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Taia naticoides Piano snails another adventure


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On 7/16/2022 at 7:19 AM, CKetchum said:

I cannot resist how cute snails are! And don't even get me started about snail babies 🥰@GuppysnailWhat do you put in your tank for calcium supplement? I am feeding veggies and Repashy Soilent Green. I have read you can use "cuttle bone" and/or wondershell. Do you just place a hunk in the tank and the snails will go to town consume the calcium and/or either will add some calcium to the water column? Just want to ensure good husbandry.

I’ve used wondershell in the past. Last year I tried the Zoomed nano banquet block spirulina formula from ACO or Amazon. Those win hand down for in diet calcium and magnesium. Snail LOVE them vs occasional nibbles in cuttlebone and wondershell. Snails cannot use the dietary calcium without magnesium. The blocks have it. 
I also add a drop or two of API or Kent’s liquid calcium to repashy. Calcium chloride is the only ingredient so no magnesium. 
Kale blanched is another fan favorite if my snails. High cal/mag. I stay away from spinach because it is to high iron blocking or binding (not sure which) calcium absorbing. The avoid spinach it a tip I got from my herp vet for my bearded dragon. 
Green beans are vitamin packed and high vitamin C. All my fish love GB and it’s definitely the house favorite for all kids. 
I do break the nano blocks apart so the extra doesn’t just dissolve since my water is very hard I don’t need it in the water column as much. They break very easily with finger pressure. So I feed a bit and when it’s gone I feed a bit more. The spirulina is also good for them so win win. 
 

Im seeing an uptick trend where word is getting out that snails do better with supplemental nutrition. For years big box telling folks they are garbage vacuums no one was really thinking about nutrition. The internet has been positive for snail babies. I’m glad you are focused on their nutrition. They really are awesome aquatic creatures. 🤗

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Thank u so much for this information. I have some ordered for snails. They love GB and kale! I occasional will feed blanched carrot slices. I also feed some snail food: ABF Aquatic Freshwater Snail Food Mix with Calcium. They don't "love" it, but I wanted to give it a try. My water is pretty soft, I have to add Equilibrium in for my plants.

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On 7/16/2022 at 8:39 AM, CKetchum said:

Thank u so much for this information. I have some ordered for snails. They love GB and kale! I occasional will feed blanched carrot slices. I also feed some snail food: ABF Aquatic Freshwater Snail Food Mix with Calcium. They don't "love" it, but I wanted to give it a try. My water is pretty soft, I have to add Equilibrium in for my plants.

Wondershell may be a good addition for soft water as well as nano blocks then. My snails have tried several invert foods. They are not fans of any of them. My snails and won’t touch hikarii crab cuisine 🤷🏼‍♀️

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On 7/16/2022 at 7:19 AM, CKetchum said:

I cannot resist how cute snails are! And don't even get me started about snail babies 🥰@GuppysnailWhat do you put in your tank for calcium supplement? I am feeding veggies and Repashy Soilent Green. I have read you can use "cuttle bone" and/or wondershell. Do you just place a hunk in the tank and the snails will go to town consume the calcium and/or either will add some calcium to the water column? Just want to ensure good husbandry.

Cuttlebone - just leave it in there. They will graze on or it will slowly dissolve and release calcium.

Banquet food blocks

Calcium chips (lifewithpetsgci.com)

Hikari crab cuisine

Edited by Chick-In-Of-TheSea
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On 7/16/2022 at 4:37 PM, Guppysnail said:

The tiny spikes on the edge of the shell indicate this as that is what happens to my mystery snails just before a big growth spurt

I suspected that’s what they were! My little guys had that a few weeks ago. I was worried it was little worms or something attached but that didn’t make sense because they were evenly spaced. Would you believe some are marble sized already?

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These guys are pretty cool and different! Your tank looks great and they are thriving tho I’m not sure what species of snail they are? 
as for the cuttlebone

we got some and broke it off and threw it in our 10 gallon it was too much for the ph it raised it up but after we cut the bone into smaller pieces and added detox almond leaf extract the  ph leveled out now I’ve seen a video on you tube where they shave the soft part of the cuttlebone and let it float on the top of the aquarium and let it fall kindle like snow at night time then by morning the snails will have ate it all. 

