White spots on mystery snail's shell

[iTJ84]

I'm new here and also to snail keeping of any kind. I'd gotten a 5 gallon tank from a co-worker that was getting rid of it. I did all the stuff to setup and cycle the tank and waited on the all the parameters to be right before introducing any fish. My plan was to get a few neons for my son and that was gonna be it.

After a trip to the pet store, I didn't like the look of the neons and was "convinced" into getting a mystery snail, well, I was told it was a mystery snail. Not knowing anything about snails, I was told they're pretty easy to care for. "Once the tank was cycled, you're good to go" was the impression I got.

I've had Gary now for about a month and have now realized that I haven't been doing the proper things for Gary.

I have found out the ph in my tank is only about 6.6 and needs to be higher and Gary needs to have a higher calcium diet. I just recently (past 2 days) added a fingernail size piece of cuddlebone to the tank and started using the "Snail-lo" recipes I found on here.

Gary hasn't been acting any different and is cruising around the tank as normal. Today, while doing PWC, Gary was hanging at the water line and part of the shell it was out of the water was dry and noticed little white spots on his shell. Never noticed it until today and only after Gary's shell was dry. Are these results of the low ph and lack of calcium? Will they heal? Is there anything else I can do?

Also, noticed a change in the shell growth along the door. Is Gary growing or is there something else going on with him?

 

[Fishfur]

He is growing. The difference in shell growth may be due to diet, water conditions or both. He should have water that is at least pH 7 or higher. Acidic water tends to slowly soften and dissolve their shells.
He does need extra calcium so good for you. Those vacation fish feeder blocks can also work for supplementing calcium, some have used calcium pills from the drug store for this too.
The spots look like pitting to me.. likely from the acidic water. Feed some calcium fortified shrimp food, algae pellets, well boiled spinach in tiny amounts may be appreciated. That he is growing says he is eating enough, just need to be sure of some variety and also the calcium especially.

 

[iTJ84]

Thank you for the response. I'd wish I knew some of the info before getting him (not buying on a whim) and wished the girl would've been more informed about his care. I feel bad about it.

I know there isn't anything to reverse what has happened, but I'm going to make sure his remaining care is better.

I'd been using just feeding algae tabs. It's only day 2 of trying the "Snail-lo" recipes. Mixed greens baby food with crushed algae tabs, tropical flakes, frozen bloodworms, and of course, added calcium. Not a huge hit with Gary yet. Gonna try some blanched spinach tomorrow.

Oh, I'd failed to mention that the tank doesn't have a heater. I do have a digital thermometer in the tank and it stays at 80°F (give or take a degree). I live in pretty warm weather throughout the year and the house stays around 75°F, but the room his tank is in stays warmer than the rest of the house. Would I need one? And if so, what's a good brand for a 5g? Preferably, adjustable.

Is there anything I can do to help boost the ph of the water? I've read that using chemicals really isn't the best way to regulate the ph especially with the water changes. I did pick up some PH Regulator by Marineland while I was out earlier today just because. It's suppose to slowly increase the ph to stay between 7.2 and 7.8 and is safe for inverts. If I went that route, when I do PWC, do I treat the whole tank volume or just treat the volume replaced? I usually have conditioned water made prior to PWC, about 24hr prior.

The other thing I've read is that you could use superglue or water-proof nail polish to coat their shells to help protect them. Is that true?

I know I've been asking a lot, just want to make sure Gary is gonna be ok. I've never owned a snail before and I have to say, he's a pretty cool guy!

Thanks again for any info that can be offered!!

 

[iTJ84]

Well, so far, so good on the "Snail-lo". Just spied Gary munching down on the piece I put in for him.

Forgive the "blue" of the picture. Gary has his own "night light". Lol. It's super dim (barely lights up the tank), but my camera is super sensitive in low light.

 

[Fishfur]

Don't worry over temp too much. They are happy at a fairly wide range and do not need tropical heat, I'd be more concerned that it not go over 80, which would be too warm.

I would never coat the shell with anything, unless I had solid research to back it up, and I've never heard of this before. I'd think it might interfere with the growth process, or even, possibly, interfere with any gas exchange that may take place through the shell itself. I am not certain this happens, but I would hate to find out it does the hard way.

