# empty white ramshorn snale shells



## Christos Ioannou (4 May 2015)

Hi all, this is something I have noticed in my tank and wanted to see if there is something that should worry me. 
For two weeks in a row, I used 50% ro water 50% tap water for my water changes, in a 190l ei dosed co2 injected tank. Although I am not sure that this has happened simultaneously, I noticed empty white ramshorn snail shells in my tank (and no alive ramshorns to be seen...) No snail predators around. So... Could this be assosiated with a deficiency? I read that lack of calcium is having this effect on ramshorns. But its only 40l out of 80l that is ro water in the water changes... Tap water is supposed to be kH 9ish.

Plants look ok, some bba + very little staghorn.

Thanks!


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## karla (4 May 2015)

Hi Christos,
Yes, the softer water has probably led to their demise. When I stopped doing water changes in my last tank all the snails died in a similar fashion.


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## kirk (5 May 2015)

I lost my rams horns once I started using ro to get the tds right down to keep crs.
,

 do you remineralize your ro?


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## EnderUK (5 May 2015)

What's you're pH? Anything below 7 will most likely attack the shells of the snails.


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## Christos Ioannou (5 May 2015)

kirk said:


> do you remineralize your ro?



Nope since I used 50% ro 50% tap water. Now I am back to 100% tap water for wc



EnderUK said:


> What's you're pH? Anything below 7 will most likely attack the shells of the snails.



pH starts at 7.8 (equilibrium) and goes as low as 6.7 by the time lights turn on. Will reach 6.6 by end of photoperiod.


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## tim (5 May 2015)

My ramshorns always end up this way in my co2 injected tanks.


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## EnderUK (5 May 2015)

Have a read of this thread.


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## Christos Ioannou (5 May 2015)

Hi dont have tds info. But other thanbthe ramshorn oblivion is this a sign of anything else going wrong? Thanks!


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## Christos Ioannou (5 May 2015)

EnderUK said:


> Have a read of this thread.


So it must be the RO (soft) water as with co2 injection ramshorns had no issues! Thanks!


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## PARAGUAY (6 May 2015)

I was about to purchase a couple of snails couple of month back ,recommended for another tool in the algae war but they looked good anyway,until I noticed a lot of empty shells in the dealers tank,think I should have asked the question why as they were not to cheap


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