Snail Shells and Calcium -- is his shell okay???

[clownbaby]

I have a 30 gallon aquarium with one mystery snail. He is about a month (maybe month and a half) old, I have had him for almost ten days now. He has been incredibly active and has eaten a lot of algae, and has eaten the [cooked] spinach leaf i gave him, plus some snello I gave him today. 

However, I'm starting to feel worried about the health and condition of his shell... I've become really attached to him and spend probably wayyyy too long watching him, so the last thing I want is for him to be sick or injured.

The edge of his shell is turning from its usual golden to more of an opaque white. While planting I touched his shell (he has been very comfortable with this before!) and it still felt firm and healthy... He has been very active all day and has eaten -- is this a sign of not enough calcium?? It almost seems like his shell is falling apart or disintegrating ?!! PLEASE HELP and give any advice you can, I really want him to be okay.

 

If he is low on calcium what can I give him to supplement? What else can I do? Or is this just normal for snails and he is just growing? Is he sick? Is this a disease? Someone please help... 😞 

[T. Payne]

When growth occurs it is lighter than the rest of the shell in my experience. It looks fine to me.

[Tony s]

Do you know the hardness of your water. It’s gh and kh and ph. Those numbers have a direct effect on the available calcium for the snail shell. If they’re very low, it can actually leach calcium from the shell 

[clownbaby]

On 3/17/2024 at 7:34 PM, Tony s said:

Do you know the hardness of your water. It’s gh and kh and ph. Those numbers have a direct effect on the available calcium for the snail shell. If they’re very low, it can actually leach calcium from the shell 

the ph is about 7.0, gh is 6 and the kh is about 11 ; is this a little low or okay?

[Tony s]

It’s more than likely fine. But if too low you’ll start to see hairline cracks in the older shell

 

 

With my water, I use fortified RO. So my kh has a tendency to bottom out. And I have seen cracks with my snails when I’m not watching as closely as I should. Which causes my calcium uptake to slow. 
 

your gh is a bit on the low side for snails. But not horribly. You should be fine 

Edited March 18 by Tony s

[Cinnebuns]

On 3/17/2024 at 9:42 PM, clownbaby said:

the ph is about 7.0, gh is 6 and the kh is about 11 ; is this a little low or okay?

The white is mostly new growth. Often there is a color change with new growth from their previous home to yours due to parameter changes. These parameters are kind of low. They aren't horribly low and you might be able to make it work but if it were me I would add some crushed coral to try to raise them a little.

Ideally you want 7.4 PH and 8+ GH. Any PH below 7.0 is acidic and will eat at the snail shell. 7.0 is possible to be fine and I don't see any erosion but if it were my snail I would raise it to be safe. The reason for wanting GH is for calcium in the water. 

Another thing to address is food. They need calcium in their diet in addition to in the water. Algae contains no calcium. Snello typically does contain a good amount of calcium depending on the recipe. Spinach however is an issue. Its an interesting issue actually. Spinach actually does contain calcium but it also contains oxalic acid. This actually blocks the absorption of calcium thus not only making the calcium in spinach worthless but any other calcium they eat while it's in their body. I have fed kale in the past instead. They also love no-salt added canned green beans. They also need protein. Don't forget that!  A good option that contains a good amount of protein and calcium both is crab cuisine by Hikari. 

Overall I don't think there's much to worry about here. He/she looks great. These steps will help keep that shell looking great!  You seem to be doing an amazing job!

 

[clownbaby]

@Cinnebuns

Thank you so much for the detailed feedback! And thank you for correcting my mistake on feeding spinach. My snello recipe does include crushed eggshells for calcium. I believe this suffice... yes?

We actually grow kale (the PNW is a great place for kale -- we can grow it all 12 months of the year!) at my house, so I will feed him bits of this snack instead! I assume I need to cook it, yes?

[Cinnebuns]

On 3/18/2024 at 10:41 AM, clownbaby said:

@Cinnebuns

Thank you so much for the detailed feedback! And thank you for correcting my mistake on feeding spinach. My snello recipe does include crushed eggshells for calcium. I believe this suffice... yes?

We actually grow kale (the PNW is a great place for kale -- we can grow it all 12 months of the year!) at my house, so I will feed him bits of this snack instead! I assume I need to cook it, yes?

Yes the egg shells will suffice for calcium. I blanch the kale. Make sure there is protein in the snello too or he's not getting any protein. 

Edited March 18 by Cinnebuns

[clownbaby]

On 3/18/2024 at 11:00 AM, Cinnebuns said:

Make sure there is protein in the snello too or he's not getting any protein

Don't worry! My recipe for snello has salmon, egg shells, zucchini, cucumber, potato, peas, and spirulina ^^