What to put in the bottom of your tank
To keep your snails, their home will need a base to simulate wild conditions, there are many different types of base or substrate that can be used, but all need to be able to be made deep enough for your snail to burrow into.
Snails burrow into the substrate for many reasons, it is a natural behaviour for them, and they do this in the wild for several reasons, including laying eggs, to avoid predators and the baking heat, and to hibernate during colder months.
Whichever substrate you chose, it is imperative that it be free from pesticides as this will cause the untimely death of your snail, it should be kept moist but not sodden, and deep enough for your snail to bury itself, the depth will depend on the size of your tank and snails, but on average this can be anything between 4-8 inches deep.
You should spend a few moments’ daily removing surface debris and waste food, this is a habit you should get into, and it helps to prolong the life of your substrate, reduces the risk of infestation of mites and flies, and gives you an opportunity to check for unwanted eggs, a quick swill around in the soil will show you any eggs laying under the surface of the soil.
If you find any mites either on your snails or in the soil/tank don’t panic, it can easily be resolved if addressed quickly. These mites can appear as tine white fast moving insects, they can be seen moving on your snail, in the soil or in water bowl, they are harmless creatures and are naturally occurring in soil normally just under the surface.
To remove them it is easier to dispose of the soil within your tank, clean the tank with hot water, any detergents used appropriate for what ever type of tank you use must be thoroughly rinsed out before putting in fresh substrate, bath your snails in a warm room temperature water to remove any mites on its body and shell, snails enjoy bathing in warm water so this is something that can be done regularly and this will give you the opportunity not only to get used to handling your snail but also get you to know your snail so any signs of mites etc will be easily detectable.
Some of the most common types of substrate used are:
Coir – this is a cocoanut based product, it is made from the fibres and dust of cocoanut shells and normally comes in the form of a solid dehydrated block, which when soaked in warm water expands many times it original size and once ready produces a orange/brown soil.
This is my personal preference for many reasons, it is easy to store, and relatively clean to work with, its cheap, easy to for my snails to burrow into, as it doesn’t seem to compact like other soils, it retains moisture well, and as it comes in a sterile dehydrated block I am assured that it is free from living creepy crawlies. I also mix into this some limestone flour and vermitculite, the limestone flour provides an additional source of calcium and the vermitculite help retain moisture/humidity within the substrate.
Peat – This also is a good substrate, with similar properties to that of Coir but is a naturally occurring product, i.e. it isn’t manufactured it is dug up, so it may harbour some live animals in it, it retains moisture well and can have some larger pieces to it, so a good rummage through it before use may be needed to help break it up, it is good for egg laying and burrowing though. It has been mentioned that this can be slightly acidic though and could cause scarring to your snails shells, however this is very unlikely to cause any harm to your snail.
Sphagnum Moss – Some snail users use this on its own, it is very water absorbent holding up to 20 times its own weight in water, it is excellent for retaining moisture in a tank, but can dry out quickly in a warm environment, it is quite expensive, and sometimes hard to come by all year round, with many of the high street garden centres and DIY shops only selling it in the spring months where it is used primarily for the lining of hanging baskets etc.
Again my personal preference is to use this in combination with Coir, for a few reasons, some of my snails prefer to tunnel into this rather than burrow into the substrate, it helps maintain the humidity of my tanks, plus it adds a very natural look to the tank, I normally drape it on and around anything my snails may climb onto (bark etc.) just in case of a fall, it offers a soft landing.
Potting Soil – This was the first type of substrate I used, again it has very similar qualities to peat and coir, it is cheap and readily available, but you must make sure that it is a type free from pesticides and fertilizers as these can harm or kill your snail
It retains moisture well and again good for burrowing and egg laying but I found that as my snails moved across it and up the front of the tank, it left small particles all over the glass which I had to regularly wipe clean.
There are many other types of substrate that can and have been used, but personally I have only ever used the four above, so feel I can only comment on these, whatever you use, ensure that they are free from pesticides, are kept moist not sodden, are surfaced cleaned on a daily basis and replaced on a regular basis, I find that I have to replace mine on average once a month.