Mystery snail eggs & inverts journal

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Today is cucumber day.  My mom gave me a salad to take home the other day so I thought I’d share it. They also got some banquet block. 
 

The small, pale guy was upside down 🫤last night next to the sponge filter so I put a piece of crab cuisine next to him for when he was ready. Well, a big snail sniffed it out and ate it, doing circles around it and steamrolling little snail like 5 times!  Eventually little snail righted himself and moved, just a little. I guess that’s one way to do a welfare check. 😳

Today the little snail was hard to find, but was eventually located next to the same sponge filter. He had moved 1/4 of the way around the base and then half burrowed into the sand. Not sure what’s going on with him. 😔

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Little snail was laying in the back for >24 hours again. Moved to food dish, gave sniff check. He’s alive. Within a few minutes he found the cucumber rind and latched on. Look at how pale he is compared to big guy. 
 

I left him with a green bean. 
 

 

Edited August 19, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

It’s midnight. I fell asleep on the couch. I’m hearing a lot of watery noise. Looks like the baffle came loose. I see it sitting in the tank. I DARE NOT TOUCH IT. A miracle is occurring…❤️

 

Edited August 20, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[redfish]

That’s really cool.  Neat you saw it happening.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 8/20/2022 at 12:40 AM, redfish said:

That’s really cool.  Neat you saw it happening.

This is her 17th clutch and the first time I actually saw the egg laying. She does it in private. I’m usually not awake at midnight and just so happened to check the tank. Also if you click the link in @Guppysnail’s signature line you can see a video of the process.

 

Edited August 20, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Dodger’s new shell growth is stunning. It’s amazing what the right diet and water conditions can do.
 

 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Button is being social.

 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

The food dish is popular today. The little snail that’s been unwell (second photo) has been there all morning; he was there when I woke up. Then Button, and now the darker little guy is there. Green beans and algae wafers are on the menu. I tried to give an algae wafer to Button, but she went around it. 

Oh also I found out how the baffle comes loose. 
 

 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Little guy (darker snail) needs a name so I will call him Nibbles.

And the small pale one I will call Dot.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

C-3PO has joined mom in the main tank.

 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Dot was on the sand at the edge of the food dish today. S/he was right side up until I did a water change, then she stayed on her back. 🙄

I waited 3 hours then gave a little puff of water with the turkey baster and she retracted. 

Her lethargy is driving me nuts. I never know if she’s ok.

Meanwhile in the main tank, York and Dodger are enjoying carrots while C-3PO cleans floating plants. He really likes the waterline. He was doing laps around the tank at the water line all day yesterday. He bumped into Hampshire earlier also. 
 

 

Edited August 21, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Dot is still upside down but it looks like she has latched onto the carrot.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

I need a little help understanding mineral needs for snails. Dot remains on her back. Other snails are starting to hibernate/burrow or something or are slow or perhaps unhappy. The big 3 are 0/0/5. The others are

PH 7.

KH 80

GH 180

temp 78; it’s a self adjusting heater that stays at the 78, but I do ck the thermometer anyway to be sure.

Is there anything else I can do for these guys? Been trying to do better job of detritus cleanup on the substrate, although parameters are not impacted by this. Plant growth has really taken off in there; lots of plants, esp floating anacharis.

I don’t test calcium. I figured I have hard water so I’m ok there?? Also I provide cuttlebone and calcium rich foods.

I thought about wondershell but my water is already really hard. Isn’t wonder shell for people with softer water? But could I be missing minerals, I don’t know.

Any thoughts?

@Guppysnail @Katherine

[Katherine]

I don't know enough at this point. My only idea is that it's possible (but unlikely) for your hardness to be overwhelmingly magnesium with very little calcium. Hopefully Guppy has some more insight.

[Guppysnail]

Hard water does not mean high calcium. I use wondershell because it has calcium and magnesium in it as well as the nano blocks. I have very hard water. If you use any fertilizer (I’m not a chemist so I’m not real clear on this) potassium somehow binds, gets rid of, negates 🤷‍♀️ A bit of calcium. 
A clutch of baby snails also suck calcium out of water at an alarming rate  a few years ago I tested a tank with and without a clutch that were similar for calcium  I was shocked  

Mine are also less active at 77 in guppy tanks. Heat increases metabolism burning more calories.  Think of it like sitting vs walking. Walking increases your metabolism so you will tire out quicker. 
 

overfeeding sometimes leads to lethargy as was. 
 

Hope that helps.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 8/22/2022 at 8:52 AM, Guppysnail said:

Mine are also less active at 77 in guppy tanks. Heat increases metabolism burning more calories.  Think of it like sitting vs walking. Walking increases your metabolism so you will tire out quicker. 

