snail issue

[daninicole]

i have a turbo snail in my tank. the first few days i had it, it moved around like crazy. now it won't move at all. as far as i can tell it is still alive. does anyone know if this is normal behavior? on a side note my clown fish passed away 2 days ago and it seems since then my snail has become immobile. it may be a coincidence but i wasn't sure if they could be linked.

 

[dcombs44]

If you could post some tank parameters, it could help us to understand what's happening in your tank. If you want to know if the snail is alive, take it out and smell it. You'll know.

How did the clown die? What were the symptoms? How long did you have it? Do you have any other fish? What is their condition?

Post these params for better help:

Temperature
Salinity (Specific Gravity)
pH
Nitrites (NO2)
Nitrates (NO3)
Ammonia (NH3/NH4)
How long has tank been set up
What type of water do you use (RO, RO/DI, tap, distilled, etc.)
What salt mix do you use?

 

[daninicole]

i have taken the snail out, he doesn't smell! thank goodness. he is alive because he went back into his shell, when i touched him.

i had my clownfish for 2 days before he passed. he was doing great and then i happened to notice him swimming sporatically and laying on the sand bed. he was also breathing very heavily. he acted this way for about 1 hour before he died. i checked all my levels nothing was out of whack. my other fish is acting normal. i only have one other fish, it is a scopas tang. my tank is only about 4 months old. i had a really hard time cycling it because i was sold live rock that wasn't fully cured ( i was told it was) so these two fish along with my snail and 5 dwarf hermits are all i have right now. i was advised to only buy one to two fish a week until my tank is fully stocked.

my parameters are:
temp.-79 degrees F
Salinity- 1.025
ph- 8.2
nitrites-0
nitrates-0
ammonia-0
Tank has been set up for almost 4 months, has been testing zero for about 2 weeks. Bought fish last saturday for the first time.
I use tap water and add dechlorinater and water conditioners
i use instant ocean salt mix. it has the clown fish on the front.

i hope this is way more helpful, any advice would be greatly appreciated. i am very new at the whole salt water experience.

 

[dcombs44]

My first comment will be that you eventually need to get away from tap water and either purchase RO/DI water or buy your own filter to make your own. I can't say that it would cause your current problems, but it could lead to issues in the long run. The problem with conditioned tap water is that they only absorb the "bad stuff" in the water where as RO (Reverse Osmosis) removes them from the water. If you have copper pipes in your house, you may run into issues with your inverts as copper is lethal to marine invertebrates. RO/DI water will insure you that the copper is removed from the water source.

I will also say that your tank is still very young, and you may experience swings in the parameters. You will also probably experience many algae blooms typically with a new tank. I left my tank fish free for over 3 months. I know that's probably overkill, but patience is key in this hobby.

As for the fish, you may have simply bought a sick fish. I would leave your tank alone for a few weeks and observe the tang closely for issues. I personally wouldn't stock a tank that size near as fast as you were recommended. 2 fish a week can add a bio load too quickly for a smaller tank IMO. I've always gone by the "add a fish per month unless you're adding a pair" rule on my 55 gallon.

Another tip is to always quarantine your new fish. Since you bought your first two fish together, this doesn't make much difference, but consider in the future if you have $500 worth of fish in your tank, and you buy a sick fish and put it directly in your display tank. The sick fish gets all of your other fish sick, they all die, and you're out $500. It's recommended to quarantine all new fish in a separate tank for at least 3 weeks prior to introduction to the display.

I know that's a lot of info, but I hope it helps. If anybody sees anything where I misstated something, please correct me.

 

[daninicole]

thank you so much for all that info. i will watch my tang closely for any changes.

 

[GuySmilie]

danielle,
Where did you buy the clown?
They may have a guarantee policy since it only survived for 48 hours.

Also, dcombs advice regarding tap water is spot on. Although Decatur's city water is not terribly bad, your use of "dechlorinaters and water conditioners" can sometimes cause more problems than what you had to begin with.

If you don't want to invest in a good RO/DI set up (and you really should do so eventually), then you're best bet is to just dechlorinate your tap water naturally by letting it age for a few days. Drop an air stone in your water container (connected to an air pump) and this will help oxygenate the water. as well as hasten the declorination process.

Many of the lesser brands of additive sold as "water conditioners" can actually reduce your water's oxygen level. And it does sound like your clown was suffering from respiration problems before its demise. So you may have a low oxygen environment in your set up.

There is a wise adage among veteran marine hobbyists; 'never add anything to the water that you can not test for'.

As for the formulas bantered about in this hobby for when and how many fish (or other creatures) to add to your system, you can save yourself much grief and anxiety (not to mention cash) by getting your water parameters under control before stocking with livestock.

Reef tanks are not like fresh water systems.
The parameters can be critical and unforgiving. As an example, I put together a 60g tank last Spring with just sand, rock, and couple of inexpensive fish. And I feel that this system is just now matured and settled enough to start introducing the more sensitive species.

Nothing good happens quickly in this obsession!
Hang in there.