Food for snails

[goodjobchamp]

So i have blueberry snails in my pleco tank at the moment and i noticed their shells have little white specs. How can i make sure they get calcium without the plecos getting to everything first? Any advice on the type of food or delivery method would be great!

[clownbaby]

It will of course depend on what types of plecos you have, but one of the best ways for aquatic snails to get calcium and other important minerals is actually through the water. You can definitely make snello recipes (which plecos will also love to eat) and add calcium to it. However I would recommend raising your gH and making sure it is always at least 8, but 10 is ideal. The cheapest and most reliable way to do this is to add crushed coral into your substrate. Snails will even munch on this stuff directly if they need calcium. 

I spot feed my mystery snail Leroy. I don't have any other fish / stocking that is stealing his food, I just spoil him. You could try spot feeding snello and other calcium-rich foods. Just feed the plecos and once you know the plecos are focused on their food, then move your snails to the other side of the aquarium and set their food down. This should help. If you're still concerned, I am sure you could invest in a mesh or plastic divider that you could place inside your tank to keep the plecos and snails separate during feeding times. However raising your gH (if it already isn't 8+) and maintaining it is very good and should be the main focus!

[Pwnedn00b]

I think Cory said on a recent livestream that Blueberry snails only eat mulm or decaying matter? I may be misremembering, so I would do some additional research on their ideal diet if you haven't already. In terms of calcium, you could try adding crushed coral to your tank or filter media. If you already have hard water you could increase water changes. I personally like to add hard water buildup (I know, gross) from one of my HOBs to my shrimp and snail tank as a free way to get them the minerals they need, since the tank is heavily planted and I only do infrequent small volume water changes. 

[goodjobchamp]

I thought i had a good idea on what they ate since most things i read basically just said they eat the same as mystery snails so this is a bit of news. I have alot of wood in the tank but i have noticed they hangout in all the fish waste from the plecos which I just assumed they were traveling threw. So that does seem like they enjoy mulm. They absolutely spend most of the time on the cholla wood aswell since i assume it breaks down faster than normal wood. I have also noticed them gather around the repashi and other foods but not exactly eat it but eat around it like they dont know that object is food but eating the small particles falling off. As far as crushed coral i got almost a pound in my 20 long they do crawl over it from time to time but its in a netted bag since i have no substrate. I just ordered the nano banquet blocks to see if they will give those a go since they dont dissolve too fast. @Pwnedn00b

 

The plecos are bristlenose. I have crushed coral in the tank in a netted bag becasue i have no substrate maybe not enough ill have to re check gh but last time i did check it was at 8. kh was 4. @clownbaby

[Dacotua]

Go buy some cuttlebone (Sold in the bird section of your pet store, or amazon has them listed.) Just put a piece in your aquarium and you'll be fine (You can even put it in your filter). It will slowly dissolve in your tank and the snail will get its calcium. I do this in my tanks for my shrimp but the snails also seem to be healthier for it too.