Mystery Snail Shell Deterioration

[Wiggles24]

I don't mean to hijack this thread but i have a question about the tums ....how often should i feed it to my snails?

 

[Cactuspixie]

I don't even know how well mine is doing. I mean he crawls everywhere in the tank everyday, so he's fine on that part. I'm just really worried about his shell. It looks thin in some places, ok in others, then the back has a lot of what I think are called pits. I'm hoping that with time, patience, and any tips you guys give me, his shell can slowly heal.

According to the info in the link I posted, the snail can't fix the shell. It calcifies the flesh that is exposed in an effort to protect it, but the author explains how to use nail varnish and/or superglue to repair the shell. I tried the nail varnish on two snails, so I'll let you know how they go.

 

[Random Fishy]

Another thing, do I leave the filter on when I put the tums in the tank? And here are some pics of the snail's shell at a better angle:
What do you think? (I know pretty bad)

 

[Fishlover3578]

Yeh I leave my filter on. I just plop it in whole and snails will crawl on it and eat it

 

[Random Fishy]

Yeh I leave my filter on. I just plop it in whole and snails will crawl on it and eat it

More like my goldfish for me. He tries to eat the thing and a whole DUST CLOUD of the stuff will billow all around the tank. How often should I put tums in the tank? (Update: my snail's shell seems to be doing better by the way. I just hope I can find a way to permanently keep my ph levels up)

 

[Fishlover3578]

Depends on how many snails u have and how ba the shells are

 

[Random Fishy]

Depends on how many snails u have and how ba the shells are

One snail, 23 gallon tank, kinda bad shell.

 

[Fishlover3578]

I would try one tum once a week and if that doesn't help slowly increase it nd keep an eye on your ph and its stability

 

[Baddog671]

You can also buy Caltrate tabs. I'm going to assume they would be better, because Tums are flavored and Caltrate are simply plain calcium carbonate.

 

[Fishlover3578]

You can also buy Caltrate tabs. I'm going to assume they would be better, because Tums are flavored and Caltrate are simply plain calcium carbonate.

Where do you find them and what's the cost though?

 

[Random Fishy]

Is there anything else I can do? My snail's shell looks a little better up front. The back however, is covered with little hole bubble thingys. More of them are appearing there and I'm not sure what else to do. A question: To avoid much needed calcium from being sucked up, should I turn off the filter when I drop it in?

 

[Wiggles24]

You can also buy Caltrate tabs. I'm going to assume they would be better, because Tums are flavored and Caltrate are simply plain calcium carbonate.

Your snails may not feel the same. The fruit flavor is what they like!

 

[Random Fishy]

This is a pic of his shell taken yesterday. How can I get rid of the holes on the back of his shell?

 

[Cactuspixie]

This is a pic of his shell taken yesterday. How can I get rid of the holes on the back of his shell?

All you can do (if the holes are only superficial) is paint over them with superglue gel or nail varnish. If the holes have gone all the way through the shell, use small pieces of shell or plastic and fix in place over the hole with the super glue gel. Remember to let the glue fully cure before returning the snail to the tank, and don't get the glue on the snail's flesh.
The pits will continue to develop until you get your water chemistry right.

 

[Fishfur]

Unless the holes are getting very big, the snail will, eventually, be able to calcify them. They can even calcify over open wounds if they are not too large. But they must have a diet and water conditions that provide both enough calcium and the right pH and GH to permit them to mend the damage. The shell will never 'fill in'.. but once you get the water right and enough calcium in the diet, new ones won't show up.

I've had good luck with vacation feeder blocs that have spirulina in them. I get the small ones, and the snails munch at them all the time. So long as the pH is not acidic, they last a reasonable time. I put larger ones in the bigger tanks.. they always get eaten. You can also make snail jello, and add calcium to that. Recipes are online and here as well, if you search for Snail diet or Snail jello.

 

[Random Fishy]

Unless the holes are getting very big, the snail will, eventually, be able to calcify them. They can even calcify over open wounds if they are not too large. But they must have a diet and water conditions that provide both enough calcium and the right pH and GH to permit them to mend the damage. The shell will never 'fill in'.. but once you get the water right and enough calcium in the diet, new ones won't show up. I've had good luck with vacation feeder blocs that have spirulina in them. I get the small ones, and the snails munch at them all the time. So long as the pH is not acidic, they last a reasonable time. I put larger ones in the bigger tanks.. they always get eaten. You can also make snail jello, and add calcium to that. Recipes are online and here as well, if you search for Snail diet or Snail jello.

So how do I get the water right and enough calcium in the diet?

 

[Fishfur]

Basically, you need hard, alkaline water. pH can't be lower than 7, anything between 7 and 8 is good. Hard water is at the minimum, a reading of GH 4, should be higher, ideally, for most snails, but not lower.

