Mystery snail help

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Vicentismybetta

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Oct 21, 2009
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Ok first Let me tall you this story is really long so you might want to settle in.

About 6 months ago I moved in with my aunt in texas to try and graduate on time. During that time I aquired a betta in a 3 gal tank, a 10 with 2 mollies and 2 platies and a pleco. Well Around the begining of december I went to petsmart and saw these lovely Mystery snails. I went home and checked them out a little finding out that they sometimes eat algea or plants and have a syphon and are not hermanpherdites. I alose saw something about them needing calcium in the water but didnt think anything of it as I was putting it in my betta tank. Now what i didnt know was that my aunt had really really soft water. At my parents the water was hard and full of minerals. I stupidly thought that was the same for everywhere. Well around the end of christmas break i moved back in with my parents and had to, against my better instincts, leave all my fish , which included 15 molly fry and 6 platy fry, with my aunt. A month later she brings all the fish up right, except my betta and snail. While i had been gone the plant i had in the tank had induced a huge growth of algae. She brought them here in the 3 gal tank with about an inch of algea filled black water. After rushing to clean the tanks and getting my new tank set up, meaning i had a 3 a 10 and a 15, I put the betta in the ten with the mollies and everything else in my moms empty 29 except for the snail. I then put him in the 15 to let him chill as he wasnt looking to good. I noticed that his shell had receaded a little but when i asked the petstore here they said that with all the minerals in the water he should start to look better in no time. His shell has disinigrated even more either that or hes shedding it which i doubt. I cannot find my camra at the moment but as soon as i do i will get a pic. Im just worried that because of how much of his shell is gone he'll die. Can anyone tell me what might happen?
:help2:
 
I think it would be a good idea to give the snail a source of calcium like a vacation feeder, Tums etc. The can repair the shell a bit from underneath but a calcium boost will always help--they aren't going to overdose on it and beyond a certain point shell damage can kill them.
 
Can you see the insides of the snail? Meaning are there any holes completely through it? The part of the shell that is damaged will always look damaged. If there are holes a patch may be in order. Check out this http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=135871 it will give your recipes to make to help your snail's shell. I would also get a cuttle bone to add to the tank. Most LFS sell them for birds. You also can look at getting marine calcium to add to the water. A picture, if at all possible, will help us determine what course of action would be best for your snail.
 
I have one quick thing to add: if it has a siphon, it's an apple snail, not a regular mystery snail. This is generally a very cool thing, but check your state laws on apple snails and make extra sure that yours don't get out into the wild. (You didn't need that warning, I'm sure.)
 
psyche said:
If the damage is on the leading edge they can normally repair that.
Click to expand...

It doesn't repair what is already there, but the new growth will be thicker and healthier if the snail is given enough calcium. The part that is thin will become calcified underneath and as the snail becomes larger will get thicker.
 
I have also found that mystery snails do very well in heated tropical conditions and poorly in cold water. I have two large (and mating, which I'm excited about) apple snails in a ten gallon. I also use the Tetra Blackwater additive, which contains peat and lowers pH and softens the water. Another solution would be driftwood, which does the same.
 
Bridgesii snails need hard water conditions. I would not add anything to soften their water. It is better for their shells. They also do fine in cooler water. It slows the growth of their shell down which in turns makes the shell that is growing thicker. They do fine in a tank up to about 78F, but I would not house them in anything warmer. I have had mine in tropical tanks at about 78 and also in cooler water tanks, as low as about 70. I speak from personal experience and from what I have learned from MsJ and Lupin here on AC.
 
:iagree: don't do anything if the damage is on the edge next to the body, but if the damage is on the spiral, then you can put some clear nail polish over it and let it dry before putting the snail back in. Snails need a ph of 7 or above, with a good amount calcium in the water. You can also make food for them using tums. The "snail jello" recipes are on this site. If you have to house them in conditions with softer water, then add a calcium block to the water.
Be careful when changing the water in a dirty tank, if you change it too fast, the fish can die of shock (clean tank syndrome). Better to add some prime or ammonia lock and then do 25% every few hours.

BTW, mystery (aka: pomacea bridgesii/diffusa) does have a syphon.
 
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