On 06 Feb 2003 12:21:23 GMT, tose (LeighMo) wrote:

Sorry to thread-jack, but I wanted to ask a side question about snail
shell discoloration.

I have some mature ramshorn snails (brownish-red) that appear to have
whitish lines that correspond to their growth patterns. Young
ramshorns look normal.

Would this be a calcium problem?


Deformed leaves and stems are a sign of calcium defiency. But if the snails
your tank are healthy, that's not the problem. They would show a lack of
calcium in weak or bleached-looking shells. It's probably something else.
Potassium, maybe. (Generally, when you add more light to a tank, you also have
to add more fertilizer. Because the plants will grow faster, and use up
nutrients faster. Anubias are often the ones that to suffer if nutrients are
tight, because they are so slow they can't compete with the other plants.)