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Post by Liguus on Nov 28, 2020 16:41:24 GMT
Yes, that is a little far back and the appearance of the foot hanging out is a classic sign of a dying snail.
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Post by Liguus on Nov 28, 2020 16:40:10 GMT
If you crush them up into a good powder and reform them into cubes it may work. I don't have any first hand experience since I could never crush them up into a fine enough powder without needing to seek out something like a "heavy duty" coffee grinder to use after manually smashing them with a hammer. The main issue is that the oyster shells are very hard, so in their natural form or even in a small gravel style form, it's something snails will not really be able to rasp at or get a suitable amount of calcium from. Should be as close to a powder as you can get it, but then you may have problems binding it all together into one block they can choose to rasp at. Depending on your budget you could try to get limestone flour and form that into cubes. (very easy, you just add water until it's the consistency of flour and shape it then let it dry). Crayfish Empire is currently selling calcium powder 1 lb for $4 www.crayfishempire.com/collections/foods/products/calcium-carbonate-1and also $3 for 2 lbs of calcium chips already formed if that fits the budget better. www.crayfishempire.com/products/calcium-chips?_pos=1&_sid=1afb0ff73&_ss=r or 11oz free, just cover shipping www.crayfishempire.com/collections/foods/products/11oz-free-calcium-cover-shipping
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Post by Liguus on Nov 28, 2020 16:31:45 GMT
Again it depends on what your definition of "expensive" is. $200 is not expensive at all in my opinion. I would consider paying 30K for a horse and 20K in hay and housing costs per year as "expensive", for example. Depends on income level, whether you can utilize the aquarium for profitable means like videos, selling coral frags, etc.
The salinity will fluctuate a bit, but daily top off eliminates that problem and things like a nanocube or fluval flex come with a hood that reduces evaporation. I've never owned an auto-top off system for water replacement but also never had any issues I could see with my snails (Mainly conch and cittarium). Most animals are fine at a range of salinity and not just one particular amount, so as long as you're not swinging from 1.026 to 1.019 you won't dramatic die offs. Many snails also inhabit shallow intertidal zones and naturally have to deal with salinity fluctuations.
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Post by Liguus on Nov 24, 2020 20:35:05 GMT
Yeah the live rock is not essential, but it helps cycle the aquarium, plus I like getting that coraline algae in there and growing right away.
If were going by the dollar per gallon sale you can get it cheaper than $40-75. Usually the larger sizes are recommended, but 10 gal is fine for a saltwater especially if it's just for some snails. $20 for 20 gallons would be more than enough.
Here's my breakdown: Fluval flex 9 gal aquarium (includes pump, filter media, and a basic LED): $100 Live sand: $12 Live rock: $20 Oase 25 Heater: $22-38 Instant ocean 10g Salt mix: $7 Dechlorinator: $3 Bucket and water change hose: $15
$179 total to get "up and running"
however with a Fluval HOB filter ($33) and dollar per gallon sale (10gal) you can reduce that $100 down to $43 , and now they have "all in one" deals where the 10 gal (or larger) will also come with a thermometer and heater so it reduces the cost even more
Ending up with $152 total cost.
It will be more since you need salt for water changes but whats the cut off? are we calculating initial start up or lifetime salt use? it's going to be way different cost depending on how you look at it.
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Post by Liguus on Nov 24, 2020 20:15:27 GMT
Galba, however I'm not sure which species.
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Post by Liguus on Nov 1, 2020 0:04:52 GMT
Reptile humidifier work good, even larger home humidifiers if you want to glue a tube to the output. You can also plastic wrap 80% of the lid to help keep humidity in
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Post by Liguus on Oct 30, 2020 16:14:35 GMT
Lot more sparse then. South idaho still has a few Oreohelix though, pocatello area. Cornu aspersum in Boise
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Post by Liguus on Oct 30, 2020 15:55:15 GMT
One of my favorites, Oreohelix idahoensis, idaho county, iD. There are a few other species of Oreohelix in the state as well- O. hammeri, hemphilli, jugalis, and the most common is strigosa. northern half also has Anguispira kochi and Allogona ptychophora
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Post by Liguus on Oct 17, 2020 19:51:54 GMT
I think that info may be outdated or exaggerated. I have seen people keep Lymnaea in their backyard ponds and everything was fine...that is more water surrounding them however, and I'm not sure if that book implies that they are toxic if ingested or allegedly secreting something into the water. I have a Lymnaea stagnalis-only aquarium so I've got no direct experience unfortunately. I have though about adding a fish, but the aquarium is 10g and I didn't want to overload the filter...and I also have barely any interest in fish. In a 10 gallon, you could keep a pair of honey gouramis or sparkling gouramis. those are cool fish and have a light bio-load. I would recommend some live plants though. Even just the snails will benefit from plants. Some anubias and maybe some crypts, java ferns or hornwort would help keep the filter from getting overloaded. I have the aquarium a bit overloaded already with water hyacinth. I was just doing aquatic grass initially for the aesthetic, but ultimately it has ended up being a "swamp" in the interest of bio-filtration.
