Guys, just been admiring my tank and noticed that one of my apple snails shells looks very worn and almost eroding. I have had 2 snails for about 8 months now and this has just started. My first thought was that it could be a rise in Ph but it has remained steady at 7.5 and all my other tests are good too. Just a little confused as I want to keep them for as long as I can as they are now banned
Snail Shell
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Getthejist
New Member
Try feeding them a food with calcium in it to help them rebuild their shell also a rise in pH would probably help their shell but a decrease to below 7.0 might make weakened.
You could try giving them some cooked egg shell, to increase their calcium levels, or even some dedicated shrimp pellet type food which should also be high in minerals to aid in the shell shedding and regrowth that shrimp go through on mostly a monthly basis.
Getthejist
New Member
Also when did they get banned?
The ban is fairly recent, and is EU wide. It's because they were found in the wild in Catalonia, Spain.
http
/www.fishforum...pple-snail-ban/
What is your KH? If that's too low, then even though the pH is >7.0 you can still get erosion.
The easiest/quickest trick for getting extra supplemental CaCO3 to snails is to use weekend feeder blocks. The food pellets embedded in the blocks get the snails' attention and they rasp away at the CaCO3 as they're going after the pellets. Dietary sources like that are more effective than just relying on CaCO3-content in the water, particularly when a shell problem has already started (although if the KH is low, that needs to be fixed too to stop the problem from getting worse).
As Baccus said shrimp pellets are also great. I use both shrimp pellets and the feeder blocks as a staple diet in my fw snail tanks.
The easiest/quickest trick for getting extra supplemental CaCO3 to snails is to use weekend feeder blocks. The food pellets embedded in the blocks get the snails' attention and they rasp away at the CaCO3 as they're going after the pellets. Dietary sources like that are more effective than just relying on CaCO3-content in the water, particularly when a shell problem has already started (although if the KH is low, that needs to be fixed too to stop the problem from getting worse).
As Baccus said shrimp pellets are also great. I use both shrimp pellets and the feeder blocks as a staple diet in my fw snail tanks.
Mystil
Fishaholic
Sorry to jump on your thread.
What is the best "block" to buy for calcium? I have the same problem with one of my apple snails (shell deformaty).
I thought about oyster shell (but was not sure about this).
I have also heard that you can buy human calcium suppliments from places like Boots etc. I use JBL nano crab pellets (but the Bristlenoses eat it before the snails can get there). Im thinking of removing the vast amount of BNs from the tank to give the snails a chance.
What do you think?
What is the best "block" to buy for calcium? I have the same problem with one of my apple snails (shell deformaty).
I thought about oyster shell (but was not sure about this).
I have also heard that you can buy human calcium suppliments from places like Boots etc. I use JBL nano crab pellets (but the Bristlenoses eat it before the snails can get there). Im thinking of removing the vast amount of BNs from the tank to give the snails a chance.
What do you think?
I know there are people out there who throw in human supplements with success, but I've never been willing to place that much trust in those things. There are also people who try human supplements and complain it clouds the water because they dissolve too fast and I don't know which ones are guilty of that.
There isn't really a best type of block as far as the weekend feeders go. Thicker ones will last longer; that's about all there is to it, so just look for the bet bang per buck in that respect. It's also possible to make your own but I've never done it.
Oyster shell doesn't really do much. Neither do any of the older methods for accomplishing this like cuttlebone. Hard things like eggshell and oyster shell are difficult for snails to chew on if they are even interested in tasting it. Cuttlebone is just risky since you can get bad ones that foul the water straight away from not having been prepared properly. Oyster shell and eggshell don't run that risk but just aren't as effective IME, oyster shell being least so except for functioning as an aragonite buffer for the water.
Keep in mind that shell deformities likely won't be affected at all by CaCO3 content. The main impacted things will be healing of fully eroded areas and ability to put down harder shell faster (so less prone to injury). If the shell has ended up funny shaped over time in a developmental sort of way, that's going to be down to how the soft tissue is depositing things regardless of how thick the shell is. If instead you mean something like fissures (which are the result of an injury, not a deformity as is spread around on the web far too much), then you may see some improvement if they are being caused by shells that are generally weak, but existing fissures might not show a lot of improvement if they're already quite sever.
There isn't really a best type of block as far as the weekend feeders go. Thicker ones will last longer; that's about all there is to it, so just look for the bet bang per buck in that respect. It's also possible to make your own but I've never done it.
Oyster shell doesn't really do much. Neither do any of the older methods for accomplishing this like cuttlebone. Hard things like eggshell and oyster shell are difficult for snails to chew on if they are even interested in tasting it. Cuttlebone is just risky since you can get bad ones that foul the water straight away from not having been prepared properly. Oyster shell and eggshell don't run that risk but just aren't as effective IME, oyster shell being least so except for functioning as an aragonite buffer for the water.
Keep in mind that shell deformities likely won't be affected at all by CaCO3 content. The main impacted things will be healing of fully eroded areas and ability to put down harder shell faster (so less prone to injury). If the shell has ended up funny shaped over time in a developmental sort of way, that's going to be down to how the soft tissue is depositing things regardless of how thick the shell is. If instead you mean something like fissures (which are the result of an injury, not a deformity as is spread around on the web far too much), then you may see some improvement if they are being caused by shells that are generally weak, but existing fissures might not show a lot of improvement if they're already quite sever.
OK so I chucked in a couple of blocks the other day but the snails aint even had a sniff of them. The other fish have enjoyed a bit of an endless food supply. The shell problem dont seem to be bothering the little guy like
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