Strengthing Shells

[Night61]

i seem to have a problem with my mystery snails. their shells seem very weak and britle, they brake easly and seem very thin to me. now i have chopped up calcium and have placed it in the water of all tanks that contain a member of the snails family. is there anything else i can give them to strengthen their shells?

 

[Colin_T]

Keep the PH above 7.0 and add some rift lake conditioner. It is comprised mainly of calcium and magnesium and will be absorbed by the snail and help keep the shell in better shape. The rift lake conditioner will raise the PH of the tank water.

If you don't want to raise the PH of the tank water then get some calcium buffer for a marine tank and add that to the tank. It will quickly dissolve into the water and the snails can absorb that.

Having crushed shells and coral rubble in the tank will release small amounts of calcium into the water but does it slowly. Adding calcium powder that dissolves into the water is a much more effective way of treating them.

Regular water changes will help to dilute the nitrates and this can help stop the shells dissolving.

 

[Night61]

will cull shells also help?
also what would cause such a problem is there something i can do to prevent the damage in the first place?
crushed up shells are they ok if they are sea shells i have had forever?

 

[~T~]

I'm in the same boat but my problem is that I keep shrimp that cant handle higher PH and things that will mess with my water params. My PH does sit just over 7 although my water is technically soft. My snails shells are not really bad but could do with some strengthening. I feed a lot of food such as watercress and spinich that is high in calcium and also reptomin that is too and my snails love it. I built a little snail feeder so it doesnt get eaten by my fish or blow around the tank. The snails learn to go to it to be fed too. What I have done is get a regular plastic drinking cup (the kind you use for water coolers)and cut a hole in the bottom big enough for my largest snail to fit through. I then wedge it between the stress bar and the end of the tank. I then drop in a few reptomin sticks and the snails can eat them in peace. Well occasionally an amano shrimp will pull one down into the main tank but they still usully find it.

Any other ideas?

Heres a few pics to show my "Snail Feeder".

 

[Colin_T]

will cull shells also help?
also what would cause such a problem is there something i can do to prevent the damage in the first place?
crushed up shells are they ok if they are sea shells i have had forever?

no idea what a cull shell is???

snail shells are made primarily of calcium, which is taken from the water. If there isn't enough calcium or other minerals in the water, then the shell doesn't get as tough as it could. If the PH of the water goes acidic (below 7.0) then the acid water will dissolve the shell. Likewise fish food and waste that break down in the water produce ammonia, nitrite & nitrate. The end result of the nitrite/ filtration cycle is nitric acid and that will cause the shell to dissolve as well.
Keeping the PH above 7.0 and doing regular water changes will minimise the acids in the water and limit the damage they do. Increase the general hardness (GH) of the water, primarily with calcium, will provide them with plenty of mineral to grow good strong shells.

any sort of shell can be used in a fish tank as long as it is free of chemicals and hasn't been painted, laqured, varnished, or treated with anything. Basically if you find a nice shell on the beach and it doesn't have anything living in it, you can rinse it down and put it in the tank.
Shells will raise the PH a bit depending on how many you add to the tank.

 

[nosoup4you]

no idea what a cull shell is???

I believe she means cuttlebone....could be wrong.