Egg shells in water for snails?

Might I point you in a direction that has been ever so helpful in my learning about my new snaily pets??? http://www.applesnail.net/phpBB2/ Great bunch there, and they will be able to answer your questions better than I would. I know you can FEED your snails eggshells, but Im not too sure about just dropping them in the tank....

Hope you join our little group!

lol I was reading so fast I saw snaily pests . Wouldn't a cuttlebone be richer in calcium & more alkaline .the only meat related item that is alkaline would be blood(ewe) or bone. Maybe if the eggshell was cleaned & crushed it may go into the substrate but it would be white makeing most fish appear pale if near surface but then bone is white too.They say shrimps eat cuttlebone so snails may go on it if its whole. I haven't heard them suggest crushing the cuttle bone (from bird store).Maybe the solution is just crushed corral in a filter baggy hidden in your filter or somewhere that can't be seen. eggshell may be hard enough to be considered bone but I have a strange feeling (imo) that it might mold. Can anyone verify so i'm not leading pzuzu in the wrong direction?

You're right, telecubby--cuttle bone is very useful for increasing calcium. But, before making any changes, realize that anything that boosts the calcium levels in the water will also impact pH. Plus, it may not be needed--unless you have really soft water, in which case you'll actually see it--the snail shells will have an etched appearance. I have kept snails in soft water for a long time with few problems--I drop in a few empty shells from another tank every now and then, doesn't change the water, and keeps the snails healthy.

OG~ do you mean empty shells from other snails? Also, I just read in another post that white looking shells can be a sign of a calcium deficiency too. Would you say that or the etched shell look is more indicative?

IME, yes, the etched look works for all snails-the white, only for some. My ramshorns start looking etched, but never white, while the pond snails and apple snails get both--but sometimes the white is hard to see on a pale yellow shell. And yes--I use the shells from snails eaten by my snails and monster. Plenty available, and the snails went to a good cause, all the way around.

I use turtle blocks for my shrimp and snail tank. They have a buffer built in to counter the effect of calcium.

break the old snail shells , they are ussualy brittle & easy to crush or they can start to float.I had this happen under roots & had to replant the hairgrass that was ontop because they were lifting & moveing.lol & I thought I was getting remarkable growth but the whole substrate was lifting up like a carpet,,,,,,,.warning ,I did stab my thumbs a few times crushing snailshells that weren't as old as I thought & were still rather strong.the snailshells unsubmerdged don't seem to float the just sit on surface of substrate & small fish like them.Loaches too. even if they are empty they like to hide or check them for tid bits of uneaten food.