Losing my snails

[chend2]

Hi,

So all my params are perfect but I can't get snails to live. They do fine for 24 hours then become lethargic and stop moving and die.

ANyone else every have this problem?

Thanks.

 

[Curtswearing]

While you say all of your parameters are perfect, it's hard for us to troubleshoot.

While we would need all of the normal parameters, the two that I would want to see most would be your readings for Copper and Salinity/Specific Gravity.

 

[loohunter]

While you say all of your parameters are perfect, it's hard for us to troubleshoot.

While we would need all of the normal parameters, the two that I would want to see most would be your readings for Copper and Salinity/Specific Gravity.

those were my thoughts as well.i read some where that vsnails need to be acclimated very very slowly as they are very sensitive to changes in salinity

 

[Herefishyfishy]

I have found most snails to be amazingly hardy to temp/salinity changes. In the wild they get picked off the rocks in the open while climbing and feeding in the shallows. The tide pools dry out and get rained in. I would assume they need well oxygenated water, but this is a supposition.

They do require clean pure saltwater and no as curt pointed out, zero copper.

Often eaten by other predators such as starfish

 

[loohunter]

maybe even possibly stray voltage???

 

[loohunter]

nikki did a fantastic write up on snails and it talks about a very slow acclimation i have no idea how to attach a link. i searched dieing snails and it was on the first page

 

[chend2]

Yeah not the problem they were acclimated over a 2 hour period. And copper is zero, salinty is 2.025. Elos tests by Barrier Reef. I was wondering if anyone had the situation before. If you haven't don't worry its not the acclimation or the water parameters. Maybe voltage but I have a ground probe. And my fish, achilles tang, putple tang, and Emperor angel are fine. But seriously being that this is an advanced forum i was wondering if you guys had any input other than the usual suspects.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

nikki did a fantastic write up on snails and it talks about a very slow acclimation i have no idea how to attach a link. i searched dieing snails and it was on the first page

this one?:http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5645

There are more than one camp on this subject though. Anthony calfo puts it quite different:

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showpost.php?p=331562&postcount=2

 

[loohunter]

that was the one i was talking about

 

[Red C Aquarium]

What kind of snails? and are they dead face down in your sand?

 

[chend2]

both they just kinda give up feeding afterwhile. they stick to the glass then fall off after a day or two.

 

[returnofsid]

If your salinity is 2.025, everything should be dead. I'm hoping that's a typo. Standard thought on snail acclimation is a drip acclimation of at least 3 hours. A change in pH can quickly kill them.

 

[chend2]

typo, anyway i assume no-one has had this issue before, thanks for 2 cents.

 

[DonW]

Are the snails all from the same supplier? Alot of time temperate snails are brought into LFS and internet suppliers. They dont do well at all in a warm reef. Otherwise it going to be acclimation or one of your parameters.

Don

 

[Herefishyfishy]

I would make up a 5 gallons of fresh saltwater in a pail and after it is fully dissolved and aerated, acclimate them into there to see if they improve. That will at least let you know if the problem is the snails or your tank and you can isolate which problem needs fixing. Don is right, could be the snails or even your tank being too warm. We need all the measurements to help.

 

[chend2]

Here is why I am bamboozled. I have swapped done two 30% water changes with deltec H2O salt. Different supplier, some of the snail I have had for several years in my other tank. I have two tanks a 150 and a 14 Biocube. The Biocube has much of the same water from the 150 as the snail problem. But the biocube is a full reef! Snails and corals are multiplying there. The algae I moved from one tank to the other also bleached out in the larger tank. Both tanks are 79.5 degrees with heaters and chillers, both tanks have had water swapped between them. Does cheap acrylic kill snails and algae and coral but not hermit crabs?

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Appears the 150 could have some contaminant. Try running large quantity of carbon and see if they perk up. Are there shrimp or other inverts in there? How are they doing?

 

[g0rFz]

how long has the tank been up? surely you cycled it right

 

[ldrhawke]

I just posted this in Boomers chemistry section. You may have had a small submersible pump go bad and leak copper into your tank, which I think is at the heart of my present problems. In any case it is something to consider and should be a concern for everyone. Using a cheap copy of a decent submersible can be an expensive lesson you don't want to learn.

About 6 months ago I experienced a Sen 900 submersible tank recirculation pump failure. The internals of the pump failed and windings shorted out. The pump continued to run so I didn't notice it until all the coral started to die and tank temperature increased 15 degrees.

When I figure out what the problem was it was too late. My first thought the short circuited current killed everything. Only a few Tangs and Clowns lived though it. I'm finally getting over being sick about it, getting the energy and courage to rebuild, but it appears I have other problems that I didn't realize from the pump failure. I initially thought it might have been a problem of slight stray voltage or current leaking from other submersible, but I have grounded the tank with a titanium grounding probe now and checked each pump with a meter; and it appears the issue still of not being able to support life exists.

I have purchased several cleaner packages of snails and crabs, only to have them die immediately when placed in the tank after acclimation. I no longer see any pods or any other life macro life on the rocks or tank walls.

I introduced a Flame Angel last week and it appeared to be doing fine and eating well nibbling the live rock. This morning I found it dead.

I have come now to the conclusion the failed pump may have leaked copper into the tank and it has penetrated the live rock.

I started treating the tank with a bag of Seachem Cuprisorb in the filter yesterday and I will keep a bag in the filter to absorb water born copper. It says it can also remove copper from live rock, but I'm not too hopeful. Any other suggestions?

I hate the thought of having to tear the tank apart and replace all the live rock. I'm not going to add any more new life, and certainly not coral, to the tank until I think I have the problem solved. I'm hoping there is a chemical additive that can help address the problem? HELP

 

[matts125]

how about nitrates? most snail will not tolerate nitrate levels over 20, this is often a silent killer of snails....

Matt