I'm a snail killer

[merlin2425]

I had 8 turbo snails, they all died in 3 days. I got 1 more after my levels went back to 0 and he died in 3 days.
I don't know what is wrong with my water.

ph 8.4
nitrite 0
nitrate 0
amm. 0 (hard to tell with red sea)
Alk 10.6dkh
Ca. 390
Phosphate 0
s.g. 1.023

Any input on snails would be great. I acclimate for 1 hour adding tank water every 15 minutes. Does anyone know why they would die so quickly?

[merlin2425]

I also have 2 perculas and a gold headed sleeper goby. All doing fine.

[koj11]

If you're really not sure about the ammonia, I'd recommend a better test kit (salifert) before adding anything else. You need to rule out the ammonia before you can narrow it down any further.

[Kaiser Tang]

Even if you have some ammonia, your snails should still be alive. I've had snails do just fine with ammonia levels up to .50. Did you do anything out of the ordinary? Did you clean your hands before putting them into your tank?

[merlin2425]

no, why? Could that do something so drastic to the water? There is like 140 gallons of water running through the system. I will next time.

[nanocat]

Used tank or new? Just wondering if the tank had ever been treated with copper?

[merlin2425]

new, i have a copper test, i will do it tonight

[Kaiser Tang]

no, why? Could that do something so drastic to the water? There is like 140 gallons of water running through the system. I will next time.

I always have my hands in something. Whether it gasoline from the lawn mower, round-up, etc. If it was something like that, it wouldn't take much. It was just the other day that I about stuck my hands in my sump after I just got through putting some WD-40 on a door hinge. It's little things like that. I just always make a habit of washing my hands before sticking them into my tank. Is a toxin from your hands to blame? Probably not. But it doesn't hurt to rule it out.

[merlin2425]

if i did have a toxin on my hands like round-up what would i need to do to get rid of it from the system. The fish are all ok. Hypothetically speaking of course.

[Vincerama2]

I aclimate my snails for something like 6 hours! I don't think an hour is enough! Seriously, it takes a long time, and snails are very susceptible to changes in salinity!

V

[merlin2425]

what precess do you use?

[Vincerama2]

I have a piece of airline tubing with an airline valve on it (you can use the drip irrigation valves you get at HD as well) then I start a siphon on it from my main tank, into the bucket where I put the snails and the LFS water, then let the water drip slowly into the bucket by adjusting the valve. That way the water very slowly changes. Every once in a while, I'll take some of the accumulated water in the bucket and toss it, so that more and more the bucket water is tank water.

Be sure to keep the bucket warm! At the least, put the snails back into their bag when you are done dripping, and float it in the tank to get them temperature acclimated!

V

[Lyzann]

Merlin,
Snails are pretty hardy! I have 25 turbos in a 45 gallon. I put the bag of snails in the water for 20 minutes then pin ***** the bag & let sit for another 10 minutes and that's it!

[Lyzann]

Originally posted by Lyzann
Merlin,
Snails are pretty hardy! I have 25 turbos in a 45 gallon. I put the bag of snails in the water for 20 minutes then pin ***** the bag & let sit for another 10 minutes and that's it!

Poke the bag with the pin!

[rjwilson37]

It depends on where you get your snails from, and what you run your tank at. I have one LFS that runs his tanks salinity at 1.019 and temp at 76-77, I have to acclimated the snails for like 2-3 hours or they die. I have another LFS that runs his salinity at 1.023 and temp at 80 and I can almost just throw them in and they live. I run my tank at temp 80 and salinity at 1.024-1.025, the more of a salinity difference the longer you need to acclimate them.