snails will not live

Zach117

Zach117

New member
I recently had trouble over the last few months keeping snails in my tank (turbo, nassarius, cerith). After several days in my tank they seem to die off. All my levels seem to be fine ( ammonia-0, nitrite-0, nitrate- undetectable). I have tried several different species at different times and these are the only creatures that dont like my tank. My dwarf angel and false perc clown along with several hermits have been doing fine for months now.

I had an ick brake out about 6 months ago, and treated it with copper-based medication. Since I heard snails do not do well with these; after many, many water changes I checked the copper level recently and it is undectable. I just got a BTA and it has seemed very happy for the first two weeks.

Does any one have suggestions about what could be my problem?
 
I'm no expert, and this may be a dumb stab in the dark. But is there anything for the snails to eat? Maybe there's not enough algae for them?
 
You already stated what your problem is, copper. While you may not be able to detect it anymore, it is still in your system. Granted the levels are very low, hence you are able to keep certain inverts alive, but as you are witnessing, some inverts are more sensitive to copper than others.

HTH.

Your next question, how to get all of the copper out of your tank? I don't have the answer to that one.
 
once copper is in your system it pretty much stays in the system. your LR, sand(if any) silicone around the glass will all hold the copper, and leach it back into the water. i would bet thats where the problem lies. i would highly recommend getting a GOOD copper test or take the a water sample to the LFS and have them test for copper. then go from there.
 
There is plenty of algae for them to graze on the live rock and on the glass- as I have to wipe it off almost daily. There is also lots of detrius on the sand bed- that is why I need to keep them alive to eat it.

I use an aquarium pharmaceuticals copper test kit. I have done several tests and have found absoluetly none according to the readings.

Is the slow acclimation process really that necessary, because I have just dropped them in their before I treated it with the copper medication and they did just fine.

I guess the question remains- How do I get rid of the copper even if my test kit shows there is none??
 
i have never had a aquarium pharmaceuticals test that was real accurate. may want to get a Salifert kit. as far as removing copper from the tank. i dont know of a way. maybe someone else will. you may look in the fish disease section, someone with more experience with copper may know.

heres a quote from an article about dosing copper:

"Treating with copper isn't difficult, but it must be done correctly to be effective and safe. The first rule is one that hopefully most saltwater aquarists have already heard: don't use copper with invertebrates. Anemones, crabs, shrimp, live corals, "live rock" and all the rest of the non-fish critters we might keep in an aquarium are killed by copper just as easily as, although perhaps more slowly than, the invertebrate Cryptocaryon. Generally this means moving all the fish to that different, properly set up and conditioned "quarantine" tank we're all supposed to have in waiting. Removing the invertebrates to other quarters and treating the main tank is another option, but removing all traces of copper after treatment is such a time-consuming and unreliable process that it would probably be best to never return invertebrates to that main tank again. "

heres the link http://www.bestfish.com/copper.html
 
Copper is toxic to some invertebrates at doses of a few parts per billion. The copper tests don't get anywhere near that detection level. I'd just stay away from snails and most invertebrates with the tank. A low pH event could release a fair amount of copper and wreak havoc otherwise.
 
Copper is a serious medication. I also think this is the problem.

You said the Cu test kit was Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. What brand was the copper medication?
 
I think im having the same issues with snails canââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t keep a snail for the life of me. Does anyone have a solution to remove copper?
 
You can remove copper from a tank with a muriatic acid bath, although that might damage an acrylic tank. For live rock, you could try a short bath as well, but that'll kill everything on the rock. Sand you'll want to pitch.

You could always just play the odds. Some people get away with using contaminated sand and live rock. I wouldn't do it, but I'm pretty conservative with chemical issues. The cost of new sand and live rock is pretty small compared to a full tank crash, or continued loss of corals, etc, IMO.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

H
New Crocea Clams - Some opening some not?
Replies
3
Views
512
hilde123
H
P
Can I get another fish?
Replies
3
Views
496
griss
griss
Z
New lps frags - 1 day not doing well
Replies
16
Views
185
Reefing102
Reefing102
G
pyramid snails??
Replies
2
Views
248
Sugar Magnolia
Sugar Magnolia
P
50 Gallon Stocking Help
2
Replies
21
Views
968
Urka
U
Back
Top