it seems my crabs and turbo snails usually only last about 2 to 3 months before they start dying off. i talked to my LFS and the guy said something about needing to add some sort of alkalinity (SeaAlk) during water changes for the inverts to survive. Is this true? My turbo snails just seem to start dying off. They aren't getting picked on by anything. Any ideas?
inverts dying
- Thread starter mike90
- Start date
What is your acclimation process for the snails? They need to be acclimated very slowly (hours) depending on the difference b/w lfs salinity and your salinity
Find out the lfs salinity - I've discovered from asking sometimes the lfs keeps the salinity very high in their invert tanks
I have had the best luck with margarita snails (all my nassarius and turbos died, all of them! but the margaritas have stayed strong)
Find out the lfs salinity - I've discovered from asking sometimes the lfs keeps the salinity very high in their invert tanks
I have had the best luck with margarita snails (all my nassarius and turbos died, all of them! but the margaritas have stayed strong)
mike90":2ckypm02 said:
No, it's not true.
At 3 months it doesn't sound like an acclimation problem. The most common reasons for dying inverts are:
Water changes using water of a different salinity.
Low Salinity.
Using tap water (Copper, Tin, Zinc, etc).
Starvation.
Dosing Iodine blindly.
Once a week is not often enough for topoff IMO. If you can't automate it then you should topoff at least once a day. The typical tank can evaporate 10% of its water in a week. Adding that much fresh water to a tank once a week could easily cause osmotic shock. That 's equivalent to going from a salinity of 39ppt (your tank at the end of the week) to 35ppt (your tank after topoff).
I agree, evap makeup should be done more regularly - but I doubt this is the source of die-off.. (I have 5 astreas right now that I've had for roughly 3 yrs and in the beginning I only did topoffs about once a week as well too.)
How old is your RO unit and the filters in it? - Have you checked the TDS of your makup water to make sure the RO is functioning properly?
What about feedings? - Do you maybe feed too heavily or too lightly?
How old is your RO unit and the filters in it? - Have you checked the TDS of your makup water to make sure the RO is functioning properly?
What about feedings? - Do you maybe feed too heavily or too lightly?
Hermits are opportunistic feeders and will generally scavenge just about anything they can.
I've actually had a harder time trying to get RID of them than keeping them alive.
Are you sure you're actually seeing dead hermits and not just molts? - In order for hermits to grow they have to molt and sometimes their old "skins" will look like carcasses.
If all you have in the tank are hermits and snails and don't feed the tank at all I can totally understand why you may be "losing" "both".. - Hermits are known to kill / eat snails (mostly for the snails protective shells I think, then they realize they have a meal included with their new home..) - and then maybe you're seeing the hermits old molts..
Just a thought..
So how about that TDS? - Have you checked the output of your RO? (Its still a good idea to check it even if you're buying your water from your LFS..)
Also, have you been dosing iodine (or anything else) or no?
I've actually had a harder time trying to get RID of them than keeping them alive.
Are you sure you're actually seeing dead hermits and not just molts? - In order for hermits to grow they have to molt and sometimes their old "skins" will look like carcasses.
If all you have in the tank are hermits and snails and don't feed the tank at all I can totally understand why you may be "losing" "both".. - Hermits are known to kill / eat snails (mostly for the snails protective shells I think, then they realize they have a meal included with their new home..) - and then maybe you're seeing the hermits old molts..
Just a thought..
So how about that TDS? - Have you checked the output of your RO? (Its still a good idea to check it even if you're buying your water from your LFS..)
Also, have you been dosing iodine (or anything else) or no?
* Do a few large water changes.
* Never add anything you can't monitor.
* Always get a second opinion on any advice you get from a local fish store (LFS) -- OR a reef board!
* Invest in a decent RO/DI unit, it'll save you $$ in the long run.
* Invest in a TDS meter to check the output of your RO/DI - this would be good to get even BEFORE you get your own RO/DI, that way you know what you're buying is actually good and you're not just taking someone else's word on it..
Good luck and don't give up!
Norm
* Never add anything you can't monitor.
