Nerite playing dead?

bazil323

bazil323

AC Members
May 1, 2008
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Wisconsin
This sounds kinda wierd, but my nerite may be playing dead. I put one of my olive nerites in my 2.5g at work to help clean up the algae bloom and then I was going to move him back into the 75g at home once the algae was cleaned up. I had a major problem with algae because I was overdosing ferts (hint: read directions properly:screwy:) and had a questionable K rating for light. I corrected both problems, but I had a hard time cleaning all the algae out without disturbing the plants.

Anyways, after a few days of eating heartily, one morning I came in to find him on his back on the rock. I wasn't sure if he had just fallen off the plant above or what. So I left him alone. For at least the whole day and the next he was like that! I thought for sure he was dead but kept forgetting to take him out. Then, before I could take him out, he started moving around again. I was so shocked. I thought for sure he was dead since he was upside down not moving for at least 2 days!:jaw-dropping:

It's been about a month since then, and the algae has been nicely cleaned from most of the tank (he doesn't seem to like getting it off the sand). This morning (Monday) I find him upside down again! I have no idea how long he's been like this except that it is now almost 11, and he's been in the same position since before 8:30 this morning. Now I'm not sure if I should wait a couple days or not. I think I will just in case he is alive still like last time.

I was just wondering if anyone else had experienced the same phenomenon. Or is my snail just wierd?
 
i've heard that nerites can die because they can't flip them selves over sometimes. i would flip him just in case.
 
I HAVE TO FLIP MINE OVER ALL THE TIME. THEY CAN'T GET A GRIP ON THE SAND TO TURN THEMSELVES OVER.
 
Ooh, didn't know that. I will flip him just in case. If I remember correctly, I think I did that the first time to see if he would get up. Maybe that's why. Will update when/if he gets going.
 
I did flip him right after I last posted (at about 11:30 this morning), and he has not yet moved. If I remember correctly, the last time he did not move for a day or so after I had flipped him. I guess I'll have to wait and see what happens. I am a little concerned that maybe there was some chlorine in the water from last week's WC. I changed only a little bit of the water, and I used a 1/4 of the tablet for Jungle Lab Plant Care Water Conditioner (dechlors and adds stuff for plants, supposedly). A whole tablet is good for 10g, so a 1/4 tab should be enough for the whole 2.5g tank. I only changed about 3/4 gallon to a little over a gallon, can't remember exactly, but no more than 1.5 g. I'm pretty sure that there was no chlorine to worry about since that amount of the tab has been working for me in the past for this tank with this particular snail.
 
Nerites are just weirdos. Mine sometimes fall on their back but they flip themselves after that or use the passing snails to get a grip of themselves.
 
I'm getting kinda nervous. It still has not moved since I flipped him (didn't make any movement when on back either). Like I said, I think that the first time it did take a day after flipping for it to move, but I'm still a little bit paranoid.

Btw, while I'm thinking about it, what is the minimum gallons that a nerite should have? I can't seem to find any solid info on freshwater nerites. Anything I do find for gallons is for saltwater ones (10g min?), but I'm not sure if I can use that or not.
 
Hmmm, still no movement (as of Wednesday at 4:42 p.m.), but I did try to move him a bit. It felt like he was stuck to the bottom (sand) which is unlike the easy-to-move feeling that I would have expected from a dead snail. Maybe it's just stubborn. Or I'm imagining things....
 
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