low salt level ( mistake)

seabassi

seabassi

New Member
Hi everyone, my question is the other day I make a 10% water change in my 65 gallon tank , the mistake i make was I forget to add salt in the new water i remembered 12 hours later so i checked the level and it was 1.018 at that point my large snails were not moving all 4 of them as I raised the level the snails were still not moving this morning 1 is dead and the other 3 are alive but not moving can this happen with a salt level of 1.018 for 24 hours, now my level is 1.022 very weird ( help) thanks, oh the fish are fine and the shrimp is also fine
Thanks
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
The osmotic shock is what injured your snails. They could probably handle a specific gravity of 1.018 for a while but they cannot handle a sudden change in salinity.
Raising it back up quickly will cause a second episode of osmotic shock. The best way to raise salinity gradually is to use full strength saltwater for topoff for a week or so.
 
seabassi

seabassi

New Member
oh sorry, I meant will the snails be ok when I do the correct water change with the proper salt level from the beginning
Thanks
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
If you match the salinity then the snails won't have additional issues. The effects of osmotic shock are profound though so it will take a long time for the affected snails to recover, if they recover.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Seabassi, you should also be pre-mixing the water. If you just add salt to the change water and dump it in, the salt will mix with the water in the tank. There is a gas exchange that takes place which reduces the amount of oxygen in the tank, which can effect your other readings, which will adversely effect your pets. Mix the water with a power head in a bucket. 24 hr minimum used to be standard.
 
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