Snail Survival?

[entropygain]

So the tanks done great for 5 years or so, but I've never been able to keep snails alive for more than a month or so. Turbos, mex turbos, astreas, nerites. A couple nassaris seem to survive long term. What's going on?

Here's what I worry about:

1) manual top-off system. 2-4 gallons DI at a time into a 70gal total volume system? Too much change?

2) a few small blue and small red hermits.

3) occasional temp swings over 80 deg. but only during summer, and they dont seem to last in the winter either.

No fish in the system, never feed, but algae a bit out of control. Only nutrient source I can think of is dying snails!

thanks
scott

 

[sir_dudeguy]

well the fact that you never feed might have something to do with it, but most will eat some algae...

But i'm guessing its just a combination of all of it. Thats too much topoff imo...make more frequent topoffs of less volume. That will keep the SG stable-er

But what are your nitrates at?

 

[graveyardworm]

never feed

and

a few small blue and small red hermits.

= dead snails, or perhaps you have predator like a mantis hiding in there, but the hermits would be targets as well.

The SG change is minor and slight temp swings are not going to kill snails.

 

[HBtank]

I have a huge hermit (4-5" across) and a med one. I also feed very sparingly.

Here he is showing his climbing skills. Benn in my reef tank for almost a year.

Never had a snail death. Not even one. (15 nassarius, 10 astrea, 10 cerith, 3 turbo and tons of colinista and stomatella) I personally think hermits get a bad rap and people blame their snail deaths on them more than it really occurs.

 

[graveyardworm]

Your salinity change depending on what you maintain it at is .0045. So if you maintain it at 1.025 and 4 gals of water evaporates you now have 1.02545.

 

[graveyardworm]

Not blaming all hermits, like most every creature we put in our tanks there are bad guys mixed with good. All it takes is for one hermit who has an unquenchable taste for escargo, and voila all your snails are dead.

It could be any number of omnivorous or carnivorous hitchikers which find their way into our tanks. Gorilla crabs would be a good example. You may want to spend some time with a flashlight after lights out and see what comes out to feed.

 

[EMBRYOGUY]

BLUE Legged snails. not the deep blue and black striped ones.

i had an older reefer tell this to me. same thing was happening to me. i coudl not keep any snail alive for over a couple months. got rid of all these hermits, and rarely lose snails now.

i will only buy scarlets only.

 

[entropygain]

Thanks all,

I don't understand the worry about not feeding. I thought the snails were only eating algaes? There's plenty of that still!

I'm working on implimenting an auto-topoff which should make my life easier, even if it doesn't help the snails. All hermits will go to the refugium, until their name is cleared, even if falsely accused.

As for hitchhikers... I haven't heard it in a long while, but last year I did hear a clicking/snapping occasionally at night. Suspected a mantis, but have never seen it and haven't heard anything in months. No obvious burrow's. Haven't seen any crabs other than the hermits.

thanks
scott

 

[boxfishpooalot]

manual top-off system. 2-4 gallons DI at a time into a 70gal total volume system? Too much change

If you have any algae in the system at all, then this is your biggest problem. Everything living in the ocean is super sensitive to rapid changes of SG. Especially snails.

Ever change a filter, rinse under tap water only to notice the poor snail in there, try putting it back in the tank. Bet you by next moring its dead.

 

[graveyardworm]

A snail in a shallow lagoon, or intertidal zone would be experiencing as much if not more change in salinity during heavy rain, same goes for temp change in for example a lagoon, it can hit 90 degrees, and in tide pools the temp can get more extreme.

My mention of food was more in regard to the hermits. If other food isnt available then they will dine on what they can get which may unfortunatly be your snails.

Like I pointed out earlier the SG change here is minimal and certainly less than a snail may experience in the wild.