Tropical Fish Keeping banner

Snails in Soft Water Tanks

17K views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  NoahG 
#1 ·
Lately I've been reading up on water conditions, specifically KH, GH, and PH; currently I only have Bettas and I haven't done anything to alter these levels in their tanks, but I would like to eventually set them up in larger tanks and try to give them as ideal of water conditions for their species as I can (i.e. soft water). I'd also like to eventually set up a large tank with some Glofish who, incidentally, also do best in soft water -- so yet another soft water tank.

Now, I already have two Mystery Snails, which I know do best in hard water due to their calcium needs (that's the reason I've seen mentioned, at least), so I'm trying to figure out if I could keep them in soft water tanks or if they would be best off in "their own" hard water tank. I've been up since about 5a, and I'm working on water changes, so I admittedly haven't been reading too thoroughly and haven't found something that definitively answers my question (that I can see).

If I keep the pH stable and in the proper range for the snails, can I get away with keeping them in soft water but with a calcium-rich diet?

I'm thinking primarily by way of dark, leafy greens if that makes a difference.

Most of what I'm seeing seems to be more focused on making the water harder, which isn't what I'm looking for. Mostly looking for opinions and/or experience -- if it's not advisable then I can figure something out (I've kind of toyed with the idea of a Guppy tank, so perhaps I could put them in there or in their own tank if I can't do the Guppies). Regardless, this isn't an immediate thing. I still have a lot of work to do as far as understanding and figuring out these three aspects of water quality before I start messing around with them.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
I'd like to see what others say on this. I have one mystery snail in a soft water tank, and I just recently put some cuttlebone in the filter to add calcium. It's a small piece and I'm not sure if it does any good.
Better than nothing, I figure :)

Gwen
 
#3 ·
#4 ·
In case you are still looking for more of an answer- I'd have to say yes. As long as they are getting their calcium they should be fine. Snails are tough little critters.
Nerites are an extremely adaptable snail- they've been found in everything from brackish waters (needed to breed), to waters with no detectable gH and acidic water.
Here is another tidbit I found out: all freshwater snails have a thin protective layer on their shells.. If this layer is damaged (eg big scratches, shell cracking), then there is a good chance the shell will dissolve in acidic water.
Really, the only snails out of your grasp are (gorgeous!) rabbit/tylo snails. These snails absolutely need a pH of 7-8 and hard water.. Everything else can adapt. :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: NoahG
#5 ·
Sweet, thank you, Olympia. :)

That's even more reassuring, because while I used to think they were boring unless they were really moving, since having them I kind of like snails and might make them a staple of sorts in my tanks (as much as I can, at least). I prefer to give them veggies rather than algae wafers anyways, so it's no difficulty getting them the calcium, and I check on them as much as my fish so I'll notice if something is amiss.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top