Nerite operculum broken

[BettaGal]

What should I do now that I found that my olive nerite's operculum has nearly broken off? Is she gonna be alright without it, or is she in trouble?

 

[MacDracor]

Can you post a picture? Is there any tearing or other evidence of damage? I believe the olive nerite has an irregularly shaped operculum, not circular.

 

[BettaGal]

Can you post a picture? Is there any tearing or other evidence of damage? I believe the olive nerite has an irregularly shaped operculum, not circular.

It's half a circle deep in there. I'll try to get a picture here in just a minute. It looks like it just tore off at the hinge spot and is hanging by the corner of it the last time I looked. I just got back from trying to figure out what's wrong with my car so I'll have to look again.

 

[MacDracor]

Look anything like this?
Vitta usnea (Rding, 1798) Olive Nerite

 

[BettaGal]

Here's what she looks like now. And it looks like she's still trying to move, so I guess she will be somewhat ok at least for a while. She worked her way under a rock after getting knocked off the wall last night. I sat her on the rock right side up after finding her completely retreated and she quickly came back out, unlike my tiger nerite, which I'm not thinking is gonna make it. When I got up this morning, it was just hanging there, and I had to leave fairly quickly due to finals week, but it sort of confused me.

 

[BettaGal]

And both the tiger's and the olive's are white. Don't know if that tells you anything, but I can give you all I got.

 

[MacDracor]

Huh. You got me. I kept mine in a large tank with lots of fish and other inverts so I probably paid a lot less attention to them than you do. I'm afraid I just don't know at this point.

 

[BettaGal]

So it's anyone's guess if she'll be fine without it or if I need to do anything? I could try to research for a while, but who knows what I'll come up with.

 

[BettaGal]

Yep. She's cruising without it. Looks kinda funny, but she's going like she used to.

 

[BettaGal]

Does it matter that now she's climbing out if the water?

 

[MacDracor]

From the pics, I can't see just how bad it is. So I'd say they're probably fine crawling out, so long as they don't stay out. Just keep an eye on them for anything unusual. Make sure they're eating and moving. Also, if there is some sort of operculum or other shell damage, check calcium levels in the water, since they'll need calcium to repair it. I don't know how much, though. For that, you may want to contact a specialist. Try a university?

 

[BettaGal]

I have cuttlebone in the tank. She can get to that for calcium.