I have the same problem with my golden mystery snails. I have hard water, but their shells become see through, and one by one they've been dying off over the past year. I had 100 babies a year ago (both parents died after words), and now am down to about 12. Some have only reach nickel size in that time.

I have olive nerites, and they never seem to have any problems. I also once had about 20 zebra and red spot nerites, but they too slowly died one by one over the past year.

I just tossed cuttlebone in the tanks a couple of weeks ago. We'll see if that makes a difference or not.

 

[Ruadh]

I have the same problem, if I can call it that, it sure keeps the rams horns at bay.
I took this up with Tom Barr and all those fellas. Their take was the CO2.
CO2 converts to carbonic acid, a very weak acid, and over a period of time, the shells dissolve.
I never took it any further than that because I'm not keeping any fancy snails.

Not at all, mine just stopped dying. I think every nerite I've ever had has had some chipping on the shell, and they used to die in my CO2 injected tank from thin shells (the shells were basically see through by the time they died).

 

[cjp999]

The problem is worse in my DIY CO2 tank, but I also have 3 other lowtech tanks that the mystery snails have done poorly in.

 

[i'm a ninja]

Would adding Calcium Carbonate help?

 

[Heartnet]

Has anybody used calcium pills for human consumption successfully to help prevent shell thinning in snails?

I've read on the applesnail.net forums that some snail keepers have used Caltrate successfully to combat shell thinning. Plus, there are no ill side affects to the other livestock in the tank. But I'm curious as to whether anyone ever tried it here?