Tropical Fish Forum

Tropical Fish Keeping => Invertebrates - Shrimps and Snails => Topic started by: jaypeecee on March 03, 2019, 06:51:07 PM

Title: Zebra Nerite Snail Anatomy
Post by: jaypeecee on March 03, 2019, 06:51:07 PM
Hi Folks,

Can anyone point me to a good website that deals with snail anatomy? Or, perhaps someone can answer my question directly, which is - what is the white tip of a zebra nerite snail for? That's my main question but I'd like to know more about aquatic snail anatomy in general.

Thanks in advance.

JPC
Title: Re: Zebra Nerite Snail Anatomy
Post by: Sue on March 03, 2019, 09:41:07 PM
Hmm, I can't find much about nerites at all. There used to be a site on apple snails but they are different species so are probably not the same.

Not much help really  ;D
Title: Re: Zebra Nerite Snail Anatomy
Post by: Littlefish on March 03, 2019, 09:54:44 PM
I've not had my horned nerites long, and they are still quite small. Perhaps I've not noticed a white tip on any of them. Where is it? Apologies for my ignorance.
Title: Re: Zebra Nerite Snail Anatomy
Post by: jaypeecee on March 04, 2019, 01:29:15 PM
Hi Folks,

Please see the attached photo (not one of mine*), which clearly shows the white tip on the right-hand snail. It's tempting to add a caption to this photo but I resisted! There is real beauty in this species of aquatic snail, isn't there?

JPC

* Credit goes to Pro Shrimp (UK)
Title: Re: Zebra Nerite Snail Anatomy
Post by: fcmf on March 04, 2019, 02:31:19 PM
That's the snail's apex.

You might find this article helpful https://www.aquariumcarebasics.com/freshwater-snails/nerite-snails/ but there are lots of different sites with information.

I'm very fond of my nerites too - I have an orange one and a red one - but there is variation between them. The orange one is male, has a strong work ethic but is smaller in size and its 'flesh'/base is pale-coloured. The red one is female and lays eggs around the tank, is lazier and is now about twice the size of the male despite being 14 months younger and her 'flesh'/base is dark-coloured. I've seen zebra nerites in the LFS and they look the biggest of all the nerites.
Title: Re: Zebra Nerite Snail Anatomy
Post by: Littlefish on March 04, 2019, 04:26:35 PM
Thanks for the information.  :)
Title: Re: Zebra Nerite Snail Anatomy
Post by: Sue on March 04, 2019, 05:21:22 PM
My zebra nerite is the biggest one in the tank.

The reason the apex of the shell in the photo is white is because it has eroded. Only the surface layer of the shell is coloured, the under layers are white.
Have a look at my 7 year old zebra nerite in post #63 in page 3 of this thread https://forums.thinkfish.co.uk/gallery-showcase/snail-photos/50/
Title: Re: Zebra Nerite Snail Anatomy
Post by: jaypeecee on March 04, 2019, 08:55:00 PM
The reason the apex of the shell in the photo is white is because it has eroded. Only the surface layer of the shell is coloured, the under layers are white.

Hi Sue,

Thanks for the feedback and photos. What causes the shell to erode? Is it, by any chance, due to a lack of calcium? I note that you and I both have soft water. I did read that one way of compensating for this is to ensure that the snails have plenty of calcium in their diet. But I haven't a clue what the calcium content of algae and biofilm is likely to be! I'll pursue this.

JPC
Title: Re: Zebra Nerite Snail Anatomy
Post by: Sue on March 04, 2019, 09:01:49 PM
A lot of people use cuttlefish bone, the kind used for budgies. Snails (and shrimps) are supposed to graze on it.

In theory it's low pH that causes erosion, but my pH is above 7.0. I think lack of calcium is a factor too.
Title: Re: Zebra Nerite Snail Anatomy
Post by: jaypeecee on March 04, 2019, 09:22:07 PM
Hi Sue,

Yes, I have seen references to cuttlefish bone, which will obviously be a rich source of calcium. I also spotted this:

https://dennerle.com/en/products/nano-aquarium/feeding-minerals-vitamins/food-dwarf-crayfish/shrimp-king-snail-stixx

JPC
Title: Re: Zebra Nerite Snail Anatomy
Post by: jaypeecee on March 04, 2019, 09:31:52 PM
...and here's another link that I just discovered:

http://www.petsnails.co.uk/care/feeding.html

JPC
Title: Re: Zebra Nerite Snail Anatomy
Post by: Sue on March 04, 2019, 09:49:14 PM
I have just remembered that fcmf (I think) uses sticks for her snails - your link reminded me  :)
Title: Re: Zebra Nerite Snail Anatomy
Post by: fcmf on March 04, 2019, 09:54:24 PM
Hi Sue,

