Apple Snail Survivors Need Disenfecting

Riso-chan

Riso-chan

The Blue Girl
Jan 17, 2005
322
0
0
41
Florida, USA
Apple Snail Survivors Need Help

If you read my post "Something Hard I Had To Do..." in the general chit chat section then you know where these guys came from.

They were taken out of a pretty dismal pond situation, and are likely to be carrying a parasite load on the shells and inside their bodies too. How do I go about treating/disenfecting these guys?
I know they have whipworms, because as soon as one open its shell just to peek out, I saw a little worm whipping its way to the water surface. I don't know what else they might have, but I'd like to try for something that would deal with a wide range of parasites/diseases if possible. Thanx~Angela:)
 
Last edited:
Apple snails breathe via a siphon apparatus. That is most likely the "worm" you saw. I have no other suggestions, just wanted to point that out.
 
I know all about how they breathe and the siphon, but this was a very small worm, less than the size of misquito larvae, that came out from under the shell. It skwirmed its way to the top of the water, so it definitely wasn't part of the snail.
 
I just brought the survivor number to 11, because the largest snail I thought was dead was in fact not.
I was soaking the shells of the dead snails in soap and hot water, and when I washed them off, I noticed the big shell making a bubbling sound from inside. Its operculum/trapdoor had been tucked back so far I'd thought it was a goner.

So I placed it in the 3 gallon acrylic tank I have the others in. Sure enough, it started trying to come out slowly. Then I noticed it kept having trouble getting out, so I took it out and placed it in a butter container with shallow water so it could get air with its siphon. Now looking at it closer, I can see that its trapdoor/operculum is damaged. Seems like the top part is eroded away, but nothing too delicate appaers to be vulnerable. On closer inspection, the shell also has markings of deterioration and erosion. Fortunately now, the water it's in is very hard and should prevent that occuring further. The water source for the pond is from a well, which must be soft and contain heavy metals no doupt.

How do I help this little giant I have here with the erosion on its operculum?
 
Operculums can grow back... Feed them well (cooked spinach, collard green, sweet potato, algae wafers) and they should start to repair their operculums..Watch you water like a hawk... Snails will suck all the calcium out of the ater and cause a pH crash.. Go to www.applesnail.net for LOTS of great info.. The best site hands down for information and help from people that are serious about snails.
 
*Bump*
Still need help here, and I've checked out the other site BTW thanx, but I need some advice HERE. I already have accounts on other forums, and I don't want to really get another if I can avoid it. I'm sorry if that sounds rude or anything, really:). ~Angela

For now I'm holding them in a 3 gallon tank, in which I change all the water everyday to avoid bad water chemistry. Would the 5-6 gallon tall hex tank I'm using for quarintine work for housing them? It also has a DIY sponge filter in there with seeded sponge from the main tank.
 
Last edited:
Go to www.applesnail.net There is a huge section devoted to everything you will ever need to know, including how to "disinfect" them...If you dont find your answer in the side bar, ask in the forums. Count on 2.5 gals min per snail as a long term need but temporarily try to get something bigger like a big feed bucket (they are 10 gals) if your house stays warm (in the 70s) they should be ok temporarily.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom