what am i doing wrong?

[fishlover60]

I have 3 black skirt tetras, 2 tiger barbs and an albino barb. I always have algae in my tank, so someone suggested snails. I got 2, waited for a couple weeks. They did not move from where I put them in. I got 4 more.....same thing. i asked the guy at the LFS how to tell if they are dead, and he said it's hard to say, but to try gently pressing on the meaty part, and if it recoils back into the shell, it's still alive. i checked 'em all out, and there were only 3 that still had fleshy meat, the others had a hard disc in there, and when I pressed, it sunk in and some milky stuff came out of the shell. So I don't know what's going on. are the fish killing them? are they in fact dead? One of them we took right off the glass in the LFS, so I thought at last that one would be eating away by now, but nope.

I use RO water, temp is 80.

[crazycanuck]

if theres a hard disk over them,it doesnt mean they are dead,they put this over themselves sometimes to protect themselves..as to why they are dying i cant see a reason why,maybe somone else can help..

[Mgamer20o0]

are they moving?

[Mrhfield]

If you were pressing on the disc and puss was coming out that doesn't sound good. How long have you had the tank? When i first got sails they didn't live long, that was due to the tank was young, (I think). Now after three years i bought two mystery snails and they are huge, active, and baby making. Maybe the water conditions are not good enough for the snails. If you get anymore acclimate them like fish, (don't know if you did that already?) I placed them slowly on the aquarium floor too. I hate knowing that your not having any luck, as snails are great pets. Maybe Jinx can help you out more. Good luck.

[Yadokari]

Snails are usually much hardier than fish and will generally survive through AWFUL water conditions more so than fish, so I doubt it is his water. (Although I'm not saying you should rule that out!)
Perhaps you have an aggressive fish that likes to bully them to death? Have you been keeping an eye out for their behavior after you got them?

[fishlover60]

I have seen the other fish being 'curious' with them, but not really going after them. they haven't moved in the two weeks I've had them (this last bunch). The others I've had almost a month, and they hadn't moved either. My tank is a couple years old.

[Dwarf Puffers]

I notice nobody has yet said that you can pick snails up and smell them to check if they're dead. Usually they are so disgustingly smelly it leaves a horrible taste in your mouth. Smell with caution.

[msjinkzd]

That little disc is their operculum, its what helps them seal themselves inside their shells to protect against predators. When you pushed on it, you said pus came out, How hard were you pressing? I would very gently tug on the shell door, if you meet resistence its likely the snail is alive.
Do you have a breeder trap? I would put all the snails in a breeder trap with some food. See if any come out. Its likely your barbs are goign after the snail antennae which can make them much more shy.

Are you certain they haven't moved at all? A lot of snails are most active nocturnally, you could also try dropping some cucumber or an algae wafer in at lights out to see if any of them are eating. They don't eat just algae alone and need to be fed a calcium rich diet.

The sniff test is the number one way to determine if htey are alive or not. They smell FOUL when dead.

Also, when purchasing or moving snails, its best to not pull them off the glass as this can collapse their mantle.

Hope this helps!


I also think posting your water parameters would be invaluable. A large water change can't hurt either. Dead snails can foul the water pretty quickly.

Edit: I also wanted to add that often snails purchased at an LFS are not very healthy as they are not fed properly and are often housed inappropriately. How big are the snails you purchased? Do their shells and operculums look healthy? Were they moving in the store at all?

[pixl8r]

Another issue that could be causing problems is if you've been using any aquatic medications or fertilizers. They contain toxins that easily kill invertebrates, such as snails or shrimp.

If you have used them do frequent water changes for a month or so and test for metals in your water (copper in particular).

[fishlover60]

Thanks! All good stuff. There was only one moving at the LFS when I got it. I didn't press very hard on the operculum (?). I didn't try the sniff test. One guy at an LFS told me they would stink if they were dead. But he also told me that I didn't need to feed them anything else if I had a well established tank. I think our local stores stink. I will try a breeder tank next time. But do I just leave them in there or take them out at night, or what????

[pixl8r]

Uhmmm, if you have aquatic snails, leave them in the tank, unless they stink. Also make sure that the tank is completely covered. Some species like to wander, others need to lay eggs above the water line, so they need at least an inch of glass above the water line to lay eggs.