# Hey kat? Shell care?



## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

Hey Kat, 

I wanted to ask you about your snails and what you do to keep their shells in top condition?

What do you add to your water, what is your feeding schedule.. ?

Hope you don't mind me asking


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## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

Remind yourself that you asked for this!

I feed them a diet very high in calcium such as collard greens, parsley, they go nuts for romaine lettus, stringbeans, deshelled pea's, cucumbers, basically anything green. I cook all of the above in dechlorinated water in the microwave for about 2 mins 25 seconds. I used to use a veggie clip until I had babies getting stuck and crushed in the clip. Now I weight them down under rocks. They are also fed high protein goldfish food I get from my breeder called Pro Gold, along with algae wafers, frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp and marine algae. I also put a small dish of caltrate pills in each tank which they eat.

I don't have an ornaments in their tank anymore because they tend to like to parachute down and when they hit the bottom they do damage to their mantle (front of snail shell just above the eyes) and the result is that a V shaped shell which can lead to other problems. I just put large rocks that are low to the ground and that seems to make them happy. I keep bags of crushed coral in their tanks to help maintain the ph level. And at the moment I am making them some ph pucks...You can read more about them here.

http://www.pondsplus.com/Infofiles/art02.htm

I use DEP plaster of paris because I called the company directly and they verified there is no salt or harmful additives to the plaster just limestone which is good for their shells. I've since started to add pure spirulina, ground up caltrate pills and goldfish pellets and basically have created my own feeder blocks out of them.

The regular one's without any fish foods added to them I put into the filter on top of my media and the one's with food in them I stick inside their tank it dissolves and they eat it as well.

When I'm feeling lazy I also throw feeder blocks in there which also helps with their shells.

Hope that helps!


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

I agree with all the greens. My experience is the same. Obscene amounts of calcium citrate.

Tetra phases in and out of making Tetramin tablets which are based in skim milk powder. I (not exaggerating) was putting on well over a centimeter of new PERFECT shell on my canas every 4 days (seriously) using the following recipe

tetramin tablets
green hair algae I grew in a fishbowl and rolled into balls
good quality algae tablets
giant hygrophilia (this wont work with bridgesii they're not big on plants)
mysis shrimp
giant danios (dont ask)
bloodworms


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## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

Forgot one last thing..I make my own snail jello, I grow dandelions for them, they LOVE the leaves and I make them snail cookies which have seaweed, vitamins, eggs, egg shells, garlic, calcium about 12 different veggies, rice and pumkin. They go absolutely nuts for it.


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## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

Pablo said:


> I agree with all the greens. My experience is the same. Obscene amounts of calcium citrate.
> 
> Tetra phases in and out of making Tetramin tablets which are based in skim milk powder. I (not exaggerating) was putting on well over a centimeter of new PERFECT shell on my canas every 4 days (seriously) using the following recipe
> 
> ...


I def agree my adult brigs are not crazy about plants, the babies however decimate them..They can't get enough greens in those little bodies.  I tried the tetramins and my picky brats wouldn't touch it. I swear that had this look as if to say 'get in the kitchen woman we want the cookies!'


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## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

Forgive me as I can go on and on about snails...Now and again when my lfs has it in stock I also give them Hikari Tropical Crab Cuisine & HBH Hermit Crab Bites. And occasional turtle food.


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

nono thanks you guys! 

I have a big snail... Pablo would know what it was... I dont know exactly. But his shell was terrible when i got him and is not getting better. I couldnt locate those tetramin tablets but havent yet gone to harolds.. So i was looking for more home recipies..

You wouldnt have a good snail cookie recipie would you?


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## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

Yep I'll have to sit down and type it up...

I usually just go shopping and go nuts in the produce with (high calcium veggies)department puree it all. Add caltrate tabs, 3 eggs with the shells, garlic, pure spirulina powder, turtle food, dog vitamins or dog food, rice and whatever fish food I have on hand...Chuck it into the blender using low sodium V 8 to liqify it all and bake it on a cookie sheet until they look done. Chuck them into the freezer.

I'm lousy at sticking to recipe's but I promise I'll type it up. I'm going to make a batch tommorrow if its not a billion degree's and I'll share em with ya.


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

LOL Kat ya of course yours hate them you spoil them with too much tasty food.

They must like the flavour of all that stuff.


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

Awe that would be awesome! :3

Thanks again for the help...


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## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

Ciddian said:


> Awe that would be awesome! :3
> 
> Thanks again for the help...


But only if you share pictures of your snail with me.


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## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

Pablo said:


> LOL Kat ya of course yours hate them you spoil them with too much tasty food.
> 
> They must like the flavour of all that stuff.


They are spoiled little things, I just order Two Little Fishes Seaweed for them.


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

Of course! 

http://www.gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1629 (you can see how shoddy his shell is..  )
http://www.gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1373

awee.. he thinks he's peoples.. XD He actually is chewing on a spirulina stick there..


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## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

OMG what a cute little face! He needs some snail cookies!   His shell doesn't look too bad to me. I'd pick up some green beans (canned is fine just no salt) and see if he'd eat em.


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## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

From what I can see he looks like a brig does he have iridecent orange on his foot?


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

Thanks! glad you like him  He is a great eater, i give him wafers, zucinni.. carrots.. bok choy.. peas.. i'll definatly get him the peas.. 

No shiney things really on him at all...


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

Err beans... LOL sorry 7am..


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## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

I think he's one cute and from the pictures spoiled/sneaky brig.


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## Pablo (Mar 27, 2006)

If you want to pimp your snail Jess I say track down that tetramin stuff and give him a good pellet per day (in quarters or halves) along with some more protein (keep your whole veggie thing going).

If he comes up to get food from you why not try some guppies? Just do the thing where they fall sideways into the wall really hard to get them ready  

If not the guppies then feed him some Krill along with the tetramin tabs. I've raised some spectacular snail in my time with that formula.


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## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

Hey Pablo, 

I'm interested in why you choose to feed guppies. The snail you feed guppies to, do you keep it with other fish/snails or alone? I find getting snails used to the taste of fish turns them a bit cannibalistic on one another. I'm intrerested because when I tried this with my insularums and brigs and within a month they were eating one another and they were all healthy and well fed. As opposed to dying and being picked at after they were dead.


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## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

PS

I found those Tetra Min tablets you were talking about while I was in NY over the weekend, my cories are going absolutely nuts for them. I've yet to try them with the snails though. Thanks for the tip!


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