Will this repair my snails shell

[16gallontanker]

I have some shrimp white mineral powder it says it has hard protein and calcium carbononate and chitsan and various minerals and vitamins .aren't these the things snails need to repair shells or not

 

[MaloK]

Yes, it will help, But be careful it also has good chances to raise the carbonate hardness of the water.

Go slowly and prevent any spike to happen.

 

[Donya]

The mineral component may help improve the quality of NEW shell growth, but damage to old growth can’t be repaired unless a hole or crack goes all the way through to the skin, in which case some recalcification can take place. However, even that will still look white. The original color is due to a protein layer that is produced on new growth at the front only before calcium carbonate is produced underneath it.

 

[MaloK]

The mineral component may help improve the quality of NEW shell growth, but damage to old growth can’t be repaired unless a hole or crack goes all the way through to the skin, in which case some recalcification can take place. However, even that will still look white. The original color is due to a protein layer that is produced on new growth at the front only before calcium carbonate is produced underneath it.

I didn't know that was the trigger that caused the snails to rebuild their deficiencies. So that explains why my Nerite was able to fix it's apex. The new growth has a lighter color.

 

[Donya]

I didn't know that was the trigger that caused the snails to rebuild their deficiencies. So that explains why my Nerite was able to fix it's apex. The new growth has a lighter color.

Calcification and protein layer creation are two different things. Deposition of the protein layer happens at the front near where the opening of the shell is, which is why damage further back always remains white. When recalcification takes place further back, it's just CaCO3 and often involves some calcification of body tissues as well since it's more of an emergency fix to protect their body than regular shell growth (they can even calcify parts of organs sometimes in the process of blocking up a hole).

So something else happened if the snail's spire was white and then suddenly normal, since the kind of repair you're describing is physiologically impossible. Specifically, there would have to be something on top of existing healthy shell that eroded back down to the shell. One possibility for Nerites in particular is if the snail could have been grown in a higher salinity environment where calcareous algae can grow over the shell, which will then bleach, turn white, and potentially flake off in a lower salinity or full freshwater. But a properly damaged spire cannot go back to normal with the same coloration as the rest of the shell - wherever that protein layer gets damaged away from the front of the shell, it will always be white. If you have a "before" picture it may answer the question of what was causing it to appear damaged.

 

[MaloK]

I looked at all the tank pictures I had and I have no pics of him previously...

But I swear on my mother's soul that the whole part that is light brown was not there and I could see the spiral inside the snail shell. it was also chipped at a couple place and these chips are gone now.

I posted about it before on another thread, Where I mention that, I have never seen them do that before.

But now you instigated doubt in my mind, loll.