It's pretty common for shells to acquire a bit of damage over time, and genetic weakness shows up in some snails too. But so long as the shell is not eaten right through, the snail usually does ok, and the pitting I saw in the pics is not severe by any means. I've seen it much worse, and sometimes they lose the very tip of the shell, but it does not seem to bother them. Just a bit unsightly.

I take it your tap water is relatively low in pH ? Do you know what the tap pH is ? You should test about 24 hours after drawing the water, it often changes a bit after this time. Not dramatically, but some.

If it is acidic, or if you have RO filtration, you'd need a remineralizing product to bring up the KH and GH, and there are a few brands you can get.

KH is carbonate hardness.. the amount of calcium in the water. GH is general hardness, the total of all the hard minerals in the water. Raising levels of minerals swill help raise the pH in a more stable way.

Adjusting pH is a bit tricky, there is a relationship between pH and water hardness and the minerals in the water, like calcium, magnesium, etc. Find out what you have now, then figure out how to fix it if it needs to be fixed.

If you have an RO filter system on the house water, you might try getting tank water from the tap outside if you have one, which is likely not being filtered and thus may be nice and hard. RO water is often slightly acidic, or neutral, and would need to have minerals added. It is how shrimp keepers get the right water for picky shrimps, and how it's done for acid loving fish too.

I don't trust those pH adjustment products personally, they often don't work as well as one hopes and might result in pH swings which do far more harm than a stable pH that is less than ideal.

If you can't get water tests, lfs will usually test water, but may not do KH and GH, it depends which test product they are using. Strips are said to be less accurate than liquid tests but test you must to find out what you are dealing with, one way or another. If it's any consolation, test kits last a long time, so you at least get your money's worth.

Edit. Ask as much as you like. I'm tickled someone cares this much for snails. I really like them, always have, since I was in my teens.

 

[iTJ84]

Don't worry over temp too much. They are happy at a fairly wide range and do not need tropical heat. I would never coat the shell, unless I had solid research to back it up. I'd think it might stifle it, possibly harm the growth process.

It's quite natural for shells to acquire some damage over time, so long as they are not eaten right through the snail usually does ok, and the pitting I see is not severe by any means. I've seen it much worse.

I take it your tap water is relatively low in pH. Do you know what the tap pH is ? You should test about 24 hours after drawing the water, it often changes a bit after this time. Not dramatically, but some.

If it is acidic, or if you have RO filtration, you need a remineralizing product to bring up the KH and GH. KH is carbonate hardness.. the amount of calcium in the water. GH is general hardness, the total effect of all the hard minerals in the water.That will help raise the pH in a more stable way. Adjusting pH is a bit tricky, there is a relationship between pH and water hardness and the minerals in the water, like calcium, magnesium, etc. Find out what you have now, then figure out how to fix it if it needs to be fixed.

If you have an RO filter system on the house water, you might try getting tank water from the tap outside if you have one, which is likely not being filtered and thus may be nice and hard. RO water is often slightly acidic, or neutral, and would need to have minerals added. It is how shrimp keepers get the right water for picky shrimps, and how it's done for acid loving fish too.

I don't trust those pH adjustment products personally, they often don't work as well as one hopes and might result in pH swings which do far more harm than a stable pH that is less than ideal.

If you can't get water tests, lfs will usually test water, but may not do KH and GH, it depends which test product they are using. Strips are said to be less accurate than liquid tests but test you must to find out what you are dealing with, one way or another. If it's any consolation, test kits last a long time, so you at least get your money's worth.

Thank you again

Didn't think temp was too much of an issue.

As for testing, I have the API Master Kit (ph/high ph, ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates), so I'll into the KH/GH tests. I can grab some after work tomorrow. I'll test my tap tomorrow as well. Probably take back the ph regulator when I get the tests (haven't opened it).

As far as a RO system, I don't have one. I live in the city, so it's city water, so no telling where it's coming from.

I hadn't look to much into KH/GH before you mentioned it. A quick search on Google I came across this article about hardening water. Not sure if its worth a shot or not.

