Snail shell coming off?

clb2196

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Feb 21, 2009
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I had a ramshorn snail make it to my tank as a hitchhiker. I'm pretty confident he's the only ramshorn, although there are some pond snails and i think some mts too. I wasn't particularly trying to keep them alive, but I've kinda grown fond of the little guy. He's not too tiny- maybe 2/3 the size of a dime?

Anyway, he;s been cruisng along on the glass, and it looks like his shell is... loose? If he's facing me on the glass, I can see almost the whole circle part of the shell facing me, if that makes sense. Is that normal? If not, can I do anything about it? There's been some algae in the tank, so I think he's eating.

Also, would it be possible to put him in a small bowl of tank water to feed him? I want to feed him and not all the pond snails lol.
 
Ramshorns are cute hardy buggers. I'm sure there's nothing wrong with your snail otherwise it would have died if the muscle detaches from the shell as it is left vulnerable to attacks. I'm still stuck to only two here.:(

You can put it in the bowl to feed. Should be okay.
 
Ramshorns are cute hardy buggers. I'm sure there's nothing wrong with your snail otherwise it would have died if the muscle detaches from the shell as it is left vulnerable to attacks. I'm still stuck to only two here.:(

You can put it in the bowl to feed. Should be okay.

Cool, thanks. He doesn't seem too bothered, he's cruising along with his mouth open. lol. Very predictible, too, same place on the glass at the same time every night! I think I'll make him some snail jello tomorrow, it keeps for a while, right? I think at least 1 mystery snail is in my future. ;)
 
maybe the pH is too low and the acidity is dissolving the shell

That was my first thought, but after examining it, the shell itself seems pretty intact and solid. And the pH is 7.4. I am planning on adding co2 in the next day or 2 though, is there something I can do to combat the lower pH that will preseumably come from that?
 
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