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Post by Liguus on Oct 12, 2020 2:43:47 GMT
I think that info may be outdated or exaggerated.
I have seen people keep Lymnaea in their backyard ponds and everything was fine...that is more water surrounding them however, and I'm not sure if that book implies that they are toxic if ingested or allegedly secreting something into the water.
I have a Lymnaea stagnalis-only aquarium so I've got no direct experience unfortunately. I have though about adding a fish, but the aquarium is 10g and I didn't want to overload the filter...and I also have barely any interest in fish.
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Post by Liguus on Apr 23, 2020 0:51:19 GMT
given the area, I would say it is the substrate (dragging shell bottom across the soil), however yes, there are other reasons a shell could fade. With old age sometimes it is just inevitable as the protein layer gets worm down from things like fluctuating between being wet and dry.
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Post by Liguus on Apr 21, 2020 15:41:43 GMT
Looks good to me. I tried to paint mountains once but all the small rocky details tend to be very annoying and tedious lol.
I used to say the same thing about people, but you know what they say, practice makes perfect. There are a number of good tutorials on youtube these days. One thing that helped me was drawing it from an analytical perspective instead of drawing what I think faces should look like. The videos explain it better than I can though lol. I still want to get to that hyper-realistic level though.
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Post by Liguus on Apr 21, 2020 13:13:47 GMT
I like to paint occasionally however I recently have taken a 6 month break from all art. I work at a horse ranch and there is an art competition coming up with the national organization or whatever for the horse breed so before september I will paint some large horse painting for fun. My art hobby interestingly has never intersected with my snail hobby though. Just never felt the desire to make any snail related art yet, but like the 6 month hiatus I don't ever force myself to do anything, I just do what I feel like. No sense in torturing myself or labelling anything as "art block", I just wake up and do what I want to do. I actually have a very optimistic view on life and enjoy every day having so many hobbies, which often has surprised people after they see my style of painting. Painting has text, but I censored it to not stir anything up lol. It could be considered offensive, although imo as the artist the meaning was completely different, a tribute to overcoming depression. The censored text is something that could be interpreted as being extremely offensive towards women, however the girl sitting here with her calm demeanor is a contrast to it. Just imagine some slurs coming from a hillbilly. Similar to depression you can be extremely troubled by it, however once you are on the other side and feeling positive again all that seems just like some laughable joke, just some nonsense a hillbilly is yelling at you. This is one of my greatest pieces about overcoming suffering...just my two cents as the artist though lol. ibb.co/8PRPFMj
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Post by Liguus on Apr 17, 2020 11:23:38 GMT
Very nice finds, Especially that yellow one. I have seen the Monadenia with yellow shells, but they are still more pigmented and have the black coloration on them. This one is a solid light yellow. Didn't know that was a possible morph for them. One day I will drive out west for a nice hunt like this. I was going to go this May/June however due to the current situation I probably won't, not only because of restrictions but also since it seems dumb to ask for a vacation right after having two months off. Oh well, maybe next year.
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Post by Liguus on Apr 10, 2020 21:39:40 GMT
Yes, Brittany's food is great.
Nutro is a good brand for the dog treats, not sure about every single variety but i've got two kinds that work great.
The citric acids shouldn't be too much of a problem. Snails can even eat citrus fruit occasionally with no issues. The garlic in the fish food may be an issue so I like to stay away from ones that include that.
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Post by Liguus on Apr 9, 2020 14:47:29 GMT
I will have to think about it years from now. Currently I'm most interested in Lymnaea stagnalis and pretty much have zero room for any more snails. About eight 10g terrariums, a 75g, three 20g's, a couple of medium sized exoterra, two 50g's, and about a 20 gallon tall, along with my 10g of freshwater....on top of my bonsai...on top of my carnivorous plant collection lol. I've also started to grow various strawberry varieties and like to take care of 13 horses so I've "bitten off" quite a lot recently haha. I'm essentially at my limit. Those cappuccinos would either have to go in my 10g or nothing. Along with their space requirements I don't want them interfearing with any potential breeding Lymnaea I may decide to keep either.
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Post by Liguus on Apr 9, 2020 14:41:06 GMT
Yes, oxychilus. The whole family of those snails tends to like to eat a lot of protein, occasionally eating other snails. I wouldn't worry about that happening too much though, just a note to keep protein options for them in captivity. Things like fish flakes and shrimp pellets, or dog biscuits (find ones with no garlic or salt in any of those) are good options for them.
They will eventually eat everything, but the protein is pretty essential. One time someone threw out a pizza box behind my house and I found plenty of Oxychilus on it after a rain storm eating the cardboard and pizza scraps. Pretty much the only native snail in my area, other than some Webbhelix a short drive away or Cepaea nemoralis a cargo train "delivered" downtown.
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Post by Liguus on Apr 9, 2020 14:36:25 GMT
Nice find. Doesn't look too deformed to me, so I wouldn't worry about it. Tentacles also double as "feelers" so even if there was some vision impairment it will still get around without much issues.
