Apple Snail Diet

[smithrc]

Over the last month, we have lost 3 of our 4 big apples.
all in different tanks.

They stopped coming out to eat for about a week, their shells seemed to loose its brightness and looked pale and washed out and then they died.

I'm wondering it there is a problem with their diet.

We feed them exactly what our fish get.

Cucumber 2x a week
flake and algae wafers the rest of the time.

Is there anything we should be feeding them specifically?

 

[elgecko]

I used to feed mine algae wafers and floating pellet food.
How long did they live?
Are they the softball size apple snails or golfball size?

 

[smithrc]

they are bridgesii's - golfball size.

I bought them from fishyfeet (on here) back in july... they were going well and have been breeding well (untill today when i lost 1/2 of the breeding pair)

they were/are about the size of a ping pong ball.

 

[jflowers]

I feed mine the same and havn't had a problem. Flake and sinking catfish pellets, with spinach or lettuce once or twice a week. I have only lost one, to old age I think. They only live for around a year at tropical temps 75-80, and up to 3 years at 66-70. I suppose yours could just be at the end of lifespan? Ping pong ball size does sound a little small for that though, my adults are bigger than a golfball at the moment. I am sure with your tanks it won't be a water quality problem, but its worth testing.

Jon

 

[smithrc]

rihgt... our Bridgesii's havent touched their spinach tonight

I guess its because they anr the non plant eating ones...

 

[mandi]

I feed mine sinking algae wafers. They won't eat lettuce for me.

Do you have hard or soft water?
If your water is soft, that can cause problems with their shell -- though it would make holes, not necessarily make them pale.

Did you look around on AppleSnail.net (maybe there's some clues there)?
Try these pages:
http/www.applesnail.net/content/multi_la...ges/english.htm
http/www.applesnail.net/content/various/snail_disease.php (about diseases)

 

[smithrc]

relativly hard water (KH 9deg)

Mine eat the sinking wafers and cucumber etc - i just thought they might be missing something...

I wonder if they absorm the calcium from the water - reducing the kH??

I'll have a measure in the 'snail tank' i think...