# Ramshorn Snail shells suddenly turning chalky white after substrate change



## Scream4myICEE (Mar 11, 2017)

Hey guys!

I've had blue leopard ramshorns in my 3 gal. betta tank for about half a year now, love the little dudes, but I recently changed the substrate from dirted Seachem-brand onyx sand to Fluval Stratum (mostly for the color and ease of planting) and their pretty shells have turned a chalky white 

I'm not sure what to do at this point, I've had a cuttlebone in the filter since I got them, and since their shells started breaking down I've been putting Seachem Replenish in with my weekly dosing schedule (13% calcium). I don't feed them often since algae and biofilm seems to grow aplenty in the tank, but occasionally I do throw part of an algae wafer in though the majority of the snails don't really seem to take interest and I have to clean it up after 2-3 days of leaving it. So perhaps it's not a calcium problem? They're still having plenty of babies, and the newborn's shells are nice and clear with clearly viewable spots on most, but I can see some of the chalky white already forming on them as well.

Any suggestions? I have attached pictures to this post so you can see what I mean. They used to have clear shells with blue spots but now have opaque white chalky shells.


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## Chlorophile (Aug 2, 2011)

What's your pH?
My tank with fluval stratum runs a 5.6 pH with no co2. 
It's probably very low and dissolving the shell.
Add some carbonate buffer, KH booster, baking soda, or whatever product you can find, to get the KH up a tad


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## Zoidburg (Mar 8, 2016)

You should be using GH minerals with RO water in that tank


And give the snails a new home without buffering substrate


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## natemcnutty (May 26, 2016)

Chlorophile said:


> What's your pH?
> My tank with fluval stratum runs a 5.6 pH with no co2.
> It's probably very low and dissolving the shell.
> Add some carbonate buffer, KH booster, baking soda, or whatever product you can find, to get the KH up a tad


Just know that by adding KH, you will be depleting the buffering capabilities of your substrate. 

Generally, we buy buffering substrates because they buffer to parameters that are ideal for certain species of fish and shrimp, and the majority of our plants' nutrient uptake are better in slightly acidic conditions (plus most fertilizers use EDTA chelated iron which has already lost half its effectiveness at 6.5 and is almost non-existent at 7.5+).


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## Chlorophile (Aug 2, 2011)

natemcnutty said:


> Just know that by adding KH, you will be depleting the buffering capabilities of your substrate.
> 
> Generally, we buy buffering substrates because they buffer to parameters that are ideal for certain species of fish and shrimp, and the majority of our plants' nutrient uptake are better in slightly acidic conditions (plus most fertilizers use EDTA chelated iron which has already lost half its effectiveness at 6.5 and is almost non-existent at 7.5+).


Of course, but if he's worried whats going on with his snail I think that is probably the answer

I'd move the snails, and then put some shrimp in the tank that like those parameters.


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