Snails eating plants?

[vtec_chump]

It was about 3 days ago i realised the first chunk of one of the leaves on my hygro plant was missing. I wasn't too concerned as maybe it was just a rotting leaf or something. Right now almost all the leaves on my 5 or 6 stalks of hygro have bite marks on them. They also stopped pearling. My riccia was pearling as soon as I put them in the tank but that was the only time. I realise the snails and shrimps like to pick on it but i think right now its dead.

Anwyays, my question is: What's going on? I have 2 P. Brigesii, 15 RCS, 3 Ghost shrimp. I dose excel and have diy co2. Maybe lighting is too much? I have lights on for at least 10 hours.

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc205/vtec_chump/CIMG2727.jpg

[ChrissyFishy]

They will eat really soft or dead parts and maybe your fertilizers aren't balllanced? Maybe they need some root fertilizer? Hygro is very thin and it would not take very much for them to get soft enough I don't think. You could check applesnail.net to make sure they are bridgesi.

[CACAdmin]

I moved your thread over here to the plant section so that you can get some help from the plant gurus around here (which I am not). As ChrissyFishy said, Brigs will only eat dead and dying plants leaves. And yes, do confirm that your snails are P. Bridgesiis and not Canas (who look similar but will devour your plants... healthy or otherwise).

[vtec_chump]

hmmm to think about it....re-reading the snail thread (plant eater or not), there might be a chance for one of my snails to be a "cana". I have one dark striped snail that is very active and can be found often on my plants. My other snail is Ivory colored and I think its safe to say that it is a brigesi. How do we fully ID my striped snail?

[CACAdmin]

Canas are gold and similar in shape to Brigs, hence the confusion. Is the dark striped one the same shape or is it shaped like these? These are marisas (& are plant eaters).
http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/jb_images/marisas-g-and-s.jpg

[Katalyst]

Any way you can post a pic?

[blainep]

This might seem like an obvious question, but I'll ask it anyway.

Are you feeding the snails ? I had some trouble with plant munching from my snails but I found that they much prefer slightly cooked vegetables like peas and broccoli.

If they have another food source, they'll leave the plants alone, but if they're hungry .......

[Melody]

They're not capable of eating healthy plant tissue, but with some plants it doesn't take much for the tissue to degrade enough. What could be happening, as I think Chris was getting at, is something is degrading the plants or causing soft spots, and the snails are eating it. If a snail was going to destroy a plant, entire leaves would be eaten at once rather than the spots and edge nibbling.

A Cana would have mowed it down quite quickly, but ya never know.

They do need greens and Blaine is quite right - they'd prefer some yummy, softened vegies or algae/seaweed.

I think you might also want to look at the Excel - didn't someone say it can kill Riccia?

[vtec_chump]

My snails are fed daily, each one takes half a spirulina disc every morning and becomes quite active until night where they just dont move.

I having a feeling that there is something wrong with my nutrients for the plants which may have caused some darker spots on the leaves. I don't know which deficiency it is but my hygro pearls very often. The plants are still growing really fast. At least 3mm growth on buds every two days. Maybe its a iron def.?

I posted a pic in the picture section but i'll post one here anyway.
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc205/vtec_chump/CIMG2686.jpg

[vtec_chump]

Here is the other snail if it matters

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc205/vtec_chump/CIMG2711.jpg

[Melody]

Do you have a pic showing the back of the shell? The ID is easiest when we can see the spire.

Try some partially cooked green beans, or unsalted canned ones sliced in half, blanched Romaine, Broccoli, etc. Whether they're munching on plants or not, they'll love you for it. :smile:

[vtec_chump]

Yep, I feed them veggies but only once. Gonna start using it as a treat, probably once a week. Right now i'm just trying to get everything stable and i'm also doing a diy lighting system right now. 13W desk lamp not cutting it. Hopefully i'll put the project on here.

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc205/vtec_chump/CIMG2729.jpg

[Melody]

That's what's left of a Bridgesii. The shell is heavily damaged. As soon as you can, I'd start feeding a high-calcium diet. It may be able to repair some of the holes. The protein layer is destroyed and won't come back though. The new growth should be healthy if conditions permit.

[vtec_chump]

Yep, i realised the bad condition of the shells. Right now its really shiny and glossy and u can see the stripes' definition way clearer. I don't know if the shrimp have been cleaning them off but i think it's a good thing. About high-calcium diet, do i have to make my own snail food now and add extra calcium?

So about the plants, i guess we concluded that the snails picked at them. Any reason why the plants are not healthy or producing these brown spots?

[Melody]

You don't have to make your own high calcium food. You can buy crab & turtle food, use weekend feeder blocks, and feed high calcium veggies such as those listed here (http://www.petfish.net/kb/entry/186/).

I'll let those more into plants tackle the other issue.

[grumpystiltskin]

What sort of fertilisers do you use? do you test your water ?
You must use c02, seeing that your plants are pearling !
It does sound like an iron deficiency, usually holes will appear in the leaves as well with a lack of iron.

[ChrissyFishy]

Your other snail is a blue bridgesi. The ivory shell with a dark body is blue. you will get lots of different colours if they breed!!!!

See Melody??? I've been reading what you emailed to me!!! :laugh: :laugh:

[Melody]

LOL good girl!

[vtec_chump]

What sort of fertilisers do you use? do you test your water ?
You must use c02, seeing that your plants are pearling !
It does sound like an iron deficiency, usually holes will appear in the leaves as well with a lack of iron.

I dont use fertilizers and i have test kits for nitrates, nitrites, amonia and pH. Yep, I'm using diy CO2, installed it at night, next morning turned on the lights and about 5 mins later they were pearling. As for the iron, I can't find any of the shops that sell the flourish line, i've only successfully found flourish excel. I've seen the "Plant-Gro" and it says it is iron enriched. Might give it a shot. Right now I have 2 26W spiral bulbs over my 5 gallon, just testing how the tank reacts. Riccia started pearling again! I'm so glad.

Another thing, my snails are getting big, really big. I would say my dark striped brigesii has grown TWICE its original size which i thought was already big. He is very active and the new shell growth seem to be just only one color, not striped like his original pattern. This also goes for my blue brigesii, she didnt grow that big but u can clearly tell how much her shell has grown because ITS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT COLOR. Don't know what's going on but maybe it has something to do with calcium. They both are really healthy tho. Anybody know whats happening?

[Melody]

The stripes should come in later. New growth is often lighter or even ivory. The blue's shell will stay ivory. Glad to hear that they're doing better!

[grumpystiltskin]

I think the problem with your plants is the lack of fertiliser!!!
you can buy all the dry ferts online, and mix your own.
I bought mine from gregwatson.com. Quite cheap and easy to mix. It does seem like a hassle to fertilise, but you will be rewarded:smile: I put a formula i use in another post, i,ll post it again if you are interested

Mick

[vtec_chump]

sooooo.......


all my java moss is gone. shrimps are ruled out. so it must be a snail. are we sure its a brigesi? i had a decent clump of java moss in there and when i got back from class its gone. :eek:

anyways, gonne give away the snail and see if the problem persists.

Thanks everybody.

[Melody]

It looks like its showing pink, which would make it a Brig. Even my plant-eaters don't like Java Moss... Very odd indeed.