(MTS and nerite) Snails in low KH (and low pH)

[Sebaquafly1]

Hi all,
For around a year now, I started using RO water in my tank (5KH and 0-0,5KH). I've used CO2 for years now. With 0KH, this gives me a pH of ~5.5 during peak saturation of CO2. With my tap water (300ppm, KH 8, GH unknown), I used to have a pH of ~6.5 during peak saturation of CO2. The reason why I switched to RO was that I would have better succes with certain plant species. Though I believe that technically most of my plants can grow in harder water.

I've pretty much had aquariums my whole life and always had different types of snails in the tank: tons of Malaysian trumpet snails (MTS), different types of nerites etc. Pretty early in the proces when switching to RO I noticed the nerites weren't doing too well as they were losing parts of their shell. I tried different supplements from Mineral Junkie but soon realized I was fighting a lost cause and gave them my dad for his aquarium (with tap water). I've also noticed the MTS are starting to lose the tips of there shell and there numbers have declined. I feel I have underestimated the effect of low pH (low KH) on snails and thought I could just supplement and things would work out. I would be lying if I would say that the tank feels a bit more empty to me now, even though I have fish and shrimps.

To boost my GH to 5 I use:
Magnesium Sulfate Hepta.
Calcium Chloride Di.
Calcium Sulfate Di.

When people have there tanks at 0KH and ~5GH with CO2 at ~30ppm, does it essentially mean that these people don't have snails in their tanks?

 

[Kwyet]

I still have pond snails show up, but I wouldn’t add any snails on purpose. As you noticed, that environment is terrible for their shells. You can feed calcium-rich foods, but I don’t think it would be enough to keep them healthy long-term.

 

[JayP]

It's the CO2/low ph combination. Even in my tanks with 2-4 kh, I struggled to keep nerites alive for more than a few months. I've had a few beat the odds and are still going, but thats out of more than a hundred across multiple tanks. Bladder snails seem to handle it much better, but of course, most of us really don't want those. I've also had a few assasin snails make it for an extended time.