Mystery Snail Shell Question

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Mvt109

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Hello All,
I have a Golden Mystery Snail in my tank and she has suffered from the shell deterioration from lack of Calcium. From other posts on the forum I learner one rememdy was to put a pice of cuddle bone in the filter to get calcium into the water. I did this about two weeks ago.


My question is, will this only stop the shell from degrading further, or will this also help the snail to heal and repair the shell as she grows?

Thanks!
 

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I was asking my LGS something very similar just friday. altho my snails shells are good since I have very hard water he recommended putting egg shells in the tank if I thought there might be an issue. just wash the egg out of them and sink them. I don't actually have an answer to your question tho since i'm new to snails. I only have two blues but they are growing very fast and I love them.
 

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The shell will regrow and get stronger but it does take some time.

I would also suggest feeding your snails some zucchinI as it has calcium in it. Other green veggies is good too such as broccoli, cucumber, etc

You can also use liquid calcium in your tank. I use the KENT marine calcium that's found in the marine/saltwater section. Its totally safe for freshwater. I use about 5ml at water change every week.

Also, have you tested the hardness ( kh ) and ph of your water? Snails need a bit of hard water and ph up at 7 or more.
 
My big old gold Mystery snail split it's shell. It appeared it was just from growing so fast. About a 1 inch long split. It is healed over, and appears to be growing back, although it is still very evident. Never slowed the snail down a bit. He/she is constantly active, I never see it sit in one place for longer than an hour or two.

I have very hard water (tested) and pH of 8.2, so it shouldn't be a calcium problem. Plenty of calcium deposits when water spots dry.

I'm wondering if many times they just naturally go through this process as a part of the snail growing quickly.
 
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Thanks for the info everyone! Jwebbe, I did test my water Ph and it is at about 7.1. It took about a year for any signs of the deterioration to show so hopefully like you said, she will heal up over time.
 
I'm wondering if many times they just naturally go through this process as a part of the snail growing quickly.
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That's very possible and sounds plausible. I really don't know if its difinitive.


Thanks for the info everyone! Jwebbe, I did test my water Ph and it is at about 7.1. It took about a year for any signs of the deterioration to show so hopefully like you said, she will heal up over time.
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7.1 is good - you may just need to add some liquid calcium ( it doesn't alter your ph ) but you may find that other methods may increase your ph ( not that there's anything wrong with that as long as its done slowly )

Good luck!
 

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I am a noob at snails I bought a Mystery Snail a few weeks ago and have noticed his shell heavily cracking. I've done research online about it and came across using cuddlebone I went to Petsmart and picked up a small one. I know you can break them into pieces. In a little but I was going to do that but first wanted some input.

1.Can this cloud my water
2.Can this change the water parameters?
3.How long should it stay in the tank for?
 
What's the pH of your water? Do you know the GH or KH?

So... cuttlebone is basically limestone that hasn't been pounded down for millenia. When acidic water runs over limestone, it reacts and basically puts KH into the water. To my understanding, the higher KH and pH your water has, the less your water will react with the cuttlebone. I have cuttlebone in two of my tanks, and the params don't move (I probably don't need the cuttlebone, since my GH and pH are high enough for snails in my tap water, but I've got them in there anyway). My KH is also sufficiently high to buffer, and I don't get pH swings or changes from tap to tank (pH 7.9).

If, however, you have acidic water, I think you'd be more likely to see an effect on the water params from the cuttlebone. Also if you have acidic water, you'll have a hard time keeping snails anyway.

It shouldn't cloud your water though, no. At least it never has for me.
 
What's the pH of your water? Do you know the GH or KH?

So... cuttlebone is basically limestone that hasn't been pounded down for millenia. When acidic water runs over limestone, it reacts and basically puts KH into the water. To my understanding, the higher KH and pH your water has, the less your water will react with the cuttlebone. I have cuttlebone in two of my tanks, and the params don't move (I probably don't need the cuttlebone, since my GH and pH are high enough for snails in my tap water, but I've got them in there anyway). My KH is also sufficiently high to buffer, and I don't get pH swings or changes from tap to tank (pH 7.9).

If, however, you have acidic water, I think you'd be more likely to see an effect on the water params from the cuttlebone. Also if you have acidic water, you'll have a hard time keeping snails anyway.

It shouldn't cloud your water though, no. At least it never has for me.
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My ph is 7.4 what is GH? I have that ApI freshwater master test kit.
 

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When my snails shells start getting white and cracking, I just throw in a vacation food block. Full of calcium and does wonders for their shells, as well as they are one of their favorite foods
 
When my snails shells start getting white and cracking, I just throw in a vacation food block. Full of calcium and does wonders for their shells, as well as they are one of their favorite foods
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You haven't had any problems with your water parameters with it?
 
Ok I'll try the cuddlebone first and if that don't work then I'll do what you did.
 
Good morning,

Always make sure your pH level remains above 7.0 when housing snails, otherwise, acidic water can cause snail shell erosion.