* Always get a second opinion on any advice you get from a local fish store (LFS) -- OR a reef board!
* Invest in a decent RO/DI unit, it'll save you $$ in the long run.
* Invest in a TDS meter to check the output of your RO/DI - this would be good to get even BEFORE you get your own RO/DI, that way you know what you're buying is actually good and you're not just taking someone else's word on it..
Good luck and don't give up!
Norm
well i might have answered my own question here. i tested my water last night and my nitrates were very high. im going to be doing a 20 gallon water change tonight (90 gallon tank). i know that is usually what to do with high nitrates. is there anything else i should do to lower nitrates? my level was really high at like 160!!
I know this is like opening a can of worms but..... - Are you using a wet/dry or cannister filter any other type of filter setup that might contribute to a high nitrate level? (Are you familiar with the term "nitrate factory"??)
Did you do water changes after losing things in the past? - Get them pulled out of the tank quickly?
Dieoffs themselves can spike your tank and put it into a mini-cycle if you don't yank the dead out quickly. - Course, with a 90 that would have to be a fairly large dieoff, but its not like we're all standing over your shoulder here and have a real solid idea what the root issue(s) might be.
Have you done a copper test? - The nitrates you're seeing could just be an after-effect, not the true cause..
Did you do water changes after losing things in the past? - Get them pulled out of the tank quickly?
Dieoffs themselves can spike your tank and put it into a mini-cycle if you don't yank the dead out quickly. - Course, with a 90 that would have to be a fairly large dieoff, but its not like we're all standing over your shoulder here and have a real solid idea what the root issue(s) might be.
Have you done a copper test? - The nitrates you're seeing could just be an after-effect, not the true cause..
im using a wet/dry filter. i did a water change tonight. hopefully that will help my levels. ill start pulling out dead stuff now when i see it. right now i cant tell if my turbo snails are dead or not. i can still see them in the shell but they don't move much. nope i've never done a copper test.
It seems to me that your just guessing at everything. I am not trying to be rude but I want to get to the point. If your having problems with animals surviving then start with your water. Test the R/o water for ammo, nitrites, nitrates, phos, and silicates. That will give you a starting point because if your using water that is not correct then your just defeating the purpose of doing water changes. Then test all your water parameters for the aquarium water then you will get an idea of whats going on in the tank and this will help with a course of action. Explain your setup to us here along with the parameters so people on this board can give you more specific help or recommendations. also maybe get rid of the wet/dry if you have enough live rock and a good skimmer. There are numerous reasons why inverts die and some of them are salinity levels, ammo, nitrites, nitrates, copper, and of course acclimation. hope this helps and take care.
More questions for you...
1. - How much rock do you have in your system?
2. - How long has it been in there?
3. - Can you give a stocking list of whats in the tank? (Fish / inverts / equipment)
If it were me, I would prepare for a near 100% water change after yanking the wet/dry.
Wet/drys and cannister filters do a bang-up job of processing ammonia and nitrites, but tend to drop the ball after that and nitrates have a tendency to build up from there. - Not so bad if you're doing a fish-only setup, but, as you're seeing, inverts don't fare too well...
I doubt your makeup water is the issue here, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to have it checked.. - A decent TDS meter runs about $25, your LFS really *should* have one on hand and should be able to test your RO water in just a couple of seconds to totally eliminate it as a possibility.
Norm
1. - How much rock do you have in your system?
2. - How long has it been in there?
3. - Can you give a stocking list of whats in the tank? (Fish / inverts / equipment)
If it were me, I would prepare for a near 100% water change after yanking the wet/dry.
Wet/drys and cannister filters do a bang-up job of processing ammonia and nitrites, but tend to drop the ball after that and nitrates have a tendency to build up from there. - Not so bad if you're doing a fish-only setup, but, as you're seeing, inverts don't fare too well...
I doubt your makeup water is the issue here, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to have it checked.. - A decent TDS meter runs about $25, your LFS really *should* have one on hand and should be able to test your RO water in just a couple of seconds to totally eliminate it as a possibility.
Norm
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