dying snails in planted tank??

[mincedmeat]

I recently introduce a rabbit snail into my planted tank but it apparently died for no apparent reason. It came out abit at first and then retracted till and I didn't see it again same thing with 2 of my nerite snails I had introduced 2 weeks back (though I would think they might have been bullied by the rosy barbs and platys since I saw a couple of them taking pot shots at licking them, etc).

Anyway, I got myself 2 zebra like snails and 4 rabbit snails this time and I put them in my tank. Strangely enough, they exhibited the same behavior: stuck out for a couple of minutes and then retracted and didn't move anymore. This was for a couple of hours already and this seems very unlikely of them.

Anyone has any idea? I have been trying to think if I had added a small dose (1-2 drops of melafix or methylene blue) during my last WC (which was 2 weeks back), but I couldn't remember, and even if I did, such dosage would be so minimal that it might not have had any permanent/deadly effects on the snails. I am about to


*ps. something tells me that our excellent moderator - stormhawk would reply first

[mincedmeat]

sorry, it should be black line yellow snail and yellow rabbit snail. hope the specifics would help diagnose the problem better, if any at all.

[hyun007]

sorry, it should be black line yellow snail and yellow rabbit snail. hope the specifics would help diagnose the problem better, if any at all.

What is the PH of your tank?

[mincedmeat]

unknown actually. never really tested before.

[stormhawk]

I did not reply first. Rabbit Snails are from the lakes on Sulawesi island, where the water parameters are not your typical planted tank parameters, hence the reason why they might have died. Depending on which lake this snail is from, the requirements may differ.

[Zenith82]

I highly suspect is your water perimeter that is not suitable for the tylo snails.
Once snails hide in the shell and not active means your water perimeter is bad.
My Tylo snails are kept in PH ranging 7.8~8.2, if your water PH is low it will corrode their shells.
Please do some test to check.

[mincedmeat]

well, testing the water parameters might solve the question of the tylo snails but what about the black line yellow snails? shouldn't they be less fussy, no?

[Zenith82]

There might be copper, ammonia or nitrate presence. Only by testing you can find the reason to their death.

[stormhawk]

Nerite and Zebra Snails do not like low pH conditions, as their shells will start to corrode in those waters. I think you better test your pH first. Something tells me the pH is really low, like 5 or something.

[mincedmeat]

Alright. Going to do a WC on the tank and removing the snails and putting them in a tub of de-chlorinated water for the time being.

[hyun007]

Nerite and Zebra Snails do not like low pH conditions, as their shells will start to corrode in those waters. I think you better test your pH first. Something tells me the pH is really low, like 5 or something.

I think anything below PH6.5 is asking too much.

[mincedmeat]

Hmm, learning the hard way I guess?

[stormhawk]

hyun, that's right. They'll survive for a period of time in those low pH but will deteriorate and die unless moved to more alkaline conditions. I think the only snail that can withstand the pH below 6.5 is the MTS and maybe the Pouch Snails, which are considered pests to most hobbyists.

Everyone learns the hard way minced, even with the best care, a simple mistake can cause a massive problem.

[wind88]

This is interesting!

[mincedmeat]

Managed to get a 5-in-1 test instead (pH test kit was out of stock at LFS) and found that my planted tank pH is actually 6.4 or possibly lower, and I think the reason for this might have been my DIY CO2 which I have since removed and substituted with excel. Probably have to get a test kit to find out what's the exact pH level but I guess that has to wait till another day/time (fishes and plants seems to be doing alright, I think).

Transferred the tylo snails to a makeshift tank and included some DIY increase pH solution (bicarbonate soda dissolved in water was added periodically to avoid sudden huge pH spike; not too sure of its effectiveness but desperate times call for desperate measures and I have seen one or two of the snails starting to crawl around, except for the black line yellow snail of which one has died and the other just laying around) and then tested pH - value of 7.4 which I suppose is of good concentration, at least for now. Probably have to get some things done over the weekend (eg. plugging in a filter to the tank, finding sulawesi rocks (that will help increase the pH over time, and hopefully maintain that level), clip on LED lighting, doing WC for the planted tank to gradually increase pH, etc).

Sad to say, I would have wanted some time to dry-start the tank but have to resort to such "fire-fighting" measures to keep the snails alive.

[Emokidz]

Unless you change the substrate to something inert or has alkaline capacity, I'm not sure if your method will be sustainable in the long run. I've kept and rbed Sulawesi snails previously, and anything below pH 7.5 is pushing it with them. Even if they do survive, their shells will continue to corrode and waste away, eventually resulting in their deaths.

[mincedmeat]

Since you have had experience before, what substrate did you use that were either inert and/or have alkaline capacity? Recommendations? I suppose most would alter pH by lowering it instead. Gravel/sand I suppose could one alternative, right?

[Zenith82]

If you want to keep sulawesi snails, best substrate to use is coral sand. Or normal gravel with a base of coral chips to buffer ph.

[stormhawk]

You can opt for a basic lapis gravel or quartz gravel, with limestone rocks or any rock that contains minerals that will cause the pH to rise, especially calcium deposits, aside from using coral sand. No soil is to be used with these Sulawesi snails.

[mincedmeat]

Trying to get my hands on some sulawesi rocks though, so I suppose that would help. Any idea where to get coral sand or lapis gravel (the usual suspects of C328, Y618, Aquastar, Seaview would carry them?).

So, these rocks that you mentioned..are they suppose to be part of the scape, or in the filter itself?