Snail Behavior And Coloration

[Nosphaer]

Hi, everyone.

I have a 40 gallon breeder tank with 5 rasboras and 2 blue mystery snails, all of which I have yet to identify by gender. I have been keeping a close eye on all my inhabitants, and the fish have honestly been doing amazingly. They have been faring well, and showing no signs of illness, which makes me happy.

My snails, however, may be tipping me off, largely, that something is wrong with home, for them.

The two of them came to me with a very light, cool-grey colored shell that had a light hint of blue. Now, there is a line of a new color being moved from the outer lip, seemingly crawling toward the center of the shell, where the vital organs are. It's hard for me to understand exactly what's happening to the snail's shell.

Another odd action is one snail's odd tendency to sometimes "headbang" when crawling around. This snail will move a very short distance, having moved for possibly a second at time. In between each movement, this snail convulses, almost, by sliding partially back into its shell and coming back out immediately to try moving. It's interesting, but it worries me.

I guessed that there was a problem, due to the fact that my water is basic out of the tap (seemingly good for snails), yet it ages to be acidic, when tested later. However, the shell corrosion should not just start from the outer lip and work its way along, right? I know the acidic water is a bad situation for the fish, but I keep hearing people say that raising the pH artificially is a bad decision, so I'm trying to look into possible actions, even if that requires giving the snails a new home.

pH - 6.0 (Crazy, I know.)
Ammonia - 0.00ppm
Nitrite - ~0 (Prime was added to the water recently, so this is most likely, but the readings can't be absolutely accurate)
Nitrate - >0 (As mentioned above, however, a very large 80% water change was made on Friday, so these are likely not even high above 5ppm)

The pH worries me for the snails, fish I own, and the fish I plan to get... I certainly want them to feel comfortable in their home.

 

[Nosphaer]

I thought I'd try to bump this, and add on.

One snail has repeatedly crawled to the water line just below the surface. I know that this is stress behavior, so I have wanted to tell about the state of the snails, and ask what may be wrong.

 

[Juggler75]

Have you tried calcium carbonate tablets for the snails? Regular indigestion tablets can be used a long as its 100% calcium carbonate as far as I know

 

[Nosphaer]

Have you tried calcium carbonate tablets for the snails? Regular indigestion tablets can be used a long as its 100% calcium carbonate as far as I know

I was worried about the fish, as well as my biological filter, when thinking of doing this... What's a legitimately safe amount to up the pH by, if it's a process that is at all safe..?

 

[Juggler75]

I found adding a antacid a day had a neglible effect on my pH but it did stop the degredation of the apple snail shell as the apple snail managed to find the tablet and consume it (as did the shrimps), my rasbora haven't suffered either.

Big Bad Al gave me this advice so might be worth popping a question to him.

If your mystery snails are apple snails then going to the surface is normal as they go there to breathe I believe, check http/www.applesnail.net/ for some good husbandry info for them.

Edit: Depending on the rasbora then a pH of 6-6.5 might be perfect for them head over to here to check out some tips on keeping various types.

 

[Nosphaer]

Thank you. I'm familiar with the site, and I'm curious about the user that gave you this advice... do you have a page link, perhaps?

 

[Nosphaer]

Also, flavorings within the tablets makes them harmful for the creatures in my tank, right? I mean... The tablet is about 90% calcium carbonate. Sadly, there is also "natural and artificial flavor", "acacia", "sorbitol", "calcium stearate", "Aspartame", "adipic acid", and yellow food-grade dye.

I don't want to jump to the conclusion that this stuff is all safe for both the snails and the fish. Sweeteners like sorbitol and aspartame instantly put me off to the idea of feeding them these. If I can, I'll look for an all natural health store that has pure calcium carbonate tablets, but my local grocery store has no such things.

(EDIT: Very unnecessary bumping. I'm sorry!)

 

[Katti G]

While looking for answers to questions about my snails, I happened upon your question. i don't know if you found something that worked for you yet.

Our snails were survivors from a school project. They looked pretty bad when we brought them home. I was concerned about their shells the most and wanted to give them more calcium. I use "Three Day Feeders". The first ingredient is Calcium. I break them into chunks. Sometimes I put in a chunk, sometimes a bit of the resulting powder. Since they are intended to be food for an aquarium there is no danger to the snails.