snails keep dyin off....need advice

[H2oAddict]

I've been having a problem with my snails dying in the past couple months. Everything else in my tank is doing great...corals,hermits,cleaner shirimp, fish,etc. Anyone have any advice? I forgot to mention I still have two snails that seem to be very strong.

[gsusfreak]

do the hermits attack them much?

[Rosseau]

Does it look like they have been attacked by something like a mantis shrimp?

[madamo]

Do you acclimate the snails to your water perameters?

[jbob]

thats what my idea was gonna be. you gotta drip them or they wont make it.

[zukihara]

I'm gonna third a rigorous acclimation process or you are just asking for death and mayhem. 20 mins for temp acclimation just won't cut it for these guys the vast majority of the time and they'll just die off one by one over a few weeks time.

[KellyPug]

What types of snails do you have? If you see any white "grains" on your snails, you may have pyramid snails, these tiny white parasitic snails that feed off of and kill astrea and certain other types of snails.

[H2oAddict]

I didnt realize they needed such an acclimation process. I guess I thought differently with snails and hermits.

thanks guys

[Agu]

You may also be buying snails that are doomed before you get them. If the LFS doesn't acclimate properly they're already on the way out. If your LFS holding tank is littered with dead/dying snails and empty shells find a new place to get your snails.


jmo,

[H2oAddict]

thats definitely a possibility.... The last few times Ive bought them at a different store. This was the first time Ive had problems in 2 years. thanks again

[digitaldego77]

Just throwing this out there, but I had a problem with a type of flatworm that was eating my astrea snails. I must have blamed the problem on every inhabitant until i finally saw the act in progress. It was a black/brown color with light/white spots on it. I had removed one, and then discovered another later on down the road. Just something to consider if you still have snails dying on you. They are hard to see since they match the look of an astrea's body rather well.