Yes, I have seen references to cuttlefish bone, which will obviously be a rich source of calcium. I also spotted this:

https://dennerle.com/en/products/nano-aquarium/feeding-minerals-vitamins/food-dwarf-crayfish/shrimp-king-snail-stixx

JPC

Yes, as I have very soft water (KH of 1, GH of 3 naturally), I've always fed these which I get via Pro-Shrimp at https://www.pro-shrimp.co.uk/shrimp-king/1125-shrimp-king-snail-stixx-4001615061222.html - it's very popular among the snails (and now also a few fish)! The male snail earns his keep but dips into the snail foodpot for this at the end of the day, while the female snail has a tendency to spend much more time in the snail foodpot eating this rather than earning her keep! I've put a video on here somewhere of her in action eating it - will post the link when I find it. [Edited to add - here it is: https#://youtu.be/fHFMbOvYS24 - remove # to watch.]

I also happened to notice this online recently http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/love-fish-shrimp-snail-pellet-50g but I'm not sure if it has the same nutrients to help protect the shell.

I feed the snails out of one of these https://www.pro-shrimp.co.uk/feeding-tools/248-shrimp-feeding-dish-60mm.html

...and here's another link that I just discovered:

http://www.petsnails.co.uk/care/feeding.html

JPC

Actually, I joined that forum last year, specifically to ask a question about a baby nerite snail I had just acquired and which I wasn't sure if it was dead/dying or not and wondered if they could provide more specific expertise. As it turned out, I didn't get a reply, but when I updated my post a few days later to say that the snail had definitely died, a reply was forthcoming that the forum members tended to keep land snails rather than aquatic and few had experience/knowledge of aquatic species. From that, I got/get the impression that the particular website is not geared towards aquatic snails; hope that's useful.  :)

Title: Re: Zebra Nerite Snail Anatomy
Post by: jaypeecee on March 05, 2019, 04:46:33 PM
Hi Sue and fcmf,

Many thanks for the feedback.

I'm a bit hesitant about using cuttlefish bone as it may increase water hardness over time particularly in pH below 7.0. Although my main tank starts out just above pH 7.0, it spends most of the day just below 7.0 as a result of CO2 injection.

But I am sorely tempted to get some of the Dennerle Stixx for my Zebra Nerites. Speaking of which, they had this white apex thingy when I first bought them so I assumed that was a natural part of their anatomy.

JPC

Title: Re: Zebra Nerite Snail Anatomy
Post by: Matt on March 05, 2019, 06:12:17 PM
I don't believe it will improve once grown so that makes sense to me. The stixx should keep things on the straight and narrow  :cheers:

I was interested in the link you provided to learn the different calcium contents of different vegetables!!... that's another option too!
Title: Re: Zebra Nerite Snail Anatomy
Post by: fcmf on March 06, 2019, 02:12:04 PM
One point I would mention about the Snail Stixx is that I find that any leftovers tend to grow a fungus-like coating the following day and go hard with white dots if a female snail lays eggs in it. If you can feed them in a pot like the one I use, then it's easy to retrieve any leftovers the following day with a net or siphon. Despite this, I think it's definitely worth feeding it for peace of mind that the snail is getting sufficient nutrients in soft water.
Title: Re: Zebra Nerite Snail Anatomy
Post by: jaypeecee on March 06, 2019, 05:03:58 PM
One point I would mention about the Snail Stixx is that I find that any leftovers tend to grow a fungus-like coating the following day and go hard with white dots if a female snail lays eggs in it. If you can feed them in a pot like the one I use, then it's easy to retrieve any leftovers the following day with a net or siphon. Despite this, I think it's definitely worth feeding it for peace of mind that the snail is getting sufficient nutrients in soft water.

Hi fcmf,

Thanks for the additional information. I couldn't agree with you more regarding your last sentence.

JPC
Title: Re: Zebra Nerite Snail Anatomy
Post by: jaypeecee on March 15, 2019, 11:08:55 AM
One point I would mention about the Snail Stixx is that I find that any leftovers tend to grow a fungus-like coating the following day and go hard with white dots if a female snail lays eggs in it. If you can feed them in a pot like the one I use, then it's easy to retrieve any leftovers the following day with a net or siphon. Despite this, I think it's definitely worth feeding it for peace of mind that the snail is getting sufficient nutrients in soft water.

Hi fcmf,

I have another question before I make a purchase - do you not find that the fish in your tank eat the Snail Stixx before the snails get to them?

