Sick Snails

Crimthann · 11/15/2006, 09:58 PM

I'm having some problems with my snails croaking and i haven't been able to figure it out. I'm about 3 weeks into my cycle and my perimeters are decent.

Ammonia is 0-.1 Nitrite 0, Nitrate 0 - 10, & ph 8.1, salt stays at about 1.025 - 1.027 depending on how much water i need to top off, temp between 78-83 depending on the time of the day.

Over the last 2 days i've lost 4 of the 10 snails that i put in the tank 2 days ago. I picked up a minor clean up crew from a good lfs around me to get the algae blooms under control. I also picked up 10 hermits, 2 emerald crabs, & 2 cleaner shrimp and they all seem to be doing great. The snails seem to be doing well then all of a sudden they fall over and slowly stop moving. The only thing i can think of thats weird is when they fall over they're suddenly covered with pods. I really didn't think much of the pods because my tank is completely full of hundreds of thousands of these suckers all over the place. Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks in advance for any help.

serpentman · 11/15/2006, 10:01 PM

What type of snails are they?

Crimthann · 11/15/2006, 10:04 PM

Oops sorry, they're turbo snails

Dubbin1 · 11/15/2006, 10:05 PM

You should not have put any in there until the cycle is over. Also how did you acclimate them?

Crimthann · 11/15/2006, 10:09 PM

I floated them in for a half hour then put them in a bucket with the water from the fish store & slowly dripped tank water into the bucket for about 2 hours. after i pulled them out of the bucket and put them in the tank.

Fiddler · 11/15/2006, 11:08 PM

i have had the same problem, it really confuses me because some would die in the following week and others are still alive almost a year later,

sorry i don't have an answer, lol, just letting you know your not alone

english83 · 11/15/2006, 11:15 PM

I don't have an answer either. Our tank has been up and running for about a year, I think and our turbos were fine till about 2 weeks ago. All three died within a week and a half. We can't figure it out. The fish are happy, the corals are happy, everything is perfect. They just died, and two of them weren't that old.

amike5 · 11/15/2006, 11:25 PM

don't know....... but your salt is pretty high. You should maintain that within range.

amike5 · 11/15/2006, 11:26 PM

And keep your temp within 2 degrees :-)

a4twenty · 11/16/2006, 07:29 AM

if your still showing ammonia, you are not done your cycle. ammonia is toxic.

your temperature fluctuations are to high, like amike5 said try to keep it to a couple of degree's. depending where your turbo's come from but generally turbo's like cooler water ( around the 78 mark, 83 could be to much. )

you didn't mention your alk? IME turbos need a higher alk reading than other snails.

greenbean36191 · 11/16/2006, 08:40 AM

Your temperature fluctuations are fine. They have nothing to do with the loss of the snails. Most of the Turbo in the hobby do like colder water, but we're talking 60's, not 78. You can't keep corals at the same temp that would be good for these snails.

I think your problem has a lot to do with the fact that you still have ammonia.

Also, what is the salinity of the water the snails were in coming from the store? Do they use copper in any of their systems?

Crimthann · 11/16/2006, 09:02 AM

I had 0 ammonia prior to the snails dying so i was assuming the slight raise in ammonia was due to that. I'll see if i can find out what the salinity & copper was at the fish store, not sure if they'll tell me about the copper. The temp fluctuations are natural, i don't have a heater (well i have one but i didn't want to use it to raise the temp and have the lights heat the water up more) or chiller so the tank is usually about 78 without the light on and by the end of the light cycle ends up around 82-83.

11/15/2006, 09:58 PM	#1
Crimthann Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Pompano beach Posts: 321	Sick Snails I'm having some problems with my snails croaking and i haven't been able to figure it out. I'm about 3 weeks into my cycle and my perimeters are decent. Ammonia is 0-.1 Nitrite 0, Nitrate 0 - 10, & ph 8.1, salt stays at about 1.025 - 1.027 depending on how much water i need to top off, temp between 78-83 depending on the time of the day. Over the last 2 days i've lost 4 of the 10 snails that i put in the tank 2 days ago. I picked up a minor clean up crew from a good lfs around me to get the algae blooms under control. I also picked up 10 hermits, 2 emerald crabs, & 2 cleaner shrimp and they all seem to be doing great. The snails seem to be doing well then all of a sudden they fall over and slowly stop moving. The only thing i can think of thats weird is when they fall over they're suddenly covered with pods. I really didn't think much of the pods because my tank is completely full of hundreds of thousands of these suckers all over the place. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks in advance for any help.

