Selective Breeding Ramshorns

[LiL GinGeR]

Good idea any pics of the reds?

 

[blue2fyre]

Hi Blue2fyre
Yes! You can selectively breed for redder snails! It will take a bit of time! Be very diligent when removing any unwanted colors! Also if I may add! I think the reason your Ramshorns are turning grey and yellowish is a lack of calcium for shell building! Mine started to turn grey and when I added a few empty seashells they started to "graze" on them and their shells and colors returned to normal!

I thought since I had hard water and high Ph I didn't need to worry as much about calcium? Either way they get fresh zucchini once every 2 weeks which I believe is a high calcium veggie.

I'll get pictures this evening after I get home

 

[wespastor]

I thought since I had hard water and high Ph I didn't need to worry as much about calcium? Either way they get fresh zucchini once every 2 weeks which I believe is a high calcium veggie.

I'll get pictures this evening after I get home

You might add a small piece of cuttlebone (for birds) to the tank. The snail will raspt it and receive the calcium they need in teir diet.

The cuttlebone will not effect your water quality.

Best wishes,
Wes

 

[blue2fyre]

I might go back to feeding tums. It's only a 5 gallon tank and cuttle bone would take up a lot of space IMO.
Anyway here are pictures. The shell damage is from when they lived in the other person's tank. His water was too soft for them.

 

[wespastor]

Break the CB into small peices and use just one of them at a time.

The CB can be hidden within plant stems and the like.

Best wishes,
Wes

 

[Hellbore]

I have a thriving little group of red ramshorns in my 10gal, I bought them on Aquabid.

However, they seem to me like they had very brittle shells when I got them. A couple of them broke just handling them and sorting them, which made me feel bad for them. I wonder if the original owner didn't have hard enough water, or didn't feed them calcium, etc.

My water however is very hard and somewhat high in calcium. My question is, with the "better" water they are in now, and with me feeding them calcium via cuttlebone, will the shells get harder on the existing adult snails? Or is it too late to influence that, is that only determined when the shell is being grown?