I use egg shells for additional calcium. Crack 3 eggs, rinse the shells, add them to a filter media bag and place them in the filter (space permitting) or hide the media bag within the tank itself. Egg Shells are a good source of calcium.

Replace the shells every 6 weeks or so as they dissolve.

Ken
 
HI Chris,

To answer your original question, the cuttlebone is recommended as a method to raise the calcium in you water. This is a great method, and there are several others available. You can add a calcium supplement directly to the water, egg shells as Ken suggested or you can supplement your snail's diet with some calcium-rich vegetables.

You can find a lot of great information regarding the care of your mystery snails on
 
HI Chris,

To answer your original question, the cuttlebone is recommended as a method to raise the calcium in you water. This is a great method, and there are several others available. You can add a calcium supplement directly to the water, egg shells as Ken suggested or you can supplement your snail's diet with some calcium-rich vegetables.

You can find a lot of great information regarding the care of your mystery snails on
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I have to gravel vac the tank today and clean the filter so I'll probably drop a small piece of cuddlebone in. How long should I leave it in for?
 
I'm pretty sure you just leave it in there till it's gone.
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I wasn't sure if left I'm there if it could cloud the water or the cuddlebone get smiley or something
 
I bought 2 mystery snails today, but one of them has these uniform ridges in its shell, at first I thought one had a crack but then I realized it was a straight break from one side to the other and there were about 4 of them throughout its shell. I can get a pic later but was curious if these could be cracks or just abnormal shell growth? Also, the other snails shell has green growth in the grooves on the top of his shell, is there anything I can do? Maybe get a soft tooth brush? Since its ivory its pretty noticeable and an eye sore. I considered taking 1 or both back but they are already cruising around my aquarium eating algae wafers, when they were at the store they were just stuck to the glass doing nothing :/
 

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If the snail was knocked into something, it could be a crack. It could also just be abnormal shell growth. Pic would definitely be helpful.

To my knowledge (though I haven't personally tried) you should be able to use the toothbrush, just be very careful with it. Could also just leave it as the other snail may decide to help clean up the shell or do a few days of lights out, just like you would if you were trying to clean up an algae breakout in the tank.
 
Ime, ridges like that (either with a color difference, or more raised in places) are usually just growth lines, and if that's the case there's nothing you can do for them. Since their shells reflect how good their diets were at the time of growth, the amount of calcium provided and how quickly they grew, it's really very common to have ridges or lines on their shells which are super noticeable on ivorys in particular.

The green growth is likely just algae, it will likely be munched off by the other snails in time. If it bothers you that much, a VERY soft bristled toothbrush may be just the thing.

 
Ime, ridges like that (either with a color difference, or more raised in places) are usually just growth lines, and if that's the case there's nothing you can do for them. Since their shells reflect how good their diets were at the time of growth, the amount of calcium provided and how quickly they grew, it's really very common to have ridges or lines on their shells which are super noticeable on ivorys in particular.

The green growth is likely just algae, it will likely be munched off by the other snails in time. If it bothers you that much, a VERY soft bristled toothbrush may be just the thing.
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I'm returning the ivory for the one I originally picked last night, after watching him I see that his shell is wobbly when he crawls. I'm not too knowledgeable about snails but I read that it could mean he was poorly handled, and could be torn from his shell which it did sort of look that way, like he was going to fall right out of the shell.

My black one is nice and active, I dropped some cuttle bone in the tank but its floating, I guess it takes a couple days to water log. The lip of his shell is very transparent and I didn't notice until I looked at him in better lighting. But I'm keeping him
 
You can stick part of the cuttlebone under a rock to hold it down. Mine took at least a week or so to sink but they get also through the dissolved minerals in the water from the cuttlebone so it is still working. Alison
 
You can stick part of the cuttlebone under a rock to hold it down. Mine took at least a week or so to sink but they get also through the dissolved minerals in the water from the cuttlebone so it is still working. Alison
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Well the piece I threw in is just a small piece, I thought of burying half a bone but don't know if it's too much. I have 2 snails in a 30 gal and 2 in a 10 gal.
 
I usually put the whole thing of cuttlebone in my 36 gallon and its lasts a very long time.
 
I just put 1/2 of the bone in each tank a 30 and a 20. Alison
 
I have half sitting in each of my 10s, and only bothered to do that instead of a whole one because it was already broken in the package...

Your little black one just looks like some irregular shell growth to me, probably from lower than ideal calcium during the time that part of the shell was developing.

The very front edge of the shell will usually be a little thinner than the rest of it. Basically, the outer portion grows then the inside builds up, so new growth will usually look a little thinner until it's fully developed.
 
That's from them growing! They grow in a swirl shape so if they chip the edge of their shell or something changes in the environment at that time the new she'll creates a line there. It's like those were the previous edges. The newest part looks the healthiest meaning your taking better care of them than the store was. Besides cosmetically those don't matter. Unless they get a crack that exposes their body to the outside it is safe. I call mine "growing lines" over time they lighten my snails the biggest line is when I got them because it's like the marker of where their environment changed and their shell started developing better. After being in there with good care and water conditions they won't make more lines.
 