"Hardening Your Water (Raising GH and/or KH)

The following measurements are approximate; use a test kit to verify you've achieved the intended results. Note that if your water is extremely soft to begin with (1 degree KH or less), you may get a drastic change in pH as the buffer is added.
To raise both GH and KH simultaneously, add calcium carbonate (CaCO3). 1/2 teaspoon per 100 liters of water will increase both the KH and GH by about 1-2 dH. Alternatively, add some sea shells, coral, limestone, marble chips, etc. to your filter.

To raise the KH without raising the GH, add sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), commonly known as baking soda. 1/2 teaspoon per 100 Liters raises the KH by about 1 dH. Sodium bicarbonate drives the pH towards an equilibrium value of 8.2."

 

[iTJ84]

Edit. Ask as much as you like. I'm tickled someone cares this much for snails. I really like them, always have, since I was in my teens.

I've never had snails before. Never thought I'd own one either. Lol.

This little guy is awesome!! Didn't realize how fast (for a snail) he is!! It's fun to watch him do "laps" around the tank and climb over plants!!

I just to be a good "daddy" for him! Lol

 

[Fishfur]

That is essentially what remineralizing products do. The packaged ones possibly a bit easier but likely at higher cost.

The key to any of it is testing so you know what the result is, and making one change at a time so you know what each change did. If you add two different things at a time, you don't know which did what, and it can make it harder to replicate results too.

 

[iTJ84]

That is essentially what remineralizing products do. The packaged ones possibly a bit easier but likely at higher cost.

The key to any of it is testing so you know what the result is, and making one change at a time so you know what each change did. If you add two different things at a time, you don't know which did what, and it can make it harder to replicate results too.

I have a "science project" I'll be running at for the next couple of days. Got empty water jugs and filled them up with tap water.
1) No additives
2) Calicum added
3) Baking soda added

Gonna grab the KH/GH tests after work and will test all three including the ph of each and see the what the results read after 24 hours.

Been reading a lot about KH/GH to get a better understanding of what they are and what they do for the ph, let alone the health of the snail.

Thank you for the advice!

Edit: Got the tests for KH/GH during my lunch break. Petsmart didn't have the liquid kit I wanted (they use to), so ended up getting a few API test stripes that had KH/GH. Gonna look at my LFS for the liquid kit this weekend when I have more time.

 

[iTJ84]

Update: After getting and testing the water for my "science project", these were the results w/ the test strips:

Tap water:
(resting 24 hrs)
pH - 6.5
KH - 0
GH - 0

Current tank water w/ cuttlebone:
(fingernail size piece been in for 3 days)
pH - 6.5
KH - 40 (I think)
GH - 0

Tap water w/ baking soda:
(1/4tsp in 1 gallon, was just playing around with amount)
pH - 8.0
KH - 180
GH - 0

I'm going to have to redo the calcium test. My brother dumped out the jug not knowing what it was for. :/

In conclusion, I have very soft/acidic water. Going to look for the liquid kit over the strips (which I hate, but gave me an idea of what I'm dealing with) this weekend and play around with some measurements. Needing to find a safe way to slowly bring up the hardness of the water and to maintain it. Also, to experiment in bringing up the GH as well.

Thanks again Fishfur for pointing me in the right direction!! I'll report back with more results (of course, before anything is done to the tank)!!

 

[Fishfur]

You may find some useful information on the Apple Snail site. It is quite wonderful, and it is GH you need to be concerned with more than KH, so I learned myself.

My own water is quite hard and alkaline so I've never had to worry much about these aspects of snail keeping, but I add extra calcium supplements to the snail tank anyway, by way of cuttlebone and a calcium block, similar to a fish feeder block.

The Apple Snail (Ampullariidae) Website, has truly outstanding information on keeping snails, breeding snails, sick snails, and everything in between too.

 

[iTJ84]

Sorry for the late response, but thank you!!


Took some ideas that were given and went with putting some crushed coral in his tank. He's seems to be improving a lot! More active than before and thankfully, no further damage to his shell. He's loving the "Snail-lo" and the coral has help raise the ph to around 7.4-7.6 range.

He's gonna get moved into a 10gal as soon as its done cycling and hopefully have some fish friends to enjoy.

 

[Fishfur]

Sounds good. lucky snail .