Nerite Snail Shell Turning White

Hello!

I have a Nerite Snail (Frank), and I just noticed that his shell is looking weird. It looks like its turning white but mainly on one side, and almost looks like there is a crack towards the tip.

He's in a 5gal tank with a filter & heater, temp it 76-77, ph 8.2, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, and nitrate is typically between 20-40 when I change the water weekly (its hard for me to tell between the red and dark orange...).
The tank is just 1 betta, 1 snail, a java fern, and 2 moss balls.
Tank is cycled, and has been running for over 6mths now, and I've have the snail almost as long.
Also, I live in Indiana so we have hard water (usually about 20 grains), so I thought there should be enough calcium he would be ok.

He seems to moving around & eating just fine.

Does anyone have any thoughts on what is causing this issue, and if there is anything I can do? Does it appear to be calcium deficiency? Any help is much appreciated!

 

Looks like mineral build up to me. Is the shell smooth? I don't see any pitting in his shell-do you notice anything besides the white spots? Your ph is very (not bad) high. Is that out of the tap or do you have something in the tank-what is that rock eg.

Going forward, try to keep nitrates in the oranges.

Have you ever made snello to feed Frank? What's his diet like.

 

Looks like your lacking calcium in the tank. You can put some pieces of a cuttlebone in the tank and that will cure it

 

Looks like your lacking calcium in the tank. You can put some pieces of a cuttlebone in the tank and that will cure it

Even if it's smooth and the white spots are on the surface? Not challenging your response at all, just hoping to understand (and not hijack). My applesnail's shell lost some yellow but it's not in those "mineral deposit" looking spots and the texture is different.

 

Looks like mineral build up to me. Is the shell smooth? I don't see any pitting in his shell-do you notice anything besides the white spots? Your ph is very (not bad) high. Is that out of the tap or do you have something in the tank-what is that rock eg.

Going forward, try to keep nitrates in the oranges.

Have you ever made snello to feed Frank? What's his diet like.

It does feel rough as opposed to smooth. I didn't think about it just being a mineral buildup. I just feared the worst haha. The white stuff is really what I noticed.

I get my water from the tap and use Seachem Prime with it. For whatever reason the ph has always been 8.2 for me, even when I had a smaller tank with no live plants before I upgraded to this one. And the rock is zebra rock I got from Petsmart when I got the new tank, but it hasn't seemed to affect the ph.

I really haven't been feeding him anything aside from what the tank has to offer. As he is the only snail I've got I was under the impression he didn't need anything additional provided my water had adequate calcium levels. If there is something else he should be getting, I am open to recommendations though!

 

Even if it's smooth and the white spots are on the surface? Not challenging your response at all, just hoping to understand (and not hijack). My applesnail's shell lost some yellow but it's not in those "mineral deposit" looking spots and the texture is different.

I have a bunch of nerites that there shell was turning white, a lot of people on here told me to put in the cuttlebone, within 2 weeks everything was back to normal

 

I have a bunch of nerites that there shell was turning white, a lot of people on here told me to put in the cuttlebone, within 2 weeks everything was back to normal

Thanks for the tip, I'll run by my local shop and pick some up!

 

It does feel rough as opposed to smooth. I didn't think about it just being a mineral buildup. I just feared the worst haha. The white stuff is really what I noticed.

Try the cuttlebone suggestion. You can get them in the bird section at Petsmart, etc.

I really haven't been feeding him anything aside from what the tank has to offer. As he is the only snail I've got I was under the impression he didn't need anything additional provided my water had adequate calcium levels. If there is something else he should be getting, I am open to recommendations though!

What does the tank have to offer?

 

What does the tank have to offer?

I was under the impression that the algae buildup in the tank was enough for a snail's nutritional intake. Between the plants and natural buildup I thought that would be enough for just him. Unless there wasn't enough calcium that is. Is that not the case?

 

Well maybe and yes but, it's never a bad thing to offer a piece of blanched veggie like zucchini, carrot, spinach, kale...Just for variety and supplemental nutrition.

If you really want to put on the kitchen apron, you can make something called snello which has calcium in the recipe (I use crushed egg shells. Some use Tums). It might be a bit much for just one nerite but you can freeze it.

Anyway, I hope the cuttlebone works and you continue to enjoy your tank!

 

I have a bunch of nerites that there shell was turning white, a lot of people on here told me to put in the cuttlebone, within 2 weeks everything was back to normal

Those look kinda big online... Do I put the whole thing in the tank or just part of it?

 

Those look kinda big online... Do I put the whole thing in the tank or just part of it?

You can cut it into parts and refrigerate the parts you're not using. Cuttlebone will eventually dissolve in the water and after that you could add more.
And if you ever run out of cuttlebone, I've found crushed eggshells to be a good alternative. They take some time to prepare and are less effective than cuttlebone but do get the job done.

 

Hey guys, hoping someone can help me! I went and picked up a black racer nerite snail 3 days ago from Petsmart. He looked fine when I got him and his shell was all black but now his shell is turning white! I know acidic water can cause this and shell deterioration but my tank has very hard water with a ph of 8.2. Ammonia is 0, nitrite is 0, and nitrate is 10ppm. He’s in a 55g tank with 6 platys, an electric blue acara cichlid, and a dwarf gourami. All the fish get along well and are very peaceful. I haven’t noticed any of them bothering the snail at all. Anyone have any idea what this could be from or how I can help him?

 

Well, it's a simple case of calcium deficiency. The snail doesn't have a sufficient source of calcium to maintain and grow a healthy shell, so try placing cuttlebone or eggshell (properly wash it first) so it can nibble on it. Alternatively, you can feed it calcium rich vegetables like broccoli, kale, soybeans, turnip greens, spinach, peas and okra, just boil them to soften it. Or just buy a balanced diet snail food with calcium (see the nutritional chart at the back)

 

It could maybe be some sort of calcium or other type of deficiency, but that would be surprising given your high pH. Have you tested the water hardness by any chance?

 

Btw, the snail cant just absorb the calxium from the water, it needs to ingest it in some form

 

I’ve fed him API algae eater wafers which I thought would be sufficient but I’ll definitely try cleaning & putting in some egg shells. Thank you!

It could maybe be some sort of calcium or other type of deficiency, but that would be surprising given your high pH. Have you tested the water hardness by any chance?

I have the API water test kit which doesn’t have a way to test the hardness, but I do also have the tetra test strips (which aren’t that accurate Ik :/ ). When I test with those it shows 300gh on the scale, which is insanely high.

 

Don't go jumping the gun lexi ,for the snail to go this white so quick is not your tank problem, by all means do a test as normal but that as come with the snail from source and now showing, I would advise the same as kbn