Picky Mystery Snail

[nitrogen15]

I've tried to get my mystery snail to eat vegetables like bok choy but it won't go for it. It only wants to eat algae off the glass and plants all day. I've put a cuttlebone piece in the tank for calcium. Are there other nutritional deficiencies I should be worried about, or is it okay if it just eats algae?

 

[CrustaceaCurtis]

I'm no snail expert, but my nerite snails have been eating nothing but algae for months and they seem perfectly healthy.

 

[mykidsmylife]

I put blanched zucchini in my tanks for my mystery snails. Most of them love it but some just don't have much interest in it. Sometimes to get them interested I will actually pick them up and set them down on the food. They especially love the skin of the zucc. I also will give them cucumber and romaine lettuce. Perhaps just try a different food and make sure it is blanched. They wont eat it if it's still too crisp. That's why they are okay in planted tanks, they prefer dead plant matter.

Don't forget to pull it after a bit so that it doesn't foul your tank water. I feed before lights off and leave it in the tank over night and pull in the morning.

 

[Chickadee]

Mine go nuts for yellow squash and zucchini. I slice 'em about 1/8" and gently boil about 5 minutes until they're almost translucent. Stab the inside with a fork or knife and it should easily dent. It has to be tender enough to eat or they will just pass over it. Mine also like collard greens (high in calcium). I have them frozen but still boil them a few minutes so they're nice and soft. Carrots are hit & miss with mine - one likes them more than the others (the orange one, go figure!). I just take a long peeling from a carrot when I'm cooking and use that. Again, boil well. It sinks nicely to the bottom. Dip veggies in cold water after boiling. Like mykids said, I remove whatever isn't eaten in the morning.