Snail food recipes and advice for adding calcium

[librarygirl]

Hi Cool that the inverts have their own forum!

So I have 3 horned nerite snails (and a few pond snails that came in on some plants). I've noticed that my nerite shells are turning white in places and it even looks like they are receding in some spots. I've been reading about adding calcium but it seems like everyone does it differently and I'm not sure if there's one method that's better than the other.

My water is very soft: PH 7-7.2 (after it degases; out of the tap it's 8.4). GH is only 3 and KH is only 1 (or vice-versa, I'd have to check my notes, but I think that's right).

I'm not even sure if they're getting enough to eat. There's no visible algae in the tank and I keep it pretty clean. I try to add algae wafers for them but my fish and corys go after them so not sure if the snails even get any.

So I was thinking of adding calcium somehow but I'm worried about raising my PH too much. I've read you can either add cuttlebone (whole pieces in the tank or filter or add shavings to the tank), Seachem Reef Calcium or human calcium tabs, or egg shells. I think I actually tried cuttlebone in the past but even a small piece seemed to raise my PH rather high very quickly so I got nervous and took it out. I do have some crushed coral in my filter to buffer the water but it isn't enough to make a difference. Is there any one method better than the other? Any suggested dosing? How much will my PH raise from this and would it be a concern for my fish? I want to try to add some calcium ASAP (today if I can) to help the little guys out.

I've also been reading about snail jello recipes lol I'd love to try one. Do any of you prepare foods for your snails and if so can you post recipes here? How do you ensure that the snails actually get them if there are fish in the tank? I was thinking of separating the snails into a breeder box and dopping a jello cube in so that they eat.

Thanks in advance.

 

[shellyx]

Hi, I joined applesnail.net & they have.some great recipes for your snails there, I use this site to get info for my apple snails.

 

[MABJ]

Hi Cool that the inverts have their own forum!

So I have 3 horned nerite snails (and a few pond snails that came in on some plants). I've noticed that my nerite shells are turning white in places and it even looks like they are receding in some spots. I've been reading about adding calcium but it seems like everyone does it differently and I'm not sure if there's one method that's better than the other.

My water is very soft: PH 7-7.2 (after it degases; out of the tap it's 8.4). GH is only 3 and KH is only 1 (or vice-versa, I'd have to check my notes, but I think that's right).

I'm not even sure if they're getting enough to eat. There's no visible algae in the tank and I keep it pretty clean. I try to add algae wafers for them but my fish and corys go after them so not sure if the snails even get any.

So I was thinking of adding calcium somehow but I'm worried about raising my PH too much. I've read you can either add cuttlebone (whole pieces in the tank or filter or add shavings to the tank), Seachem Reef Calcium or human calcium tabs, or egg shells. I think I actually tried cuttlebone in the past but even a small piece seemed to raise my PH rather high very quickly so I got nervous and took it out. I do have some crushed coral in my filter to buffer the water but it isn't enough to make a difference. Is there any one method better than the other? Any suggested dosing? How much will my PH raise from this and would it be a concern for my fish? I want to try to add some calcium ASAP (today if I can) to help the little guys out.

I've also been reading about snail jello recipes lol I'd love to try one. Do any of you prepare foods for your snails and if so can you post recipes here? How do you ensure that the snails actually get them if there are fish in the tank? I was thinking of separating the snails into a breeder box and dopping a jello cube in so that they eat.

Thanks in advance.

Welcome to my favorite place ;D we love it. Basically, your nerites do need quick help. The horned nerites require more, I think, than others.

Here is a quick way to treat it. Buy a cuttlefish bone from petsmart and break a dime sized piece off. You can boil it or soak it or tie it down, but as long as it gets in there, ALL your inverts will benefit. When it is gone, add more. You can make it a staple in your tank.

That method shouldn't raise your PH and IMHO, it is the best way.

Sake prepares his own foods sometimes.

Best of luck :/ let us know if we can help you more.

