Water Too Soft For Snails

[xanthedc]

Hi there, I live in Scotland and the water is really soft ph6.6 and it is affecting my apple snails shells, corosion. I have put in coral sand to try and lift the ph but not to an extent that I can measure. I have started using PH7, the additive that is meant to raise the ph and buffer it against dropping. But that doesn't seem to be doing anything either. I do have a charcoal filter in my tank and I'm wondering whether that is leaching the additives to raise the ph. Would the charcoal filter also leach out the liquid calcium that I put in.
If anyone has advice or know pf products that work or know that the charcoal filter does hinder me raising the ph, could you please let me know. Cheers Xanthe

 

[AnneRiceBowl]

i normally don't recommend adding extra chemicals to a tank--especially for altering pH. also, i don't find charcoal in the filter to be needed unless I am trying to remove something from the water--like medications or tannins.

what do you feed the snail(s)? I feed all of my snails a homemade food with added calcium for their shells. I have hardwater where I live, so it's shell erosion is not a problem with my snails, but I have a few cases of shell erosion on snails that I have gotten from people who use RO water in their tanks.

But back on topic, you can try adding extra crushed coral (I have heard of people using cuttle bone as well) in the filter, seashells, and even certain rocks in the aquarium (there is a topic on TFF somewhere on what is safe to add to the aquarium).

 

[xanthedc]

I feed them the same food as i use for the bottom feeders and also algae and bloodworm pellets. I also give them frozen food once a week, bloodworms, daphnia and brine shrimp. If I added shells would I have to clean them first to make them sterile, safe. I have more coral sand that I can add, I didn't want to use chemicals but the sand didn't do much and their corrosion is getting quite bad now. I'll try the cuttlefish and see what that does. Cheers Xanthe.

i normally don't recommend adding extra chemicals to a tank--especially for altering pH. also, i don't find charcoal in the filter to be needed unless I am trying to remove something from the water--like medications or tannins.

what do you feed the snail(s)? I feed all of my snails a homemade food with added calcium for their shells. I have hardwater where I live, so it's shell erosion is not a problem with my snails, but I have a few cases of shell erosion on snails that I have gotten from people who use RO water in their tanks.

But back on topic, you can try adding extra crushed coral (I have heard of people using cuttle bone as well) in the filter, seashells, and even certain rocks in the aquarium (there is a topic on TFF somewhere on what is safe to add to the aquarium).

 

[xanthedc]

Soz forgot to ask, is RO water reverse osmosis water.

i normally don't recommend adding extra chemicals to a tank--especially for altering pH. also, i don't find charcoal in the filter to be needed unless I am trying to remove something from the water--like medications or tannins.

what do you feed the snail(s)? I feed all of my snails a homemade food with added calcium for their shells. I have hardwater where I live, so it's shell erosion is not a problem with my snails, but I have a few cases of shell erosion on snails that I have gotten from people who use RO water in their tanks.

But back on topic, you can try adding extra crushed coral (I have heard of people using cuttle bone as well) in the filter, seashells, and even certain rocks in the aquarium (there is a topic on TFF somewhere on what is safe to add to the aquarium).

 

[AnneRiceBowl]

you may want to add some extra calcium in their diet to help out their shells. give me a few minutes and i can get that recipe up if you want to as least try it.

RO water is reverse osmosis water.

 

[wodesorel]

You can try adding pieces of limestone to raise the pH. I just switched to Seachem Prime water conditioner and for whatever reason it magically took care of my problem - pH went from 6.0 to 7.2 overnight and has stayed steady ever since.

I also have 10 pounds of crushed coral in my 20 gallon that I had used orginally to help steady the pH, but it didn't work. Coral will only buffer the kH and the gH, and won't actually raise the pH. It's still good for the snails.

What kind of apple snail do you have? Each have their own dietary requirements, and those do include green veggies. Briggs need mushy foods that have either been blanched or frozen, and the canas and marisas like fresh stuff!

 

[xanthedc]

I have Briggs. 3 of them. Can you give some examples of mushy foods or are they just mushy after blanching. I have never blanched, is it plunging the veggie matter into the boiling water for a few mins. Is the Seachem Prime available in the Uk. Sorry don't know where you come from if it seems like a silly question.

You can try adding pieces of limestone to raise the pH. I just switched to Seachem Prime water conditioner and for whatever reason it magically took care of my problem - pH went from 6.0 to 7.2 overnight and has stayed steady ever since.

I also have 10 pounds of crushed coral in my 20 gallon that I had used orginally to help steady the pH, but it didn't work. Coral will only buffer the kH and the gH, and won't actually raise the pH. It's still good for the snails.

What kind of apple snail do you have? Each have their own dietary requirements, and those do include green veggies. Briggs need mushy foods that have either been blanched or frozen, and the canas and marisas like fresh stuff!

I give them liquid calcium but that may be leached out by the charcoal filter. I'm going to remove the charcoal filter but if you could give me your recipe, I would be most grateful. Cheers Xanthe

you may want to add some extra calcium in their diet to help out their shells. give me a few minutes and i can get that recipe up if you want to as least try it.

RO water is reverse osmosis water.

 

[wodesorel]

I have a charcoal filter and I've never had any problems with calcium being leeched out. I suspect that snails can't get the calcium from the water, but it probably helps by not damaging the shell more. There's never been any evidence that they get calcium from anything other than food sources. You can buy test strips if you're concerned, but the calcium level stays steady.

I feed slices of cucumber or spinich that I've frozen beforehand. A cucumber will last over a month if you slice it and freeze it flat before bagging it. Blanching is putting veggies in boiling water. I usually cheat and just get a microwave safe bowl, fill it with a little bit of water, and boil the veggies in the microwave for about 45 seconds. You have to be extremely careful when handing it - I usually boil it about an hour before I'm ready to feed, and leave it sit in the microwave to cool down before I pick it up with a potholder. You can do that with things like collard greens, green beans, dandilion (yeah, from the yard, as long as there isn't any fertilizer or weed killer - free stuff is good!), or kale.

Aim for things that won't fall apart in water. I cut the seeds out of the cucumbers. (They float away, bury themselves in the gravel, turn black, and STINK.) I tried broccolli once - I don't recommend it. Try not to leave uneaten veggies in for more than 24 hours. And if your tank is in your bedroom, don't feed collard greens. You'll wake up to the smell of boiled cabbage!

 

[xanthedc]

Cheers, I will try a dandy leaf tomorrow as I have some whoppers in my garden. Thanks for your help. XANTHE