I'm not following.  Would they be less active in cooler temps?  

I could give a Wondershell a whirl - thing is, shells look healthy. Except Dot's shell, which is paler than the rest.  Couldn't hurt though, right?  Would I need to keep an eye on certain parameters when using a wondershell?

On 8/22/2022 at 8:52 AM, Guppysnail said:

If you use any fertilizer (I’m not a chemist so I’m not real clear on this) potassium somehow binds, gets rid of, negates 🤷‍♀️ A bit of calcium. 

Currently using Easy Green in there.

I'm confused because up to this point, I had a lot of activity.  

I could try fasting them.  I wonder for how long?  Some people do like, a 2 day fast before shipping snails out.  Maybe I could try that too.

Do you use any kind of liquid minerals @Guppysnail or just the wondershell?

[Guppysnail]

I’m not crazy with testing parameters. Maybe once every 3 months if that other than the big 3. I now just use wondershell it’s easy. Less active at higher temps for me. I get the most activity at 74-75 degrees. I also believe @Katherinementioned growing thicker shells requires lower temps. 
I don’t fast things I just cut back on food especially in the young growth phase. 
 

These are all just guesses based on what I have witnessed. Snails also go through sleep cycles of days-weeks of lots of activity then days of little to no activity so it may be nothing going on other than it’s nap time. 
 

 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 8/22/2022 at 10:33 AM, Guppysnail said:

I now just use wondershell it’s easy.

How often do you put in a wondershell?

[Guppysnail]

I would like to say I keep to a diligent schedule. Reality when I actually notice the other is all gone. I buy large ones put them in a baggie and smash them with a meat tenderizer hammer and just keep a chunk in the tanks. Using whole ones is to much for my hard water plus buying large and smashing is cheaper than buying smaller. 

[Katherine]

On 8/22/2022 at 9:33 AM, Guppysnail said:

I also believe @Katherinementioned growing thicker shells requires lower temps. 

That is something I had heard in a video from a breeder. I have not tested it myself. I believe she said she sticks to 75.

I'm keeping my tank at 74 (by my meat thermometer - coop heaters think it's 75) and have a lot of activity.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

My husband and I have been together for 16 years but married for 3. This month we hit our 3rd anniversary. There are traditions for each year. 1st year paper, 2nd year cloth, 3rd year leather. I got him this teepee. It was handmade in New Mexico. It’s an ornament. See the smoke? Lol

He said he got me something too but it didn’t arrive. (He never gets me stuff. Christmas, yes, something small, but he doesn’t do the Valentines or anniversary thing or whatever. We just go to the steakhouse, and that’s cool. They make a good, smoky Old Fashioned there.) So I’m puzzled what he has up his sleeve at this point. Anyway, he had it shipped direct to a store. So he went to the store to pick it up and here they had sold it to someone else! His order! He was venting about it and said he had them reorder it and it was suuuper late getting here (anniversary was the 9th). Today it arrived USPS. He had me open it. It was this wallet! I want you guys to know I’m a Walmart girl. I never had any name brand thing like this before, nor do I yearn for things of status and prestige. I love simple and frugal; that’s how I roll. Functionality is what’s important.
 

But wow… this is adorable. I love it! I will use this until it falls apart! 😍 Also I like little purses anyway, and he noticed that preference as well.

[Guppysnail]

And here I am out of reactions 😍🥰🤗

That is so adorable and thoughtful. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Dot is on her back still, in the same spot. She’s all tucked in tight. Sniff check. Ok. Left her on the cuttlebone. Ordered Wondershell since LFS doesn’t carry it, but the shipping time wasn’t great. Fasting them today to see if that helps with activity level. It seems to so far because everybody else is busy “cleaning their room.”

Edited August 23, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea
I’m indecisive

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

I continue the 2 day fast to try to get lethargic snails moving around. Most everyone was traveling yesterday, but today half are traveling and half are napping.

After days of inactivity, Dot moved! Only 1 inch, but I’ll take it!  So she’s off the hook for the sniff test today. 

 

And she’s not on her back. Finally.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

I caved and ended the 2-day fast early because when I approached the tank this evening, one snail swung down Tarzan-style using a pothos stem to stick the landing perfectly in the food dish. Then he was vacuuming in there but the dish was empty, and I felt bad. Gave him a cabbage leaf to chew on. He chewed a hole in it as he stood it up vertically so on one side was him, the other side was this little “window” through which I could just see that little mouth goin chomp chomp chomp. ☺️