Sweet potato is a decent option, although ones recently collected form the wild will have to be "trained" to eat it by getting them accustomed to a new food, basically offering it until they try a bite. You can microwave it shortly as well to soften up the sweet potato before feeding. Mushrooms are also a good option to try for Monadenia, along with moistened oats. A typical food I personally use for all my snails is Quicko brand bird food. It's basically enriched grain meal, but when soaked with water it's a good food source. Same with the cereal baby food powder, full of vitamins.
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Post by Liguus on Apr 8, 2020 1:08:30 GMT
I like the design of this. Nice negative space with the sand, and natural looking rock/plant zone. I recently found out about cappuccino snails. That might be a nice addition. I will probably get one myself some day.
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Post by Liguus on Apr 2, 2020 2:47:50 GMT
No, this a normal appearance for a juvenile Cantareus apertus / Green garden snail. This species can look a bit "fat" like they won't fit into their shell when younger.
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Post by Liguus on Mar 27, 2020 20:32:53 GMT
I know of a website that sells multiple snail species, ships them into the US and Canada.. All of which are illegal. I’m half tempted to buy one just to see what conditions it’s in when I receive it (I imagine an emaciated little snail rattling around in a cardboard box until it’s dropped off at someone’s house..) but I don’t want to support their business at all. It’s called Myhappysnails.. Do you think we could report them to some kind of government organization? I don’t know where the “company” building actually is, but maybe the FBI could find out.. Do you think I should report them? Myhappysnails is promoting illegal activity, but the USDA will go after the buyers and not the seller, since he is in Ukraine under different laws and there is not that much a USA agency could do about him. I'm sure they already know about the transactions seeing as to how many people I've seen get orders from him on Facebook. I don't like him because he sells wild pomatia, and they don't breed super easily in captivity nor fast in the wild either like other snails. I believe there are restriction on collection them in the UK for these reasons... so he could easily remove a wild population from his area. He also promotes his snail food which is like 99% wheat flour. Just some dude trying to make easy cash.
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Post by Liguus on Mar 27, 2020 12:58:56 GMT
@liguus , Sorry for waking up an old thread. I’m looking through old ones tonight to find useful information for an archive. Why did you remove the recipe? Did it turn out to not be sufficient nutritionally, or did you want to prevent people from taking in tree snails? Just curious. Hope I’m not pestering you. Both. The recipe was not nutritionally sufficient like you mention, for long term survival and therefore there was no chance of captive breeding. I removed it because it wasn't an effective diet and therefore would result in tons of needless additional deaths, and also be misleading people into thinking they can become tree snail keepers. I would delete this whole thread if I could. The second reason also is to prevent people from taking them from the wild. Like I said I could never figure out a perfect formula so the results would be people killing them in a few months. At least this way they may be less tempted to do so if there is no formula. People are aggressively stupid IMO though, so european keepers collected them last year anyways and tried to keep them on a diet of cucumber and sweet potato. Nobody is posting anymore pictures one year later and I know for a fact all those hundreds being sold over in Europe died. I tried telling them to stop trying to keep these but they just laughed me off and said something about freedom so like most people they had to learn the hard way when their personal theories fail and reality proves that they are not as great of snail keepers as they thought. I wish I could do more to prevent situations like that.
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Post by Liguus on Mar 24, 2020 16:17:23 GMT
thank you! i’m a little worried... he had babies so i definitely can’t put them in with him right. will the babies eat each other? i might have to let this species into the wild as i don’t have enough research about it. i honestly thought he was a common garden snail. I don't have enough experience with hatchlings of this genus to confirm anything, but even in other common species the young are sometimes eaten. It likely wouldn't be a huge loss, only a few out of the whole clutch so you could still end up with a number of adults. I suspect if you provide lots of protein sources then they would be fine, as they aren't as aggressive in terms of predation as say, a rosy wolfsnail.
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Post by Liguus on Mar 21, 2020 12:21:21 GMT
Just FYI since I don't follow your posts and don't know if it's been brought up, but wanted to mention this: you are feeding it a high protein diet and other snails/slugs/worms right? This is a Haplotrema species and won't do well on a standard snail diet of fruit and veg. It must be supplemented. oh wow i had no idea... i feel awful. i feed him fish flakes, i didn’t know his species. how can i feed him better? Throwing in small slugs and prey snails for it to eat would be the most natural way to make sure it's getting an optimum diet, however I know not everyone may want to do that. I don't have any first hand experience with this species in a long-term captive setting but you could try feeding raw clam meat in addition to the hydrated fish flakes and shrimp pellets from the fish section. Other potential feeding options from the pet store that might be useful are bloodworms.
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Post by Liguus on Mar 21, 2020 12:16:48 GMT
i researched about it and i live in washington state, they aren’t found there? now i’m confused Haplotrema vancouverense is all over the wetter 1/3 of washington state, west of the cascade mtn range.
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