 

[librarygirl]

Thanks! Well, I already went to the store. I had the cuttlebone in my hand but wasn't sure if it would be as effective as adding something else, so I went with Kent Marine Calcium. I had no idea how much to dose (didn't want to go overboard); the instructions are for saltwater so not sure if it would be the same dosing for fresh, so I only put 1 ML in for now but I'm a bit nervous about it so I might return it and get the cuttlebone instead. I also bought some zucchini and blanched it and attached it to the glass with a clip but hm, so far the snails haven't gone for it (in fact one went near it and then went the other way!). I did buy some ingredients for a jello but haven't had time to make it today, probably some time this week. I'll post the recipe if it's actually successful. lol

 

[MABJ]

Well I really do hope it works. There is a thread here about kent marine calcium. It wasn't really successful, though. It should work. Cuttlebone is number one in my opinion, because I hate adding meds/liquid stuff to my tank. Cuttlebone is all natural. The only unnatural thing I have in my tank is filter carbon, and I won't have that for much longer.

Keep us posted. The little nerites are my favorites :\

 

[Coursair]

Check out Rapashy Gel Foods also.

 

[Sake]

What I did for my snails was to get a lot of calcium rich foods like spinach and turnip greens, blended them all together, crushed up a bit of calcium pills (without the vitamin D), few algae wafers crushed up, added a bit of gelatin as a binder, then poured it onto wax paper and baked it on 125 till it was dry. Snails seem to love it.
I also added a dime sized piece of cuttle bone to the tank for the snails/shrimp to graze on if they wanted to. In my water it hasn't raised the PH at all, then again I have driftwood that may even it out.

As far as your nerite snails getting enough food, have you thought about putting a few stones into a plastic shoe box or something like that, filling it up with tank water and putting it on a window sill. That way algae can grow on the rocks, then when you get enough on a rock toss it into the tank, let them eat it off, pull that rock out and toss another in.

Here is a link for calcium in veggies
http://www.petsnails.co.uk/documents/calcium-in-food.html

 

[MABJ]

There's sake ^^ I knew he had a good idea.

 

[librarygirl]

Ooh great ideas, thanks everyone! I think I'm going to stop the liquid calcium and pick up some cuttlebone tonight and try that instead. My snails seem picky, I tried spinach before and they didn't go for that either. I took out the piece of zucchini this morning since it had been about 24 hours after I put it in and I don't think anyone (not even the fish) touched it. I've read nerites can be picky and like sweet things though so I might try a jello with some honey too. Also do the calcium pills at the store need to be free of Vitamin D if used for snails?

The rock idea is great! So just some rocks with tank water near sunlight? And how long does it take for the algae to grow?

I'm hoping the cuttlebone (or something) works if not the food, their shells were a gorgeous gold smooth shiny color when I got them, now they look awful.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, I'll try the rocks near the window tonight and the cuttlebone too.

 

[MABJ]

Ooh great ideas, thanks everyone! I think I'm going to stop the liquid calcium and pick up some cuttlebone tonight and try that instead. My snails seem picky, I tried spinach before and they didn't go for that either. I took out the piece of zucchini this morning since it had been about 24 hours after I put it in and I don't think anyone (not even the fish) touched it. I've read nerites can be picky and like sweet things though so I might try a jello with some honey too. Also do the calcium pills at the store need to be free of Vitamin D if used for snails?

The rock idea is great! So just some rocks with tank water near sunlight? And how long does it take for the algae to grow?

I'm hoping the cuttlebone (or something) works if not the food, their shells were a gorgeous gold smooth shiny color when I got them, now they look awful.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, I'll try the rocks near the window tonight and the cuttlebone too.

Good luck and keep us posted. I want horned nerites. They're my favorite snail lol.

I keep tiger spotted ramshorns, they usually out compete the pond snails for food, and their shells all look pretty good, but if I ever keep a horned nerite, which I will, I'll put cuttlebone in.

 

[Sake]

I didn't know how vitamin D would react with a snail so I got the one without any in it. As far as how quickly algae will grow on rocks, in 5 gallon buckets outside it grows rather quickly, but I imagine it all depends on your light/temp. I don't have nerites, but my ramshorn and pond snails LOVE zucchini. I gotta beat them off of it with a stick to get the skin out lol. Another binder you can use is agar agar if you can find it. It's made out of seaweed, and the nerites may like it more than jello.

 

[Sushisnake]

Thank you for starting this thread, Library Girl. I had a severely depressed, listless apple snail. Thanks to this thread, he's happy and active. And so is his mate Pleco who shares the cuttlefish

 

[Austin.b]

I've heard of mixing an egg with some sprinula powder and then brushing the mix on some flat stones, letting them dry overnight, and them just tossing them in the tank