librarygirl
Look It Up
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.
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.