I Need Help Starting My Tank

I'm relatively new to the aquarium scene (been in it a little under 2 years).

But I'm pretty sure the tank cycle will apply to snails as well. I could be wrong, but it might be worth googling.

With any new tank, it must go through a cycle. This involves the build up of ammonia within the tank (occurs naturally or you can give it a boost with something like Nutrafin Cycle), bacteria grows to eliminate the ammonia. The ammonia is converted to nitrite, again, bacteria grows to eliminate the nitrite. Finally, the nitrite will convert to nitrate and the water can be changed out to eliminate some of it and get it in check.

Once this process is complete, its ready for fish, frogs, snails, whatever fits the environment.

Petsmart does not do a good job at tending to their fish, so you could be right about it already being dead. However, anyone who is new to the hobby needs to understand the cycle process, and research the fish/snails they intend to keep. This will help you create the environment they need to stay healthy. After all, remember that a tank is an ecosystem that must be carefully maintained.

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To test for Ammonia and Nitrites I would suggest the API Freshwater Master Test Kit which is more accurate then using the test strips. The kit measures Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates and PH, also comes with instructions and a color chart. You can get it on Amazon cheaper then from the store. If you want some nice healthy snails I'd suggest bobstropicalplants.com , where you can get any type of snail you like.

Once you're cycled, you can get some very nice snails any type at a reasonable price on Aquabid. You can also post in the classifieds here and likely get what you want. You may also want to consider so red cherry shrimp to go with the snails.

A 2.5 gallon tank is a bit to small for most fish and I don't think snails really need fish. Snails feed on algae, left over foods, wafers and fresh veggies. Shrimps are like fish, they create waste and so do snails, the snail will eat the food left over from what is fed to the shrimp.

Generally speaking you would be more likely to be feeding the snail not the shrimp. Also the snail may have a higher bioload than you would expect.

If you want to add fish you could maybe look at some species of small rasbora like briggitae or mereh. You should be able to do a small school of 6 or so with little problem.