Diet can be supplemented for calcium with fish feeder blocks, the ones for 'vacation' feeding. The ones with some spirulina in them are quite good, a pale bluey green colour. Or you can make your own from pure Plaster of Paris.

You can buy it at places like Home Depot and it's very cheap. You mix it up according to the instructions, and add some type of fish food to it. Flakes, small pellets or spirulina powder all are good. Pour into some sort of small mould and allow to set hard for 24 hours or so. People use various things to mould the plaster.. silcone ice cube trays are good, if you can find some that make smaller than average size cubes, no matter what shape they are, that's great. Or make a slab and break it into smaller pieces. Dont' make it very thick though, it will be hard to break it. Same stuff that's use for plaster casts, just without the bandage part used for casting broken bones.

Once the plaster is cured hard, bag the blocks and add one or two, depending on how many snails you have, replacing them as they get eaten. Most snails will eat them readily, for the food that's in them, and they have to munch down the calcium to get to the food. Plaster of Paris is pure gypsum, which is one form of calcium, and the snails can use it just fine. It does not have to be a special kind of calcium, but they do better getting most of it from diet rather than water. The hard water and alkaline pH stop calcium from leaching out of the shell, which causes damage if too much of it leaches away.

Some folks use Tums for calcium for snails, but they can be messy and cloud up the water. Some use pure calcium pills from the drug store, the kind for humans. Those pills work too, and the thin coating that's on them won't hurt the snails at all. But I like the 'blocks' of plaster, whether home made or commercially made, because my snails seem to like them best.

Other than that, offering the odd bit of boiled spinach or romaine lettuce is good, both have a fair bit of calcium. Many snails also like some root veggie that's been blanched well to soften it a bit. Carrot, parsnip, turnips, etc., and water melon rinds are great too.

 

[Random Fishy]

Thanks for the info! But what brand of the calcium dissolving pills should I look for?

 

[Fishfur]

If you mean the feeder blocks.. any brand is fine. I have not noticed much difference between various brands. If I buy them I prefer the ones with spirulina in them.

If you want to get calcium pills, just make sure they are all calcium, not mixed with magnesium or other minerals. I've never used actual pills so I couldn't say what brand might be best.

 

[Cactuspixie]

Basically, you need hard, alkaline water. pH can't be lower than 7, anything between 7 and 8 is good. Hard water is at the minimum, a reading of GH 4, should be higher, ideally, for most snails, but not lower. Diet can be supplemented for calcium with fish feeder blocks, the ones for 'vacation' feeding. The ones with some spirulina in them are quite good, a pale bluey green colour. Or you can make your own from pure Plaster of Paris. You can buy it at places like Home Depot and it's very cheap. You mix it up according to the instructions, and add some type of fish food to it. Flakes, small pellets or spirulina powder all are good. Pour into some sort of small mould and allow to set hard for 24 hours or so. People use various things to mould the plaster.. silcone ice cube trays are good, if you can find some that make smaller than average size cubes, no matter what shape they are, that's great. Or make a slab and break it into smaller pieces. Dont' make it very thick though, it will be hard to break it. Same stuff that's use for plaster casts, just without the bandage part used for casting broken bones. Once the plaster is cured hard, bag the blocks and add one or two, depending on how many snails you have, replacing them as they get eaten. Most snails will eat them readily, for the food that's in them, and they have to munch down the calcium to get to the food. Plaster of Paris is pure gypsum, which is one form of calcium, and the snails can use it just fine. It does not have to be a special kind of calcium, but they do better getting most of it from diet rather than water. The hard water and alkaline pH stop calcium from leaching out of the shell, which causes damage if too much of it leaches away. Some folks use Tums for calcium for snails, but they can be messy and cloud up the water. Some use pure calcium pills from the drug store, the kind for humans. Those pills work too, and the thin coating that's on them won't hurt the snails at all. But I like the 'blocks' of plaster, whether home made or commercially made, because my snails seem to like them best. Other than that, offering the odd bit of boiled spinach or romaine lettuce is good, both have a fair bit of calcium. Many snails also like some root veggie that's been blanched well to soften it a bit. Carrot, parsnip, turnips, etc., and water melon rinds are great too.

Thanks for the plaster of Paris tip! That will be my next project
I didn't know when I got my snails that they required a ph above 7. My tanks are all fairly soft acid aquariums because the fish I keep come from that environment. It hasn't stopped the mystery snails breeding though, which is good. Although my MTS are out of control. 2 or 3 times a week I have to skim a new batch of babies off the surface. They swarm any veggies before my plecos can get a look in. I wonder if the MTS are using up the available calcium? They have such strong healthy shells compared to the mystery snails.