# I need help with nerites



## Dakota14breyer (Dec 24, 2015)

Hi there! I was wondering if you guys could tell me how healthy the nerite snails at my local PS are. I was going to get one for my betta Fred Astaire, but I want to make sure they're ok to get or should I get them elsewhere and if so where? I do have a picture, and I observed them for a few minutes, and they were whiffling about. (yes i know that is a new verb for fast snail movement.) They were trying to whiffle out of the tank and I assume that is because of the sub-par water quality there.

I was worried about the marbly looking lacy stuff on their shells. Is that a calcium buildup or something? Or is it bad news for Senior Fred Astaire?


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

I can't tell from the photo, was it a build up or deterioration? Nerites need calcium for their shells, in soft water with little/no calcium the shells tarts to break down and may look like that,
here is minor calcium deficiency









and lethal deficiency/shell deterioration









I also notice you can't see the shell tip, might be the angle but I'm not sure if those are one of the common nitrites used for freshwater. They look most similar (in color) to olive nerite, but I don't see the spiral tip...


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## Dakota14breyer (Dec 24, 2015)

Thanks for telling me! I didn't see any super lethal deterioration like your second photo, but I didn't see their entire shell like you said. How would you raise their calcium levels back to normal? (P.S. I have well water with a reverse osmosis filter and ph chemicals if need be to bring it down)


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

There are a few options: crushed coral in a mesh bag in tank or in filter, cuddle bone (not the ones used for birds, but a higher quality one), lime stone (aka texas holey rock) is another option, would recommend crushed in filter, it can be a rough stone not really betta safe to sue as tank decor.


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## jadaBlu (Feb 14, 2013)

It certainly won't hurt to quarantine them for at least two weeks with regular water changes to make sure they don't carry any germs that are bad for your betta. The germs might not make the snail sick but they still will have been in water containing the germs. Does your tank have plenty of algae for the snail to eat? Some people say they will eat algae wafers but I have yet to see mine eat one. She crawls past them and ignores them preferring to eat what is on things. The tank doesn't have much algae but I leave enough to be sure she gets to eat. One thing to be aware is that females will initially lay eggs all over the tank which many people find unattractive. The driftwood in my tank has white dots all over it. I have not tried to remove the eggs. Someone told me if you leave the eggs alone the snail will soon notice they are not hatching and stop laying them. I have found that to be true. So if you should get a female bear that in mind. I don't know of any way to sex them.


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## jadaBlu (Feb 14, 2013)

Aqua Aurora what is the proper amount of coral to put in a canister filter for a 40 gallon? How long does it last? This is community tank with no bettas. Does coral affect water parameters in any way?


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## trahana (Dec 28, 2015)

Coral, like shells, would raise water hardness and also raise PH to 8.2 I believe. 
If your PH is under 7, it may cause stress to the fish if you don't adjust ph of new tank water before adding it.


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## jadaBlu (Feb 14, 2013)

I wonder if the snail could get a calcium bath or something once a week. My PH is 7.


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## trahana (Dec 28, 2015)

Its only a concern if your ph is under 7, The change between 7 and 8 shouldn't be enough to do any damage. This is, of course, depending on the creatures within. I hear Shrimp are more fragile and susceptible to PH change, while most fish are fine(research your fish). I've have shells in my tanks for years with no problems and have kept many species of fish, but always the hardy sort of fish(platies, guppies, bettas).


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## Dakota14breyer (Dec 24, 2015)

Thank you guys so much for the info! I don't know if I have enough if any algae in my 3.5 gal tank. Do you guys know how to start growing it?


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## jadaBlu (Feb 14, 2013)

Stick some rocks and plant matter in food container in sunny window. It does take awhile. Too bad I just threw a container that was growing some I coulda mailed it to you to start it faster. You could do a couple of Malaysian trumpet snails they are good for planted tanks and they eat algae, dead plant matter and uneaten food. They only breed alot if you over feed your fish. Then you just have to put a piece of zucchini in the tank and pull in the morning with the excess snails.


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## Dakota14breyer (Dec 24, 2015)

Oh, thanks for the thought of that container! I don't think I'm gonna go with the MTS, I think my tank would be too small for them. I did try putting some algae wafers in the tank to jump start it, but I don't think it worked. Oh well, I'll give your way a shot and see what happens! Thanks!


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## Dakota14breyer (Dec 24, 2015)

Ooh!! I just thought of something! I have a creek by my house! Do you think I could take a small bit of water and grow algae from that? Have a small 1 gallon bowl to put it in.


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## BettaBeau (May 14, 2014)

I feed my ramshorn snails blanched collard greens. Blanched spinach is also high in calcium. It makes their poop green, too!


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## Dakota14breyer (Dec 24, 2015)

Haha! Lol, I wonder if nerite snails would eat spinach.


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## jadaBlu (Feb 14, 2013)

Creek water is not going to start algae in might bring something to your tank you don't want in there. It actually took several months for algae to grow in the container. Most people don't want algae in their tank. The tank that I have some algae on the walls is two years old. In some ways I'd love to scrape it all off but I need to leave enough food for my nerite. You will have to be patient and you might request an algae donation from someone as a starter. Here is how one person suggested growing algae. You can use small rocks like a couple of bag of rocks from Petsmart for your small setup:



"Include a rock or plant from another tank that has even a tiny amount of algae on it. Add a few drops of HOUSE PLANT fertilizer to the container., and give it plenty of light. Without plants to compete with it, the algae will soon cover the rocks. Then you can place one at a time in with your obligate algae eating fish/snail for them to clean off. Rotate them in and out of your algae farm, and remember to feed the algae, but sparingly, or you'll make a mess!"


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## Bettajungle (Feb 3, 2016)

Dakota14breyer said:


> Haha! Lol, I wonder if nerite snails would eat spinach.


I just bought some spinach for my nerite snails feeding them tonight, I'll let you know


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## CollegeBettas (Feb 23, 2016)

I am thinking about getting a Nerite soon. Today I went and got out some of our old tank decorations from our old tanks to help spruce up my new one. Some of them had some algae growth. I scrubbed off most of it, but I was wondering if this would be sufficient for a snail. The algae has been dry for a few years.


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