Nerite Snails on a green plant background

Is Aquarium Salt Safe For Nerite Snails? Get Your Nerite Snail Water Parameters Right

5 min read

An aquarium is not just limited to fish. An increasing number of aquarists are discarding the norm by getting creatures such as crabs, amphibians, snails, etc.

Snails are an interesting pick for your aquarium – they improve the diversity of your fauna. These slow-moving peaceful creatures add an aura of calmness and tranquility to your aquarium.

Snails are interesting pick for an aquarium , they a an aura of calmness

Of all snails, nerite snails are quite popular with aquarists. However, when getting something other than fish, you need to be careful whether they can withstand the same conditions as fish.

For instance, is aquarium salt safe for nerite snails? Find out the answer in this post, and also learn about the proper nerite snail water parameters and how to care for them.

Let’s get started!

About Nerite Snails

Nerite snails are cute creatures with a round shell less than an inch in size. Their shells are often adorned in various colorful patterns.

For instance, zebra nerite snails sport beautiful black stripes interspersed with a variety of other colors.

Other types of nerite snails include tiger nerite snail, black racer nerite snail, olive nerite snail and horned nerite snail.

They are highly peaceful and docile creatures that can co-exist with almost any fish. At the same time, they are very easy to keep.

In addition, they are renowned aquarium cleaners, being voracious eaters of algae and other unwanted substances such as diatoms and dead plants.

It’s not hard to see why these tiny snails are appealing to aquarium enthusiasts.

Is Aquarium Salt Safe For Nerite Snails?

This is a valid question to ask: is aquarium salt bad for nerite snails?

After all, salt is not a good thing for most snails.

Nerite Snails thrive in both freshwater and saltwater

But in the case of nerite snails, the answer is easily no – aquarium salt is perfectly safe for nerite snails.

In fact, nerite snails thrive in both freshwater and saltwater, so addition of aquarium salt will not harm them in any way.

More than that, they actually need saltwater or brackish water to reproduce; freshwater aquarists use this to their advantage to prevent them from breeding out of control.

Why Add Aquarium Salt to Your Tank?

You may wonder what the purpose is behind adding salt to your freshwater aquarium. It has been a longstanding practice among aquarists, although its effectiveness has been somewhat debated.

Basically, salt acts as a generic remedy for sick fish – something that is easily available and can be quickly administered when something goes wrong.

Salt acts as a generic remedy for sick fish

Salt is definitely effective against most bacteria and fungi. That is why they are used to preserve food in some cases.

If you suspect your fish have an infection, then aquarium salt can certainly help, not hurt. It can be used to help with conditions such as fin rot in your fish. Salt is effective against aquatic parasites such as ick and fluke.

That’s not the only benefit of salt – it is also believed to improve gill function in fish and help with good electrolyte balance.

Salt has another potentially life-saving function for fish: it can mitigate the toxic effects of nitrites by making sure that less of it is absorbed by the fish. Nitrite can severely impact the ability of the fish’s blood to carry oxygen and is potentially fatal.

Now, when we talk about adding salt to your tank, we’re talking about small doses – freshwater fish are not going to tolerate a large degree of salinity (that is why they are freshwater fish!).

Remember, it is a medicine, to be administered in small amounts. It should not be used to completely change your water chemistry.

A dose of 1/2 to 1 teaspoon per gallon of water should do the trick.

And take care to use aquarium salt only – table salt has unwanted chemicals such as iodine, potassium, and additives that could be harmful to fish. Marine salt should be avoided as well, as they are not for freshwater fish.

While salt may be safe for your fish and nerite snails, live aquarium plants may not like it that much, so be careful with it.     

The Ideal Nerite Snail Water Parameters

Now that we have seen that nerite snails can withstand salt in their water, let’s look at their other requirements.

The nerite snail water temperature should be ideally between 72 – 78 °F. They can withstand temperatures beyond this range, but it will keep them most healthy.

Nertie Snails water temperature should be 72 - 78 °F

The nerite snail ph level should be more than 7.5; snails in general do not do well in acidic water as it can erode their shells.

They also prefer slightly hard water, with a GH of 12-18, for the same reason – the calcium in hard water can help keep their shells in good shape.

Another thing to watch out for is that these snails cannot tolerate high levels of nitrates, so you cannot be tardy with the periodic water changes.

Also, make sure that copper doesn’t find its way into your aquarium as it is toxic to invertebrates and can kill your nerite snails. This means checking the food, medication, and other substances you add to your tank.

Can Nerite Snails Live Out Of Water?

As you’d expect, snails have no problem getting out of water. This is actually a source of concern for aquarists because, unlike fish, the snails can escape the tank.

So how long can nerite snails live out of water? They are known to survive even up to a month out of water.

This is not surprising considering that they experience dry spells in the wild. Make sure your aquarium has a lid to prevent the nerite snails from staging a prison break.

Nerite Snail Shell Erosion

Shell erosion is something you should watch out for in all snails; it won’t be pretty and not at all good for your snails.

Certain conditions exacerbate shell erosion, such as low pH and soft water.

If your nerite snail has white spots on shell it could be a sign of shell erosion. Also, keep a lookout for cracks and holes.

Sometimes, the white spots are simply their eggs that latch onto the shell, which happens more often than not and is not a cause for concern.

Calcium deficiency is the leading cause of shell erosion; you can give your snails calcium supplements such as crushed coral.

Conclusion

We have concluded that aquarium salt is safe for nerite snails. Salt is a quick remedy for a variety of fish ailments, so it is good to know that you can use it for your tank with nerite snails.

We have also gone over the ideal nerite snail water parameters so that you can offer them the best conditions to thrive.

Also, keep a lid on your tank and watch out for shell erosion.

That’s it. Stick to everything we said and your nerite snails will be healthy as a horse, happily eating algae off your tank.

Thanks for reading.

Written by:

Pet Aquariums

Have you any questions?



    Quick View