Snails dropping like flies...or something like that!

[Anonymous]

We have cycled our 58 gal reef tank and have added detrivores, a couple of gobies, sand dwelling star, and shrimp. Everyone is doing fine, the ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, phosphates, alk, and Ca are all fine. But, we have lost 4 out of 12 large snails. Is this indicative of a problem or should we just peacefully bury them?

Thanks!

 

[Anonymous]

my large turbos are dying off one by one,,,how many turbo snails years to human

hehehe

 

[Anonymous]

Many times the reason that these snails die is lazy aquarists.

You see, when a turbo snail falls on its back, it is not able to turn itself over, so the aquarist has to do it manually. If the snail remains on its back, it obviously receives no food and dies.

Another cause could be that you just don't have enough algae in your tank to sustain the amount of snails that you have. In this case, the solution is to just let nature take its course. Those that receive enough food will continue to live and those that don't....

HTH,

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E >< () !) !_! S

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks, I do keep the little guys on their feet. <s>

As to not enough algae, it is a new tank (only 4 weeks old) and there is precious little algae. On the other hand, the snails croaked after only 3 days in the tank...seems like they wouldn't starve to death that soon! Hence, the reason for the minor concern.

 

[Anonymous]

You might have killed them if you just threw them into the tank without slowly allimating them to your water. Salinity and temperature shock can kill snails pretty easily.

 

[Anonymous]

I agree that not acclimating these guys is very bad. In my experience rapid changes in salinity, PH, etc. just fries these guys. Other possibility is bacterial infection (I think the Sprung/Delbeck books describe this...not sure though)but evidenced by clear jello like substance growing over them and suffocating them. Other culprits are dinoflagellates which are toxic to them. A recent reef notes also mentioned that in addition to toxic bacteria and dinoflagellates certain diatoms might irritate the snails' feet preventing them from moving around and slowly starving. I have observed that a lot of these guys die in shipments at LFS depending on the "batch." Try some diffrent species (astrea or other if using turbos now)or from another dealer and acclimate them slowly.

 

[Anonymous]

Have you checked your water for copper...there could be a trace of it in the water that is poisoning them...