Something is killing my snails...

[newguy1983]

...I don't get it...

I have 4 margaritas and 4 astrea snails as well as a turbo snail in my 15g tank. The tank has a ton of algae in it for them to eat.

But in the morning, I have to turn them all over...they all just fall off the glass or rocks or whatever. I have no clue what's causing it. Eventually they will just die or succomb to my hermit crabs...

Parameters are as follows...

SG - 1.023
Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - 0
pH - 8.1

I have other fish in there as well as a skunk cleaner shrimp and they are all as happy as can be. I find myself replacing my snails around every two weeks because they all just perish.

I have nassarius snails in there and tehy are fine. My hermits are fine. It's just the other snails (margarita's, astreas and turbo) that are dropping like flies.

I can watch them on the glass go from eating a ton of algae to just falling off - like they're committing suicide or something.

Any thoughts? Any other parameters to check for? The tank is stable - been up for over a year...

 

[rssjsb]

Astreas don't need any help flipping on their backs. They're not really found in areas with a lot of live rock, so they fall and can't right themselves. Probably no foul play.

I've never kept margaritas, but I think they're a temperate species so may just be dying because of temperature.

 

[bsmith22]

If astrea or Margaritas fall off the glass or rock, they can't right themselves and will die. Margarita snails are from climates with lower temps and usually don't last very long in a tank with a higher temp. Best choices IMO are turbos, Trochus, nerite and Nassarius (for sand upkeep)

 

[newguy1983]

Yeah - I am going to switch over to those...

I really like Cerith snails (they seem to have done the best for me). I have Nassarius and Turbos now and they're fine...I have a few nerites snails as well.

My LFS does not sell Trochus snails for some reason...

 

[Guygettnby]

margarita snails tend to climb out of my tanks. when ever i would buy them they would last for a few weeks and then i would start finding dried out snails all over the place.

Astrea snails canot turn themselves over when they fall on there backs and there fore they die. maybe this is what is happening to your snails?

 

[newguy1983]

I know they're dying from falling over and not being able to right themselves, but I just don't know why they will just fall off the glass...

 

[Elysia]

Most snails available in the trade are "film" algae eaters. Is it film algae that you have "tons" of?

Snails fall off glass for any number of reasons. First, the snails in question may not be used to such vertical spans; certainly not such smooth ones. Next, any number of fish could be helping to knock the snails off the glass. Also, the snails are less able to hold onto any surface the longer they have been on their back or without food (both of which seem to weaken the snail.)