Nassarius Snails dying in my Seahorse tank

btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Just curious if you guys have these issues.
I don't think it's an acclimation issue, as I can keep them alive in other tanks, but my Nassarius snails are dropping like flies in my Seahorse tank. All other snails are fine, all other inverts are fine, as are the fish and horses. I'm literally finding them upside down, dead. It makes no sense to me at all.
Salinity is 1.023
Temp is 73.5
phosphate, nitrate, ammonia, etc are at 0ppm
I haven't tested calcium on this tank recently
pH is 8.2
There's nothing in there that eats snails, obviously, because it's a seahorse tank. And they're not being eaten. The bodies are still there, they're just dead.
I'm just wondering what else I can try to help clean the sand. I have a ton of cerith snails coming wednesday, as well as more Nassarius and a few fighting conches. I had planned on putting the conch in the reef tanks, I didn't really think they were suited for a seahorse tank.
Thoughts?
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
hmmmm..I have no problems with nassarius, BUT I also keep a tiger sand conch and a cleaner clam in the SH tank too
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/387205/nassarius-snails-dying-in-my-seahorse-tank#post_3405102
hmmmm..I have no problems with nassarius, BUT I also keep a tiger sand conch and a cleaner clam in the SH tank too
It's really odd. The sand is established sand too, it's a mixture from my 180 reef and the refugium that's attached to the 180. I can't figure it out. There's more than enough food for them, but it's almost like they're just starve. They just flip over randomly and die. It's not like they're falling and getting stuck that way either, because nassarius can right themselves, and some of the places they've died, there's nothing near them that they could have fallen from. It's very odd. The only thing I could even think would be doing it was the colder temp, but 73.5 isn't THAT cold.
Hopefully this next back coming Wednesday does better. The last batch, half went in the reef, half in the SH tank, the ones in the reef are fine. In the SH tank, I have two left out of 6.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
I'm sure with seahorses there is enough food because I have never had a sw critter eat any messier. I don't have any issues either, and my tank stays between 71 and 75. The only thing I know of that affect inverts like that are high nitrates and that would affect everything in the tank.
Why don't you go ahead and do all the tests and see what you see. Check calcium, alk, phosphates, ammonia...everything
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///forum/thread/387205/nassarius-snails-dying-in-my-seahorse-tank#post_3405121
I'm sure with seahorses there is enough food because I have never had a sw critter eat any messier. I don't have any issues either, and my tank stays between 71 and 75. The only thing I know of that affect inverts like that are high nitrates and that would affect everything in the tank.
Why don't you go ahead and do all the tests and see what you see. Check calcium, alk, phosphates, ammonia...everything
That's my thought, with established sand, and messy eaters, it's not starvation. It's very, very odd. I can't chalk it up to a bad batch, or poor acclimating because the half that went in the reef, which were acclimated the same way, are fine. The only thing that is different between the tanks is salinity level and temperature, neither one of which is that different that it should be killing snails.
These were my morning tests today:
nitrite, ammonia, nitrate and phosphate - 0ppm
alk - 9.5dKH
Calcium 400
pH 8.2
temp 73.4
1.023
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by BTLDreef http:///forum/thread/387205/nassarius-snails-dying-in-my-seahorse-tank#post_3405195
That's my thought, with established sand, and messy eaters, it's not starvation. It's very, very odd. I can't chalk it up to a bad batch, or poor acclimating because the half that went in the reef, which were acclimated the same way, are fine. The only thing that is different between the tanks is salinity level and temperature, neither one of which is that different that it should be killing snails.
These were my morning tests today:
nitrite, ammonia, nitrate and phosphate - 0ppm
alk - 9.5dKH
Calcium 400
pH 8.2
temp 73.4
1.023
You know, I put so many snails in my tank (65 altogether, 20 nassarius) I wouldn't know if a few died. When I feed the horses I never really watched the snails. I keep thinking I only see like 5 or 6 at any time. My SH tank is loaded with coral...and with hair algae I can't really see. I will wonder if it's more common than we think for them to die like that. In the 90g its so big who cares and I have hermits in there...
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator

You know, I put so many snails in my tank (65 altogether, 20 nassarius) I wouldn't know if a few died. When I feed the horses I never really watched the snails. I keep thinking I only see like 5 or 6 at any time. My SH tank is loaded with coral...and with hair algae I can't really see. I will wonder if it's more common than we think for them to die like that. In the 90g its so big who cares and I have hermits in there...
 
That's a good point!
What size is your tank again? How many horses/fish are in there? What is your CUC?
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by BTLDreef http:///forum/thread/387205/nassarius-snails-dying-in-my-seahorse-tank#post_3405266
That's a good point!
What size is your tank again? How many horses/fish are in there? What is your CUC?
I have two tanks.
My Seahorse tank is 30g:

  • 65 different types of snails, 20 are nassarius, 25 Cerith and 20 nerite (LOL...one of the types have an extra 5)

  • 4 Erectus seahorses 3 males and 1 female

  • 5 peppermint shrimp

  • 1 Hectors goby

  • 2 yellow clown fish.

  • 2 fan worms

  • Soft corals and a foam rock wall. 3 types of red macro algae.
    I noticed some hair algae had started and I got the Hectors goby, but that tiny little fish didn't have a chance against such fast growing algae, but he is pretty cool for a tiny little fish. Now it's everywhere like an explosion after the 4 days the power was out. I had opened windows to let the sun shine in, so the horses would come out to eat. It worked at coaxing the horses, but it fed the hair algae...oh boy did it feed the hair algae.
    The other tank is a 90g,
    I have hermits from years ago, and I added another 65 different snails in that one too. I purchased the identical group for it when I ordered the CUC for the SH tank.
    lemonpeel angelfish
    Solon wrasse
    Lawnmower blenny
    Orchid dottyback
    2 perc clowns
    2 serpent stars
I wouldn't notice any snails missing I don't pay that much attention. There is no algae in that tank at all anymore. I feed them algae sheets. I run the aquaripure filter on that tank...vodka dosing...so no nutrients. Last night I put the rock with GSPs that I had in the SH tank into the 90g to let the critters pick at that algae, they seem happy enough. I went looking and I don't see many snails but they hide in the daylight.
 
rainbow grouper

rainbow grouper

Active Member
could you think of any way they could have been flipped over because with many snails they die if flipped over as they cannot right themselves
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Yup, one of the reasons that I avoid Astreas. Nassarius probably have the easiest time righting themselves, trochus do a decent job at it too.
 
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