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That's from them growing! They grow in a swirl shape so if they chip the edge of their shell or something changes in the environment at that time the new she'll creates a line there. It's like those were the previous edges. The newest part looks the healthiest meaning your taking better care of them than the store was. Besides cosmetically those don't matter. Unless they get a crack that exposes their body to the outside it is safe. I call mine "growing lines" over time they lighten my snails the biggest line is when I got them because it's like the marker of where their environment changed and their shell started developing better. After being in there with good care and water conditions they won't make more lines.
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here they are, I'm trying to entice them with algae
had to share this one because my molly photo bombed lol
 
I would personally keep your ivory, the wobbly thing isn't necessarily a damage issue. If his body was detached, it would be really obvious. Some just wiggle funny when they walk ime, or he could possibly have a little air bubble in his shell, which causes kind of a drunken wobble sometimes. He looks to be eating, so that's a good sign

 
I would personally keep your ivory, the wobbly thing isn't necessarily a damage issue. If his body was detached, it would be really obvious. Some just wiggle funny when they walk ime, or he could possibly have a little air bubble in his shell, which causes kind of a drunken wobble sometimes. He looks to be eating, so that's a good sign
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The ivory in the recent pic is a different one. I ended up swapping for a bigger one. But I do have 2 other snails in a 10 gallon that are healthy and I saw the blue shell doing the same wobble walk last night. So you're probably right.
 
hmm it was bound to happen, if these are a male/female pair will majority of babies resemble the parents?
 
It could be any color because of genetics but likely most if not all will look like the dark on and the babies will all have dark foot.
 
It could be any color because of genetics but likely most if not all will look like the dark on and the babies will all have dark foot.
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I have a male golden, a male blue, a male black, and the ivory is unknown at the moment. Gold and blue are not in this tank. It would be neat to have babies, I would probably keep the least common colored babies to raise and breed when the time is right (to keep the snail generation going once my current snails pass away ) but I would still have to figure out what to do with the 99 other babies lol.

I tried to find a local fish club but idk if anyone would want free snails. Maybe I could sell on craigslist.
 
My mystery snail has a problem with his shell. It seems to be receding or broken. I feed him algee wafers. I have offered him sunk cuttlebone but he never touched it. Please help.

Water parameters good
Temp: 77
Ph: 7.4
 

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That sometimes happen when the water parameters or diet change for a short period of time. The new shell after that dent looks fine, so there shouldn’t be much to worry about. The snail can’t go back and patch that dent up regardless of what you do. But you might want to add some more protein to his diet cause just algae wafers might not be enough.
 
Agree with the advice above, mystery snails are omnivorous and need protein most days. I feed mine the same food as my corries, a sinking meat based pellet. She also get some fresh veggies to nibble on.
 

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HI looking for advice on my mystery snails shell, I'm not sure if shes cracked it or its grown this way? I have 5 other snails who shells are beautiful except for hers sadly. I'm wondering can I patch it as I don't think it will repair. I'm giving extra calcium in food as well. Shes cruising around fine but if I can help then I'd like to try.
Thank you 837213b054c753f035e87c04c0f9f715.jpg
 
I think that's about all you can do apart from feeding veg like cooked kale and spinach, it dose look like a calcium deficiency
 
Sure her shell is lack of calcium.You should left the way it is..Think positive! ..Her shell is so special..no one ever has it and it does not harm,hurt or bother her.It might not bother you neither!,,Cheer!
 
Thank you,
I have cuttlebone in the tank with her I was just concerned it got worse. She did look pretty rough when I got her but I hoped with plenty calcium it would fix.
 
Thank you,
I have cuttlebone in the tank with her I was just concerned it got worse. She did look pretty rough when I got her but I hoped with plenty calcium it would fix.
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I would think so. But as suggested above, maybe feed some calcium rich food? You could try some snello even.
 
I agree with all the above comments as someone who battles acidic water constantly. Also, liberally dose with Tums! I bought some crushed coral and it seems to be helping. I put it on top of substrate and in filters.
Additionally, you said hers was "worse" than the others. They are escape artists when out and about laying eggs at night. It could very well be she fell and cracked it. Did you rescue her outside the aquarium? If not, she probably is one of the few who managed to find her way back on her own.
Some ppl on youtube have used acrylic nail manicure to seal the shell, but as toxic as it can be, I'm not sure if I would recommend that. Use at your own risk.
 
It might “heal” over with time but there will always be a “scar”. My mystery has some “scars” too.
 
Thanks for all the advice. I'm getting concerned as the crack is moving down the front of her shell, shes eating ok but I'm worried and thinking I should maybe try patch her up as I'm worried its going to open wider.
I have lids on all my tanks so she hasn't wandered she looked pretty rough when I did buy her, the others are ok. I've read that you can use egg shells and glue to cover but I haven't done this before so its making me nervous!
 

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