Nerite snail eating wood

[Fishmanic]

My Nerite snail in my 10 gallon Betta aquarium feeds off the algae on a thin piece of driftwood and on the glass. But he also seems to eat some of the wood too as seen by a big gouge in the wood. Is this normal for a Nerite snail? Is there much calcium in wood. I do not add any calcium to the tank. Hardness is around 175ppm. Nerite looks very healthy with a nicely colored striped shell.

 

[Donya]

That's within the range of normal snail behavior. Most likely there is something tasty growing on/in the wood, like little bits of algae (which can be hard to see to the naked eye).

 

[Colin_T]

There is no calcium in wood.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

My Nerite snails does eat calcium build up on my filter, but he has never ate any of my driftwood. That seems unusual to me.

 

[Fishmanic]

Well he’s healthy at least. I see him in all areas of the tank over a few days time. And I think he’s full grown at about the diameter of a penny.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Mine is to!! But mine is really slowing down, I think he is getting old....