What the heck happened to my pond/bladder snail?? (Calcium Deficiency??)

[Rocky998]

It looks like the shell has broken away and is VERY thin... The poor snail basically has no shell

 

[Ellie Potts]

These pictures are really hard to read... the shell is disintegrating? and the snail is still alive? Does the little guy have a calcium deficiency? I don't know, never seen this before

 

[Rocky998]

These pictures are really hard to read... the shell is disintegrating? and the snail is still alive? Does the little guy have a calcium deficiency? I don't know, never seen this before

Yah, sorry about the photos... The glass hasn't been cleaned for some time so the camera was having a hard time focusing past the glass blur.

Idk if the snail is still alive or not, but it had to have happened over night cause I didn't see it there yesterday I don't think...
The shell is definitely thin and has been broken as well...
I'm thinking he/she has a calcium deficiency but I wanted to come on here to confirm it...
I can't add calcium though, cause it'll raise the PH/KH and their already sky high....

 

[Ellie Potts]

Yah, sorry about the photos... The glass hasn't been cleaned for some time so the camera was having a hard time focusing past the glass blur.

Idk if the snail is still alive or not, but it had to have happened over night cause I didn't see it there yesterday I don't think...
The shell is definitely thin and has been broken as well...
I'm thinking he/she has a calcium deficiency but I wanted to come on here to confirm it...
I can't add calcium though, cause it'll raise the PH/KH and their already sky high....

I don't have much hope for this snail to be honest. If it smells, it's dead. There may be ways to get them calcium without changing the tanks composition by so much-maybe specific foods? not sure.

 

[Rocky998]

I don't have much hope for this snail to be honest. If it smells, it's dead. There may be ways to get them calcium without changing the tanks composition by so much-maybe specific foods? not sure.

I could look for foods with calcium in it... Maybe by throwing some sort of veggie thats high in different vitamins and minerals in there it'll help?

Thanks for the help/ideas!

 

[Byron]

I too cannot see from the photos. But a couple questions...what is the GH? If memory serves me, you have water on the soft side but high pH, but just how soft is the question.

If it is calcium deficiency, and I say if, then adding calcium simply by a shell would seem preferable. It is not what snails (like fish) eat, but what is in the water, that is concerned with issues like this.

 

[sharkweek178]

I could look for foods with calcium in it... Maybe by throwing some sort of veggie thats high in different vitamins and minerals in there it'll help?

Thanks for the help/ideas!

Spinach and broccoli have calcium.

 

[Ram419]

Kale and green beans (unsalted) too. My mystery snails eat both up.

 

[Rocky998]

I too cannot see from the photos. But a couple questions...what is the GH? If memory serves me, you have water on the soft side but high pH, but just how soft is the question

It's 3. I have a PH of 8.1

If it is calcium deficiency, and I say if, then adding calcium simply by a shell would seem preferable. It is not what snails (like fish) eat, but what is in the water, that is concerned with issues like this.

Thats good to know! I'll do some research on it... Thanks!

 

[StevenF]

It's 3. I have a PH of 8.1

is the 3 degrees or 3 ppm? Is that reading KH or GH? If is 3 degrees GH you don't have a calcium problem. Also all foods have calcium. All animals and plants need it to live. The most common problem with snail shells is PH. Acidic water(PH below 7). IN acidic water the shell slowly is etched away. But your water is basic so that shouldn't be a problem.

But we need a to be sure. Try setting your phone to max zoom. Then gradually move the phone closer nd further away until the snail is in focus. And take the picture and post it. Most of the time people take pictures with a phone or camera too close and as a result the camera cannot achieve focus and you get a blurry photo. Zooming in changes the focusing distance. The The end result the camera is further away from the snail while still magnified

 

[Rocky998]

is the 3 degrees or 3 ppm? Is that reading KH or GH? If is 3 degrees GH you don't have a calcium problem.

As far as I know, it's 3gh... Really weird their shells are doing this...

Also all foods have calcium. All animals and plants need it to live. The most common problem with snail shells is PH. Acidic water(PH below 7). IN acidic water the shell slowly is etched away. But your water is basic so that shouldn't be a problem.

Yah, that's what I've heard... I'm very confused as to why this is happening. I always thought it wouldn't happen cause of my water parameters.

But we need a to be sure. Try setting your phone to max zoom. Then gradually move the phone closer nd further away until the snail is in focus. And take the picture and post it. Most of the time people take pictures with a phone or camera too close and as a result the camera cannot achieve focus and you get a blurry photo. Zooming in changes the focusing distance. The The end result the camera is further away from the snail while still magnified

I could try that... Thank you!

 

[sharkweek178]

Since aquarium snails are in a confined space, there's a lot of inbreeding with them. Snails aren't as complex of a lifeform so they aren't affected as much as mammals are by inbreeding. But it can still affect them, including making their shells thin and brittle.

 

[GamerGoldfish2]

Egg shells for Calcium

 

[Rocky998]

Egg shells for Calcium

I actually forgot about that lol