TIA.

JPC
Title: Re: Zebra Nerite Snail Anatomy
Post by: Sue on March 15, 2019, 01:13:15 PM
One way round this would be to put the snail food in last thing at night when the fish are hopefully asleep. Though there are some nocturnal fish....
Title: Re: Zebra Nerite Snail Anatomy
Post by: fcmf on March 15, 2019, 04:27:21 PM
One point I would mention about the Snail Stixx is that I find that any leftovers tend to grow a fungus-like coating the following day and go hard with white dots if a female snail lays eggs in it. If you can feed them in a pot like the one I use, then it's easy to retrieve any leftovers the following day with a net or siphon. Despite this, I think it's definitely worth feeding it for peace of mind that the snail is getting sufficient nutrients in soft water.

Hi fcmf,

I have another question before I make a purchase - do you not find that the fish in your tank eat the Snail Stixx before the snails get to them?

TIA.

JPC

No - they definitely don't eat it all by any means.  Each stick is about 1cm long and is said to last 5 days. I tend to use 1/5 of a stick every day but, even at that, there is more than enough food for the snails and the fish - it softens and expands (sorry - not sure of the official term) to become quite a large quantity. A snail can spend several hours in the pot, bulldozing its way through the food, but actually the amount consumed is barely noticeable. The pot can be occupied for 24 hours by one or the other snail, and they can adorn their shells in fish food in the process, and this still applies. The quantity consumed by the fish is again negligable. In fact, both fish and snails are messy eaters and it tends to be a matter of one or the other eating the debris that gets tossed up from the snails or falls from the fish's mouths as they chomp.

As Sue suggests, and also because the/my snails tend to be asleep in the morning when the lights are off and become increasingly lively as the afternoon and evening wear on, I tend to put the food in during the evening. That said, the fish seem to show little interest in the food until the evening, whether this is replenished food or the previous day's leftovers not yet taken out and replenished.

Therefore, I would have no qualms about this being a potential problem. If you'd prefer to try a few sample sticks (I mean your snails, not you personally :rotfl:) before purchase, feel free to PM me your name/address and I'll pop some in the mail to you. After that, you could then decide whether to proceed and order them.
Title: Re: Zebra Nerite Snail Anatomy
Post by: jaypeecee on March 16, 2019, 10:24:23 PM
One way round this would be to put the snail food in last thing at night when the fish are hopefully asleep. Though there are some nocturnal fish....

Hi Sue,

Thanks for the feedback. As I have one or two nocturnal fish, I will need to investigate.

JPC
Title: Re: Zebra Nerite Snail Anatomy
Post by: jaypeecee on March 16, 2019, 10:32:58 PM

No - they definitely don't eat it all by any means.  Each stick is about 1cm long and is said to last 5 days. I tend to use 1/5 of a stick every day but, even at that, there is more than enough food for the snails and the fish - it softens and expands (sorry - not sure of the official term) to become quite a large quantity. A snail can spend several hours in the pot, bulldozing its way through the food, but actually the amount consumed is barely noticeable. The pot can be occupied for 24 hours by one or the other snail, and they can adorn their shells in fish food in the process, and this still applies. The quantity consumed by the fish is again negligable. In fact, both fish and snails are messy eaters and it tends to be a matter of one or the other eating the debris that gets tossed up from the snails or falls from the fish's mouths as they chomp.

As Sue suggests, and also because the/my snails tend to be asleep in the morning when the lights are off and become increasingly lively as the afternoon and evening wear on, I tend to put the food in during the evening. That said, the fish seem to show little interest in the food until the evening, whether this is replenished food or the previous day's leftovers not yet taken out and replenished.

Therefore, I would have no qualms about this being a potential problem. If you'd prefer to try a few sample sticks (I mean your snails, not you personally :rotfl:) before purchase, feel free to PM me your name/address and I'll pop some in the mail to you. After that, you could then decide whether to proceed and order them.

Hi fcmf,

Thanks for your reply - very useful. And a big 'thank you' for your kind offer of sending me some Stixx samples. I will PM you with my details.

JPC
Title: Re: Zebra Nerite Snail Anatomy
Post by: jaypeecee on March 23, 2019, 06:37:44 PM
Hi Folks,

FYI, fcmf very kindly sent me some of the Snail Stixx, which I tried out. I used a stick that was approximately 5mm in length. As fcmf said previously, the stick softens and expands - quite rapidly I found. But then, even in a low flow setup (air-driven sponge filter), it breaks up into short strands and spreads around the tank. If that's not a problem, then this food is a good choice.

Thanks again, fcmf.  :)

JPC