why are my snails dieing

[Ehgemus]

my snails have been in the same place for weeks they do not clean or do anything and some are dieing. I had two turbo snails that died in the last two weeks and I had them for 6 months Is it just there time to go? I also have about 10 Astrea snails that do nothing and are slowly dieing to. everything else In the tank is doing fine! anyone have any ideas what is going on? I have had a algae problem for a few mounts but thay eat algae could that hert them?

 

[The steven liu]

You might want to check your water chemistry, I guess something is intoxicating them.

 

[Lev F.]

You have to acclimate them for at least an hour if you want them to get acustomed to your tank. They're practically one of the most sensitive animals reefkeepers can attain (corals aside)

 

[Ehgemus]

my water chemistry is all good. and i acclimated them for 45 min when i got them.

 

[jmicky41]

I could never keep snails alive either. Some would die in a day or two, some would linger for a month or two - while not thriving. I acclimated them for several hours with parameters in check. I started asking the guys at the various LFS I use, and they said they didn't acclimate snails that they just threw them in. One day while talking to the LFS they said they got a fresh batch of astreas in direct from the keys and that they drip acclimated them. I bought 10 of these and they are thriving. Long story short, I think acclimation is the big killer of snail - maybe not your acclimation, but the people before you.

 

[capncapo]

Acclimation is a big killer and so is salinity.

If you are not already doing it, you need to keep your salinity in the 1.025 - 1.026 range.

An easy way to acclimate snails is to take them out of the bag and place them in a dry bowl for 10 - 15 minutes. You then place them on a styrofoam "raft" and let them float until they climb off they raft into the water. By doing that you are letting them acclimate themselves at their own pace.

 

[petermai]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6613820#post6613820 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by capncapo
Acclimation is a big killer and so is salinity.

If you are not already doing it, you need to keep your salinity in the 1.025 - 1.026 range.

An easy way to acclimate snails is to take them out of the bag and place them in a dry bowl for 10 - 15 minutes. You then place them on a styrofoam "raft" and let them float until they climb off they raft into the water. By doing that you are letting them acclimate themselves at their own pace.

that's interesting...i've never heard of that before, i should try it sometime.

 

[Mighty Quinn]

Re: why are my snails dieing

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6608991#post6608991 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Harold Edwards
my snails have been in the same place for weeks they do not clean or do anything and some are dieing. I had two turbo snails that died in the last two weeks and I had them for 6 months Is it just there time to go? I also have about 10 Astrea snails that do nothing and are slowly dieing to. everything else In the tank is doing fine! anyone have any ideas what is going on? I have had a algae problem for a few mounts but thay eat algae could that hert them?

First, you should post your water parameters. Saying that "my water chemistry is all good" isn't really saying much. Let's see some numbers!

In addition to salinity (as mentioned by capncapo), temperature is also a big killer of snails in the aquarium trade. Unfortunately, many of the snails collected for the trade are from more temperate waters and simply cannot survive at the temperatures typical in our aquariums.

Double check you salinity with a good refractometer. If you do not have a refractometer, BUY ONE! You will not regret it!

Double check your temperature and make sure that your tank doesn't go through a large daily temperature swing. I used to check my tank temperature every morning before going to work and it was always at 81 F. One day I worked at home and checked the temperature at 2pm and found it was at 85 F! I had no idea that my temperature was swinging this much. There are some nice thermocouple temperature monitors that you can install in a discreet location to monitor your temperature continuously.

Run granular activated carbon 24/7 in your tank to remove toxins generated by corals, sponges and anything else you have that is living and dying. Change your carbon weekly or biweekly to keep it from becoming a biological filter.

Finally, stop adding snails. Your problem is relatively common and is sometimes self-propogating. The recommended amount of snails for a given size tank is usually WAY too high. Often times people add too many snails and the snails start to die for a variety of reasons (low salinity, high temperature, starvation, etc...), so they immediately replace the dying snails with new snails. The problem is that your dying snails are likely causing a spike in your nitrate levels which in turn fuels an algae bloom.

Q

 

[Ehgemus]

my water parameters are ph-8.3, ammonia-0, nitrite-0 nitrate-o. salinity 1.024 , I do not have a refractometer but it is on the list to buy. maybe I should move it to the top of the list! The snails are in a 20g right now with a sump and a fuge. I have a yellow tang a blue tang, a small clown and a BTA and they are all doing great and have been for 6 months. all my fish are under 2". they will be going to a 46g bowfront tank next week. I'm going to ask how they acclimate the snails at the fish store where I buy them. the first batch of snails that I bought about 6 months ago did great but slowly died off. the snails that I bought 1 month ago never did anything. and they were acclimated for 45 min. Thanks for all the info.

 

[Mighty Quinn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6614864#post6614864 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Harold Edwards
my water parameters are ph-8.3, ammonia-0, nitrite-0 nitrate-o. salinity 1.024 , I do not have a refractometer but it is on the list to buy. maybe I should move it to the top of the list! The snails are in a 20g right now with a sump and a fuge. I have a yellow tang a blue tang, a small clown and a BTA and they are all doing great and have been for 6 months. all my fish are under 2". they will be going to a 46g bowfront tank next week. I'm going to ask how they acclimate the snails at the fish store where I buy them. the first batch of snails that I bought about 6 months ago did great but slowly died off. the snails that I bought 1 month ago never did anything. and they were acclimated for 45 min. Thanks for all the info.

Hi Harold,

That's quite a bit of load for a 20 gallon. Be careful, the Tang Police will be after you...but that is another story.

I think that your situation may be a classic case of "snail overstocking". Two turbos and ten astrea are, in my opinion, far too many snails for your tank. Your turbos could have succumbed to starvation or been forced to eat "undesirable" (i.e. not nutritious or toxic) due to the competition for food in your tank.

There is a general consensus among long-time reefers that the "1 snail and 1 hermit per gallon" rule of thumb is ridiculously high. I advocate starting at 1 snail per 10 gallons and moving forward from there.

For comparison, I have a 25 gallon reef and my cleanup crew consists of 1 trochus snail and 1 emerald crab. That's it! To be fair, I also have a lawnmower blenny that eats algae and diatoms, but you have a yellow tang that does the same.

I would remove all but two or three of the best looking astreas in your tank. If none of your current snails look healthy, then get them out of your tank before they die and foul the water. Replace them with 2 or 3 snails of DIFFERENT varieties. In other words, get 1 turbo, 1 astrea and 1 trochus. Different snail species will have slightly different habits and preferences for food, so they won't be so likely to compete for the same food sources.

Remember: no more than THREE! Do not listen to what the guy at your local fish store tells you. Follow this advice and get your salinity up to 1.025-1.026 and make sure that your temperature doesn't spike during the day.

Good luck!
Q

 

[Ehgemus]

Thanks for all the info you have been very helpful.

 

[subcrx]

I had a problem with snails and starfish dieing a while back, it turned out to be my temperature. I had it set at 80. now Im at 76 and all the inverts are doing great.

 

[Ehgemus]

Thanks my temp. stays at 79- 80

 

[edwar050]

You could always have an unwanted hitch hicker like a mantis-

 

[Mighty Quinn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6629726#post6629726 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by edwar050
You could always have an unwanted hitch hicker like a mantis-

True, but his description of this snails suggests that they are dying of starvation or inappropriate water parameters:

"my snails have been in the same place for weeks they do not clean or do anything and some are dieing."

Q

 

[Ehgemus]

I do have a crab in my live rock that would eat a snail win the snail went past the hole that the crab was in. I have not seen the crab in a month. I think he is still in there! he looks like he has a gray shell with red eyes.