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Help with Apple Snail

4K views 8 replies 2 participants last post by  molliefan09 
#1 ·
So i have had an apple snail (the one photographed in my avitar) for a couple months now, pretty much since the tank has been set up....He is a cool little guy and was always active, scooting along the glass and substrate eating anything that hit the floor of the tank, just fun to watch.....well....2 weeks ago i moved my tank from my sons bedroom into our dining room and now i hardly ever see him out....i have actually started hand feeding him just to make sure he eats. Unlike before when i would hand feed him he would come fully out of his shell, tenticles extented and pretty much inhale his food. I also put fresh veggies in the tank for my BN pleco (blanched zucchini and cucumber) he would move as quick as he could and devour it. Tonight when i went to hand him a peice of an algea waffer he mearly exposed his mouth and half heartidly munched onit.....i never noticed before because i never really poked at him, but i did tonight and his shell seems kinda soft to me :shock:....All of my params are good

0ppm ammonia/nitrite
20ppm nitrate
pH7.6
i also have the api GH/KH liquid tests and they show my water to be very hard and from what i have read on the KH it is on the higher end which will help deter ph swings...


i use API liquid master test kit and do 25-30% weekly water changes (every thursday) i use PRIME as a water conditioner with every change. The ONLY thing new is i added some live plants (anacharis, banana plant, java moss, java fern) and i have been using Seachems plant fert (only once so far, last thursday) and i will use it also at weekly water changes.

i did notice and have been telling my boyfriend for the past 2 weeks (prior to any plants or ferts) that i think there is something wrong with him and he just tells me i pay too much attention
 
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#2 ·
Hmmm. I have two that are beautiful........but i have exceptionally hard water where i am in alberta. And I havnt had an issue. But a soft shell would mean a calcium deficiencey. I have actually (beleive it or not) read and found that Florida was plauged with them on the coast, and they cant seem to get rid of them. Apple snails are VERY hearty. I would imagine he will make it. Read about your plants and what could potentially be coming off them.....I know copper is lethel to them.
 
#5 ·
Here is another great asnwer to that question (soft shell) i found it on yahoo answers, i truly agree.----------------------------------" Generally when any snail's shell is soft it is not good. This is a sign that their water doesn't contain enough calcium to keep their shell strong. One way to fix this is to make a special snail food called snail jello. This will ensure that your snails get a direct source of calcium in order to maintain their shell properly. For the calcium supplement, you can use reptile calcium powder which is available at most pet stores or you can simply crush up TUMS and use that. My snails absolutely love this recipe and it ensures that they get the calcium they need. I raise baby apple snails and sell them to my local fish store and every one that I've sold has never had a problem with their shells since this is the food I start them out on. Hope this helps!"

 
#9 ·
ok, well maybe im just over reacting....i guess his shell doesnt seem "soft" in the sense that it is squishy persay.....it just has a little give to it. and as i said in the original post he is still eating when i give it to him and he just heavily polluted my tank:shock:....any advice is welcomed as google has nothing to offer me...:roll:
 
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