# HELP!! Snail sick, pH, and Calcium, soft water???



## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

I have some apple snails, which I really like. I also have just added nerite snails. I just lost an apple snail and am not sure what was the cause. My GH is 3.36 and my KH is 5.6 My pH runs around 6 because of my CO2 (drop checker green). I had a white rock in the tank that is sold for shrimp. I understood it to be a mineral rock for their shells. My substrate is ADA Amazonia Aqua Soil. When I looked at my poor little snail's shell it seems to have gotten really thin, like it melted away. I didn't see any holes, but it was thin. What is going on? Should I add Equilibrium to my water? Should I add crushed coral under my substrate? What levels of GH, KH, and pH should I be shooting for? Tom Barr had said to add Equilibrium at each water change. I can do that but I need to know how much. Is that what's going on with my poor snail. I don't want anyone else to get sick. I looked at my purple brigs and at the ring I do see perhaps something happening. PLEASE ADVISE!!!


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## Mud Pie Mama (Jul 30, 2006)

I've always have trouble keeping snails happy and w/ healthy shells in a high tech planted tank. Their shells always start to thin and develop pitting. And my tap starts out almost liquid rock! (Kh: 7 - Gh 14) I don't quite comprehend the science behind it. I mean, my water remains hard; but the abundance of injected CO2 creates acids which disturb the snails' shells. 

My advise is if you want to keep long-lived, pretty and fancy snails, keep them in a low-tech, non-pressurized aquarium. I think placing crushed coral in your substrate may cause problems because of the injected CO2.

Also, keep them away from cichlids. I had both my angelfish and some of my apistos tear off the antennas from Apple snails. Maybe they thought the antenna were blackworms. But, it sure did spell the end for those snails.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

My water also starts out pretty hard. I have plumbing issues in my faucets and hard water stains in sinks because of it. I have put Hikari crab cuisine in for them to eat. It's calcium enriched. I hope that will help. I read on this forum all the time about people with the planted tanks having MTS and nerites. How do they do it? there has to be a way that this works.


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## jmontee (Feb 7, 2008)

Tex, Good luck with your snails first off. I have had some nerites in my tank for several weeks now and they look very good. I have really soft water so I had some bicarb to offset it and get to around kH of 4 and have a GH of around 4 also. I am running at about a pH of 6.5 with 30ppm of CO2. I think the main concern will be to increase your pH. There are always some acid in the water so I don't think it has to do with the CO2 and carbonic acid. I think it just has to do with the final pH being at 6.0 in the tank. This is fine for most fish and plants but the shells of snails get eaten away at that pH. You can move cycle your snails through a low tech tank for a few weeks and they will heal. Maybe keep some in a neutral type tank then cycle them into the high teck tank when the others get shell problems. Hope this helps.


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## jmontee (Feb 7, 2008)

Hey Tex, any update on the snail situation. How are they doing?


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

I have been feeding them Hikari crab cuisine. Also have added equilibrium to water. I am going to get a cuttle bone. I spoke to a friend who has snails and he has used them. They don't raise his pH but the snails eat on them. I need to get that. In the meantime I may put a little egg shell in there. Everyone is moving around in there. That's a good sign. I think it will be a while before their shell is well.


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## pondmegastore (Nov 13, 2008)

I am looking hard for giant apple snails, where did you find yours? Are they the big guys?

Thanks
Zac


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