# Mystery snails?



## DreamerHorse (Dec 22, 2012)

I'm going to get one or two mystery snails this Saturday for my 10g. I have a few questions regarding care though. My tank has a betta and six neon tetras.

First, I've read that you can paint their shells. Is this okay? I'll be careful not to get it on the fleshy part of the snail if it is okay.

Second, I want to make sure my future snail is getting their calcium. Will cuttlebone be good enough? How much do I put in? I have neon tetras in the 10g so I don't want to harm them by making the water hard. I'll get some test strips while I'm at it.

Third, will the snail slam it's trap door on the neons? I read on another post that people had this happening and I don't want to end up with an injured neon.

That's it. I might come up with other questions later.


----------



## kman (Dec 10, 2013)

I've never had an issue with my tetras getting hurt by the mystery snail. Some of the fish nip at the snails tentacles periodically, however.


----------



## DreamerHorse (Dec 22, 2012)

Okay, that's good.

I'm still curious on the nail polish thing.

Also, I've done some research, and if my PH is low I have some seashells from dollar tree that I can use to get it up and buffer it. They have have sand on them, so they're real, but I want to know if they should be boiled or anything.


----------



## kman (Dec 10, 2013)

I don't see how nail polish would hurt the snail, although one area of concern is how you do it, logistically... will the paint stick (and dry thoroughly) while the snail is still wet? I'm not sure how long they can live out of the water... enough time for the polish to cure so it's not off-gassing underwater might (or might not) be an issue.

I doubt seashells would hurt anything. If you're worried, give them a quick dip in bleachy water, rinse well, and then put them in a bowl and add a good dollop of dechlor to make sure all the chlorine is gone. Should be sufficient to kill anything, I'd think.


----------



## DreamerHorse (Dec 22, 2012)

Alright. Unless someone can confirm that the snail I will be getting will be fine doing that, I won't do it.

I'm not really worried about the shells, they've been sitting out for a few years, but I will give them a good scrub.

As for calcium and high pH levels... What should my pH levels be to prevent erosion? Does cuttlebone raise pH? I plain on feeding some spinach, cucumbers, and some other foods. What other veggies are high in calcium?

Also, will high pH levels adversely effect the neon tetras?


----------



## kman (Dec 10, 2013)

The snail would be fine for the 10 minutes it would take to dry it's shell thoroughly, and paint it, I'm sure, but I don't know how long the paint takes to really cure, that's the tough part. Maybe it's fine, maybe it's not.

What are you raising that you're so concerned about pH levels? If it's just the snails, I think you're overthinking it. They're pretty low (read: no) maintenance.


----------



## DreamerHorse (Dec 22, 2012)

I'm just worried about the shell eroding from the water not being hard enough.


----------



## sprinkleddonuts (Jul 26, 2013)

I've heard turtle shells being severely damaged because of painting I wouldn't try it on a snail.


----------



## kman (Dec 10, 2013)

DreamerHorse said:


> I'm just worried about the shell eroding from the water not being hard enough.


I don't think this is a huge concern, unless you have super acidic water.


----------



## DreamerHorse (Dec 22, 2012)

I've read stories of people having their snail's shell erode due to lack of calcium and hard water. I'd just rather be safe then sorry.

I've changed my mind on the nail polish thing, so no worries.


----------



## DreamerHorse (Dec 22, 2012)

Anyone have any answers to my questions?


----------



## isntanything (Dec 9, 2013)

Unless your water is _very_ soft and acidic, it's not something to worry about. Anything in the normal range should be fine.

Messing with ph usually leads to instability, which is far worse for livestock than living in conditions which aren't exactly ideal.


----------



## DreamerHorse (Dec 22, 2012)

Okay thanks. I'll just leave it as is then. I don't want anything to be unstable.

Does anyone know how long it takes a mystery snail to grow up? The black ones at Walmart were tiny, just a little bigger than the tetras they were housed with.


----------



## DreamerHorse (Dec 22, 2012)

Anyone?


----------



## kman (Dec 10, 2013)

Mine was already full grown when I bought it, sorry


----------



## DreamerHorse (Dec 22, 2012)

That's okay. Maybe someone else will know.


----------



## Gocards (Jan 28, 2014)

I have a black apple snail with my ADF and Betta. They all get along great. They've been together in a heavily planted 5 gallon tank with a bio filter for bacteria purposes. Once the tank cycled after a little over a month I added the snail first, than the betta then the ADF. Gary, Kermit, and Louis get along perfectly and they are great together. I haven't added anything to the water. I give the snail spinach from our salad and he eats that. The betta and frog don't bother him and Louis is the most chill betta I've ever seen. The snail is black so the betta doesn't notice him to much and the frog is a brownish gray. The snail I got only grows about 2" which is fine for bio load in the tank. The plants are a considerable upgrade to any tank as they have helped filter out the waste. The snail hasn't touched a plant unless it was old growth and dying. I would recommend live plants like Java Fern, Anubias, and hornwort as the fish store stated the snail won't eat unless you just don't feed him. Spinach and algae wafers if you are out of town are what they recommended. Just be careful with what you get as snails can reproduce asexually. Nerite (zebra) snails are small and I wouldn't buy from Wal-mart just had too many diseases from them. You'll love the snail we love ours and he cleans all the old food the betta doesn't eat. Flake food works too.


----------



## DreamerHorse (Dec 22, 2012)

Okay Gocards, good to know of a positive experience.

I got two snails yesterday from Walmart. They are doing fine, eating and moving around. However, they both have one or two cracks in their shells. I didn't notice this when buying, only when putting them in the tank did I notice.

Will the cracks heal? They're along the top of their shell and aren't too deep. Nothing important is showing. I got an entire cuttlebone floating in the tank for calcium. I'm hoping it will become waterlogged and sink.

On Tuesday I'm going to get some calcium rich veggiss for them, such as spinach and cucumbers. What other foods does anyone suggest?

I promise pictures soon.


----------



## DreamerHorse (Dec 22, 2012)

Anyone?


----------



## AudaxViator (Feb 5, 2014)

http://www.petsnails.co.uk/problems/broken-shell.html

Literally just googled "crack in snail shell" and found the answer. If no one is replying usually doing your own research will yield a sufficient answer.


----------



## Kiara1125 (Feb 1, 2011)

When the snails are out of the water, they close their trap doors. This provides then with enough moisture to live for a few days. I would imagine that the nail polish would break down in the water and release harmful chemicals that would kill the fish. I would never suggest painting a snail in fear of the paint/polish being harmful to the other fish.

I know that you said you changed your mind, but I just wanted to add my two cents about it.


----------



## DreamerHorse (Dec 22, 2012)

That's okay.


----------



## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

> Does anyone know how long it takes a mystery snail to grow up? The black ones at Walmart were tiny, just a little bigger than the tetras they were housed with.


If you feed them cucumber frequently, they will grow quite large and quickly.

mine went from --->0 size to the size of a golfball in just a few months.

The betta is a large VT and they are in a 10G tank. The snails are a year old now









I have issues with shell erosion. Even with cuttlebone and coral/seashells in the tank - I still have problems with it.


----------

