snails

Tommy3492 · #1 01/05/2008, 04:59 PM

hey guys i have around 64 snails in my tank, 20 hermit crabs, and 3 emerald crabs(which i cant find in the rock)... anyways i think i few of my snails are dying, and alot of them are stuck to the glass and not moving, how do you know when a snail is dead???

brians4671 · #2 01/05/2008, 05:30 PM

I POSITION MY MAGNA FLOAT FLAT AT THE WATER SURFACE SET THE SNAIL ON TOP OF IT IF IT MOVES OR STICKS ITS SELF TO THE GLASS ITS ALIVE ITS EASIER TO OBSERVE THEM...

Nicholas89 · #3 01/05/2008, 05:43 PM

LOUD NOISES!

but seriously, I've never heard of a snail being dead and hanging onto a glass wall still.

They could be in distress or something, but probably not dead. How big is your tank? Parameters?

Tommy3492 · #4 01/05/2008, 07:31 PM

its a 90 gallon reef tank, every parameter is perfect but my nitrates are at 20 ppm, and my PH is at like 8.06

Tommy3492 · #5 01/05/2008, 07:33 PM

would the snails sying effect anything or should i be ok? im in 4th week of cycle and got no fish just snails and hermits and emrald crabs

Tommy3492 · #6 01/05/2008, 07:39 PM

ive got 2 causulaties so far, should i keep 1 in for the shell???

Tommy3492 · #7 01/05/2008, 07:53 PM

Temperature: 78 F
pH: 8.0
Salinity: 1.025 SG
Calcium: 500 ppm
Nitrate: 20 mg/l
Phosphate: 0 mg/l
Nitrite: <.3 mg/l
Ammonia: 0 mg/l
Carbonate Hardness : 11 dKH

ZooZ · #8 01/05/2008, 08:30 PM

they are sensitive to changes in SG and high nitrates. Do a water change recently?

Potsy · #9 01/05/2008, 08:34 PM

You'll find dead snails on the sandbed and when you sniff the shell you'll want to gag.

When you added the snails to your aquarium, did you slowly acclimate them? If you didn't, that could explain their deaths and poor health.

Depending on how long you've had the snails, that high of a population added to a new aquarium all at once could lead to starvation. I waited until I had a pretty pervasive coating of diatoms before I added my astrea snails - all thirteen of them. In a few days most of the diatoms were eaten. Fortunately, there's plenty of microalgae for them to graze upon.

Tommy3492 · #10 01/05/2008, 08:35 PM

no i think thats the main problem i haven't started my water change, i am going to tommorow, planning on do a 10 gallon water change, the tank is a 90 gallon....

Tommy3492 · #11 01/05/2008, 08:37 PM

what should i keep my SG at it is at: 1.025