what plants do you have? I have lowlight plants and dose nothing and they are growing like crazy and propagating. perhaps you could go a little more low-tech if you want to keep snails.
Apple snails are sick/dying--why?
- Thread starter gingerinaustin
- Start date
The plants need iron AND carbon. And traces, which I haven't even started yet, most of which contain copper, but if it's chelated copper in trace amounts it's supposed to be ok...waa, poor snails. I was hoping a three-week ramp up would be adequate acclimatization (one week no ferts, one week Excel every other day, last week daily Excel, with two, two lousy doses of Leaf Zone. I even cut the dose to a 40-gallon-tank dose, thinking I probably have 15 gallons worth of substrate, plants, rocks and driftwood in there. I really don't know what to do at this point other than to put them back in, cut back dosing and hope for the best.
I have the following plants (lighting 1.75 wpg):
I did put the snails back in the tank and they were alive this morning but didn't look very happy, so I took them out and put them in the betta tank. Both are coming back around and have been nibbling on algae wafers, although neither one is back to normal. The betta doesn't know quite what to think about his new roommates--he's nibbled at the tops of their shells and watched them crawl around but doesn't seem to be hassling them too much. I guess the sick snails can stay in the tank with the chronically-ill betta for the time being.
- Green Temple Plant (Hygrophila corymbosa)—not doing well, losing leaves quickly, tips brown; one or two sprigs starting to root
- Ambulia (Limnophilia indica)—wasn’t doing well, most of ‘leaves’ died but stems now showing little green tufts of growth and roots since Excel started
- Moneywort (Bacopa monnieri)—doing OK, new green growth on top, algae taking over bottom leaves
- Bacopa (Bacopa australis or caroliniana?)—new green growth on top, bottom leaves dying
- Banana plant (Nymphoides aquatica)—one new leaf, old leaves dying
- Amazon sword (Ecinodorus bleheri)—well-established roots, some leaves dying
- Brazilian pennywort (Hydrocotyle leucocephala)—some died, most stems with new growth, algae covering some leaves
- Java fern (Microsorum pteropus)—most covered in algae; a few tiny new leaves
- Java moss (Taxiphyllum barbieri)—most of it appears to be dying from the inside out (stems brown, mossy part green)
- Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum)—lots of new growth, doing very well, has already had to be trimmed back
- Corkscrew val (Vallisneria americana)—died
- Aquatic clover (Marsilea quadrifolia)—some dying, stems establishing new roots and putting out new leaves
- Dwarf sag (Sagittaria subulata)—well-established roots, some leaves yellowing/dying
- Rotala rotundifolia—one little sprig appears to be rooting
- Hemianthus callitrichoides—died (likely not enough light)
I did put the snails back in the tank and they were alive this morning but didn't look very happy, so I took them out and put them in the betta tank. Both are coming back around and have been nibbling on algae wafers, although neither one is back to normal. The betta doesn't know quite what to think about his new roommates--he's nibbled at the tops of their shells and watched them crawl around but doesn't seem to be hassling them too much. I guess the sick snails can stay in the tank with the chronically-ill betta for the time being.
if you can get just a cheap critter-keeper type thing from walmart or a petstore, the apple snails will be just fine in that with a water change once a week or so. as long as they aren't freezing the temperature is no problem, and they will actually live longer at room temp than they will in a tropical, heated tank. their lifespan depends upon their metabolism and growth rate, which is sped up by warmer temps and slowed by cooler ones. a room-temp snail will live 3 years, a tropical-tank one will live 18 months or so.
Bazillions of baby snails!
OK, maybe not a bazillion, but there are at least a dozen new baby snails on the side of my tank. They appeared about 12 hours after I redosed Excel and API Leaf Zone. Now I am really scratching my head in puzzlement. What could be in this tank that would make adult snails sick and baby snails thrive?? It's nuts!
OK, maybe not a bazillion, but there are at least a dozen new baby snails on the side of my tank. They appeared about 12 hours after I redosed Excel and API Leaf Zone. Now I am really scratching my head in puzzlement. What could be in this tank that would make adult snails sick and baby snails thrive?? It's nuts!
Maybe the babies are just used to the water chemistry in the tank, but the adults are stressed by it.
Three dozen baby snails!!!
Maybe so...what else could it be? it's crazy! I counted 36 baby snails this morning. 36! And the fish aren't eating them--so much for kuhli loaches eating snails. Apparently they already have too much of a shell to please the piscine palate. My big blue three-spot gourami tried to eat a couple this morning, but spit them out; they immediately crawled back up the side of the tank. Ack! I don't have room for 36 snails! You can't imagine the speed with which I pulled the second egg clutch off the hood this morning.
Any one have a clown loach I can borrow for a day or two? :lol2:
Maybe so...what else could it be? it's crazy! I counted 36 baby snails this morning. 36! And the fish aren't eating them--so much for kuhli loaches eating snails. Apparently they already have too much of a shell to please the piscine palate. My big blue three-spot gourami tried to eat a couple this morning, but spit them out; they immediately crawled back up the side of the tank. Ack! I don't have room for 36 snails! You can't imagine the speed with which I pulled the second egg clutch off the hood this morning.
Any one have a clown loach I can borrow for a day or two? :lol2:
