Mystery snails are wonderful creatures to watch and are loved for their beautiful colors. Their vibrant shells make them stand out. They are a great addition to an aquarium as they live peacefully with other pets and help clean the tank. 

Unfortunately, you may sometimes see them losing their original color and turning white. This change often alarms beginners. It can signal a problem, or sometimes it’s harmless. In this guide, I will explain the reasons why this might happen and what you can do to restore the health and glory of your mystery snail.

Why is my Mystery Snail Shell Turning White?

When your mystery snail with a different color suddenly turns white, you will get concerned. Here are possible causes:

1. Your Snail is Ailing

A healthy mystery snail is active, feeds well, and its shell is strong and has an even color. But when it gets sick, the shell becomes weak, sometimes gets broken, and can lose its color and turn white. Inadequate food, poor water quality, or being injured by a tank mate could be the reasons for it getting sick.

2. Lack of Calcium

Every aquarist should know the vital role of calcium in developing and maintaining mystery snails’ shells. Calcium is also important as it helps them repair their shell when damaged or broken. Lack of sufficient calcium can even make baby snails die, and older snails develop thinner shells and turn white. A thin shell makes them vulnerable when attacked because it may not offer the required defense. 

3. Low Water PH

Soft water is not ideal for mystery snails because of its low pH. The acidity will erode the shell, making it weaker, and will turn it white. Acidic water is also known to cause embryonic deformity. A weak shell will break when the snail falls.

4. High Levels of CO2 and Potassium

A high level of potassium and CO2 will erode the shell, turning it white. Their high levels will also hinder the absorption of calcium.

5. Presence of Copper

Copper can be introduced to your tank by tap water, decorative stones, bacterial treatment, plant fertilizers, fish food, and medication. Copper is toxic to invertebrates. When exposed, your mystery snail will get sickly, the shell will turn white, and then die.

6. Overexposure to Direct Light

A closer look at mystery snails, you will realize that they love to feed in the dark. When you switch off the aquarium light, they become very active, and the female lays her eggs in the dark. When they encounter sunlight, they will try to hide in the shadows of aquarium plants. 

So, exposing them to direct sunlight will hurt their shells, causing them to turn white. On the other hand, lack of light will also affect them. You should ensure they get moderate, indirect lighting (8–12 hours per day), rather than intense, direct lighting.

7. Algae Growing on the Shell of Your Mystery Snail

Algae growing on the snail’s shell is not a problem, as most snails can carry it around. Young snails will even mount on older snails’ backs and feed on the algae. Coralline algae is one type of algae that can grow on a snail’s back and comes in various colors, like white and red. 

Before freaking out about a snail whose shell has turned white, you can first check if it is algae growing or the shell that is turning white.

You May Also Like:

Mystery snail poop: Identification and Cleanup

Mystery snail eggs fell in water: What to Do

How to Stop Mystery Snail from Turning White

When you notice your snail is changing color, you should seek a solution to save your pet. After all, neglecting it could lead to death. Here are some steps you can take to remedy the situation.

1. Change the Water Regularly

Aquarium pets will release bioload that will foul up the water in the tank. You should regularly change the water to ensure they live in a conducive environment. Dirty water could contain bacteria and impurities that can affect the health of your mystery snail.

2. Improve the Quality of the Water

Always have a test kit to check water hardness and minerals. If your water is soft, you can add limestone, baking soda, or crushed coral to improve its hardness. You should also ensure the PH is between 6.5 and 7.5 while the temperature is 20 to 28 °C. 

The water hardness should be maintained between 150 and 300 ppm. Also, ensure there is no presence of copper, ammonia, or nitrate.

3. Add Calcium

Ensure your snails get enough calcium to build and maintain their shells. You can increase their calcium intake by feeding them cuttlebones, as they also contain other important nutrients.

4. Improve diet

We all know that malnutrition can make you weak and can kill you. Mystery snails are not different, and an improper diet will make them weak and defenseless. Ensure to feed them regularly with vegetables like zucchini, kale, spinach, carrots, and cucumber. You can also feed them with algae wafers, fish flakes, and pellets.

5. Using Water Conditioner

Using a water conditioner to treat your water might be the best solution if at all the water is contaminated. The water conditioner will remove chlorine, chloramine, copper, and ammonia. It will also regulate the water hardness and keep the PH stable.

6. Use the recommended tank 

Keeping mystery snails in a small tank could also be a problem. Ensure to follow the recommended tank size guidelines to minimize the problem. Experts recommend keeping two mystery snails in a five-gallon tank.

Also, keep your tank away from direct sunlight exposure, but not in the dark. A standard aquarium light is suitable to support their own daytime activity. Some aquarists recommend the use of UV light, but it may not be suitable for live plants in your tank.

Verdict

Unless your mystery snail has algae growing on its back, the shell turning white is a problem that should be addressed promptly. The first step should be to check the PH and maintain it between 6.5 and 7.5. Also, ensure to check other water parameters like temperature, presence of copper, CO2, potassium, nitrate, and ammonia.

Feed your mystery snails with proper nutrients like calcium to stay healthy. Also, change the water regularly to ensure you get rid of germs and impurities. This is the way to get your pets to live in a safe and healthy environment.