It's still happening!!!!

[wrassecal]

I still have snails dying in my tank. Most of the empty shells end up in the sand under a ledge area where my red brittle star is hanging out. Now I've lost 2 margaritas and another turbo. I have no crabs in there except for an emerald and a decorator crab. The snails last a couple weeks then I start finding empty shells! I hear no wierd noises, see nothing at night. Everything else is healthy. I have lost like 15 turbos and the 2 margaritas in the past couple of months. Tank is about one year old. Water is 0amm, 0trites, 20trates, sg 1.026, cal 450. I am at my wits end. I can not just keep feeding the tank snails
edit: I've even bought from 2 different lfs's that have different suppliers.

 

[alti]

what fish and what type of hermits do you have?

 

[thomas712]

Are you testing the water youself? If so have an LFS test it also and see if they match. Have you tested for copper? Is there anyway that you can test for stray voltage? Are your hermits wearing new shells latley?
Thomas

 

[wrassecal]

Originally posted by Wrassecal
I have no crabs in there except for an emerald and a decorator crab.
Inhabitants are: red brittle star, sixline wrasse, yellow tang, mandarin, tomato clown, coral beauty, royal gramma, emerald crab, decorator crab (I've only had the crabs for 2 weeks)
55 gal,100lbs lr, dsb,colt coral, gsp, 2 bta's mushrooms, bubble coral, frogspawn, hammer coral, green open brain.
yes the lfs has tested water, same results. I've been trying to figure this out for the past couple months.
No copper ever been introduced, checked for stray voltage.

 

[alti]

do you have enough algea for them to eat? ive never seen my brittle star bother any snails. is this a new problem, or have you had this problem since you started?

 

[jonthefb]

how long did you acclimate teh snails, and how long did your lfs acclimate them? snails in particular are very sensivitve to water parameters, and if the lfs just dropped them in, then you got em and acclimated them, theyre still gonn be under a lot of stress from the original placemnet in the lfs tnak, an dcould lead to death!
just a little side note, but maybe the answer to your prob!
good luck
jon

 

[jja]

You have a very similar tank to minein size,fish and corals. I have lost several snails but not to the degree you have. I have a sailfin tang that will eat them as soon as one flips upside down if I dont see it and flip him back over. He also will try to knock them off the glass sometimes. Once they fall/flip over they are history. If the tang doesn't get them my emeralds will.

 

[wrassecal]

jon, you might remember I've posted on this problem a while ago. I started to put my acclimation process in first post but thought I already had so much, people would get bored reading it. I acclimated them for 2 hours, drip method, and pour a little out as the bag got full. They last about 2 weeks. Would it take that long if it was acclimation?

 

[jonthefb]

doesnt sound like it. but again, who knows. how about the lfs that you get them from. what are their acclimations procedures?
jon

 

[wrassecal]

Believe me I've got plenty of algae! That's how I first realize some of them must be dead again. Algae on the glass. I only keep about a dozen in there to make sure "lack of food" isn't the problem.
Didn't mean to implicate the brittle star, just didn't think there would be anything too scary back there if he's hanging around there.
I've never seen my yellow tang near them. If they are flipping over something has to be dragging them back to the area I keep finding them in because there is no way they could flip over in that area. The problem started way before I bought the emerald and decorator crabs.

 

[simm]

Wrass Iv had the same problem. Water params are all good. Acclimated them for a few good hours and I still have lost my snails. All except 1. I add more they all die except that one.

 

[wrassecal]

Jon, can't be sure about the acclimation at lfs. This time I bought from 2 different ones just in case. It's a mystery. Well, I'll have 2 weeks off at Christmas and I guess I can just stay up all night one night and see if there is gremlin in there or something. I'm at such a loss on this it's starting to really "bleep" me off.

 

[wrassecal]

simm, you are the first person that has mentioned having the same problem. Misery loves company I guess. Let me know if you want to pull an all nighter to try to see what's going on, we can keep each other awake, while stalking our tanks with red flashlights! I've had about 3 that have made it since the beginning almost a year ago.

 

[p fish]

Hey Wrass
I had a two dot wrasses and I had the same problem. Guess what, I saw him pulling my crabs and snails right out of the shells. So you may have the same problem........

 

[simm]

LOL sounds fun. Really. I had a bunch of snails that did not last more than a couple of weeks. Except 1. I added a few more slowly and they all died. Im like you. Id like to know whats up. Iv looked and I havent seen any mantis shrimp or anything else in my tank that would kill them. Only other thing I would think to do is check for any traces of copper. Which has NEVER been anywhere near my tank.

 

[wrassecal]

Everything I have I bought new and no way copper has ever been in mine either.

 

[simm]

I know they are sensitive to salinity changes and PH changes. Not unless my evaporation is doing something im not catching. But I generaly keep mine at 1.023. and ph at 8.4. Ill keep my eyes out and if I find anything unusual Ill let you know because Im curious to. I see you keep your salinity at 1.026. I wonder if that would be a little high for snails?

 

[broomer5]

I know this isn't much help Wrassecal - but you did mention that misery loves company
I lose snails all the time.
I have some that have been with me in my tanks for over two years.
I have some that die off a few weeks after introduction.
I have a lot of hermits - that I'm sure get their share of the slow-movers
I've taken care when acclimating and I've also just litterally "tossed" some into the tanks.
I don't recommend the tossing of anything into the tank - but I did - and all 6 lived. Go figure.
I don't know what to tell you about losing snails.
I lost a Trochus - and that was a real drag.
The Turbo's - well some live long - some don't.
The odd thing is this - they're in the same tanks, so I would think if it was a water quality issue - they would all croak.
It's a mystery over here too.

 

[jim672]

Wrassecal,
I have to ditto what Broomer just mentioned. I've put alot....and I mean alot, of snails in my tank over the last three years. The number of empty shells increases, yet some of them are having babies because I have some on really little snails originally inhabited by hermits. I've just assumed it was normal. Some die/some live. Maybe the ones dying are already very old when you/we get them? Maybe they're already stressed from something having nothing to do with your/my tank as mentioned by Jon and Simm? Maybe the prior stress, the new tank stress and other factors like crabs or fish are combining to lead to thier demise??
Jim

 

[maryc137]

I lose snails too and always wondered why. Until a few weeks ago when I looked in at night with a flashlight and saw a mystery crab come out of the rocks, flip a turbo snail, and drag it back under the rock. Someday when this tank gets taken down I'll probably have a huge snail shell pile somewhere.