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On 7/16/2022 at 8:08 AM, Guppysnail said:

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image.jpg

You know I have these and tried them a few times. But my snails never go for them. Heck none of my tank inhabitants go for them. And I got a deal in them so I have 3 packs full no one likes.

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On 7/18/2022 at 5:54 PM, TeeJay said:

You know I have these and tried them a few times. But my snails never go for them. Heck none of my tank inhabitants go for them. And I got a deal in them so I have 3 packs full no one likes.

Mine don’t go to them like they do food. More like a once a day nibble. My shrimp pick at them non stop though. 

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On 7/18/2022 at 6:28 PM, Guppysnail said:

Mine don’t go to them like they do food. More like a once a day nibble. My shrimp pick at them non stop though. 

Well I guess they will be good to keep around for when I get the shrimpy friends then!

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On 7/13/2022 at 7:42 PM, Odd Duck said:

Those are Prambanan snails, Thiara winteri.  Related to MTS but much slower reproducing.  They have a lot of variety in shell color and shape.  I’ve tried to get them and actual pagoda snails a couple times but they’ve either arrived dead or died shortly thereafter.  

To me they look more like Brotia herculea (Hercules snails). I had one that my LFS labeled as a pagoda snail, and spent months fruitlessly searching for another. (Pics in my 40B thread in my sig.)

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On 7/18/2022 at 7:49 PM, drewzero1 said:

To me they look more like Brotia herculea (Hercules snails). I had one that my LFS labeled as a pagoda snail, and spent months fruitlessly searching for another. (Pics in my 40B thread in my sig.)

Could be!  We rely so much on other’s identification of snails since accurate ID of snails can be difficult.  I know the Thiara can be tricky to ID since they have a lot of variability in their shell development.

Edited by Odd Duck
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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

New developments 

this one is forming lumps on the shell and it’s body is distinctly more chocolate in color and the shell lighter less vibrant delineated stripes. Could this one or all three even be piano snails? Net photo included to see bumps on piano snails.

1ACEFD3C-87FE-4442-91DE-CC46EB70EABA.jpeg

6869F00A-F389-462A-A585-626BA95D0B42.jpeg

27503ED3-CD8D-4277-8189-36F24C428CE0.png

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Whoa!  Crazy!  So, the bumps don't look guppy snails.  But I honestly didn't know piano snails were in the States.  I've not seen them in person.  It could be that they are, but the fading banding seems odd for them.  Perhaps time to call in a snail taxonomist?  I mean, it's been various possibilities within the same section of the same family of snails.  But I suspect a true ID would be nice.  If nothing else, so you know what to expect.

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On 8/20/2022 at 9:51 PM, OnlyGenusCaps said:

Whoa!  Crazy!  So, the bumps don't look guppy snails.  But I honestly didn't know piano snails were in the States.  I've not seen them in person.  It could be that they are, but the fading banding seems odd for them.  Perhaps time to call in a snail taxonomist?  I mean, it's been various possibilities within the same section of the same family of snails.  But I suspect a true ID would be nice.  If nothing else, so you know what to expect.

Do you happen to know a snail taxonomist? I found this video. It says the piano snails vary in coloration. Not sure how reputable it is but it was the only one I found. The snoot looks identical to mine. Mine do eat brush algae aka BBA as well but not green carpet algae. This one has always been this lighter shade. The other two are the darker and have not yet shown bumps. Perhaps I have 2 types? But the foot and snoot look the same for all three. 
 

 

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On 8/20/2022 at 9:35 PM, Guppysnail said:

Do you happen to know a snail taxonomist?

I do not currently.  But let's see what can be done...

On 8/20/2022 at 9:35 PM, Guppysnail said:

Mine do eat brush algae aka BBA

Well, already you have a winner there!  You could sell offspring for $50 a pop with that guarantee!  😉

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