11/15/2006, 10:01 PM	#2
serpentman part time superhero Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Deep in the Heart of the Snowbelt (NE OHIO) Posts: 5,698	What type of snails are they? __________________ BS in Marine Bio ('96), First SW tank in 1992. Current Tank(s) 300g SPS with 90g frag tank and 40 anemone tank - decommissioned 46g LPS/Softy Cube 300g FOWLR under construction - decommissioned

11/15/2006, 11:08 PM	#6
Fiddler Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: western hemisphere, northern hemisphere, east coast, just south of mason-dixon Posts: 225	i have had the same problem, it really confuses me because some would die in the following week and others are still alive almost a year later, sorry i don't have an answer, lol, just letting you know your not alone __________________ on the seventh day the lord reasted, but before that he did, he squated over england and what came out of him... was ireland - Bill the Butcher - Gangs of New York Current Tank Info: 75 in construction.... construction at a stand still...

11/15/2006, 11:15 PM	#7
english83 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Twin Cities, MN Posts: 120	I don't have an answer either. Our tank has been up and running for about a year, I think and our turbos were fine till about 2 weeks ago. All three died within a week and a half. We can't figure it out. The fish are happy, the corals are happy, everything is perfect. They just died, and two of them weren't that old. __________________ ~Erin~ Current Tank Info: none at the moment

11/16/2006, 08:40 AM	#11
greenbean36191 Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Ft. Lauderdale Posts: 10,598	Your temperature fluctuations are fine. They have nothing to do with the loss of the snails. Most of the Turbo in the hobby do like colder water, but we're talking 60's, not 78. You can't keep corals at the same temp that would be good for these snails. I think your problem has a lot to do with the fact that you still have ammonia. Also, what is the salinity of the water the snails were in coming from the store? Do they use copper in any of their systems? __________________ Some say the sun rises in the East. Some say it rises in the West. The truth must be somewhere in the middle. Current Tank Info: tore them down to move and haven't had the time or money to set them back up

11/15/2006, 10:04 PM	#3
Crimthann Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Pompano beach Posts: 321	Oops sorry, they're turbo snails

11/15/2006, 10:05 PM	#4
Dubbin1 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Findlay, Ohio Posts: 11,540	You should not have put any in there until the cycle is over. Also how did you acclimate them?

11/15/2006, 10:09 PM	#5
Crimthann Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Pompano beach Posts: 321	I floated them in for a half hour then put them in a bucket with the water from the fish store & slowly dripped tank water into the bucket for about 2 hours. after i pulled them out of the bucket and put them in the tank.

11/15/2006, 11:25 PM	#8
amike5 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Englewood, CO Posts: 724	don't know....... but your salt is pretty high. You should maintain that within range.

11/15/2006, 11:26 PM	#9
amike5 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Englewood, CO Posts: 724	And keep your temp within 2 degrees :-)

11/16/2006, 07:29 AM	#10
a4twenty Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 2,603	if your still showing ammonia, you are not done your cycle. ammonia is toxic. your temperature fluctuations are to high, like amike5 said try to keep it to a couple of degree's. depending where your turbo's come from but generally turbo's like cooler water ( around the 78 mark, 83 could be to much. ) you didn't mention your alk? IME turbos need a higher alk reading than other snails.

11/16/2006, 09:02 AM	#12
Crimthann Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Pompano beach Posts: 321	I had 0 ammonia prior to the snails dying so i was assuming the slight raise in ammonia was due to that. I'll see if i can find out what the salinity & copper was at the fish store, not sure if they'll tell me about the copper. The temp fluctuations are natural, i don't have a heater (well i have one but i didn't want to use it to raise the temp and have the lights heat the water up more) or chiller so the tank is usually about 78 without the light on and by the end of the light cycle ends up around 82-83.