Problems!!! Please help.

bdg7884

bdg7884

Member
My tank has been set up for three months now. So the last few days I notice snails laying on the sand on there shell. So I pick them up and put them on my rock or the glass to see of they are alive. Well the last few days I noticed a few have died, I noticed a couple pieces of my starfishes leg sitting there. Everything is at 0 any suggestions?
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
Have you every used any copper in your tank, or any medications? Have any fish and are they OK? Any shrimp and are they OK? Can you give specific water parameters including specific gravity and pH? Any recent major water changes or fluctuations? When did you add these animals and how did you acclimate? What kind of starfish is this? (Aside: The tank is very young for a seastar, which need very mature tanks...they can take a month to die from acclimation alone).
 
bdg7884

bdg7884

Member
Sorry, I didn't get to finish my sentence. My ride for work showed up. All the snails I have bought had purple coraline algae on their shell's, and all of them have turned white???
No, no copper or medications. Just Marine buffer to help PH. I have a Flasher Wrasse, Cleaner Shrimp, and a Peppermint shrimp. The wrasse has been in the tank for about a month no problems. The shrimp one week, all were drip acclimated. They are all acting fine eating normal, swimming, do the usual. Oh almost forgot it's a sand sifting starfish.
Also my tank is 38 Gal. I do between 5-8 Gal. water changes a week.
As of Sunday:
PH - 8.3
Amm - 0
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - 0
I have a fish store test for me. I also had my Phosphates tested and there was barely any. I have my water tested every weekend.
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
Is the sand star a recent addition or one you've had for over a month? How long did you have the snails for and were they active before this?
 
bdg7884

bdg7884

Member
Star for two weeks tomorrow(Can't find him anywhere). Snails they range from 1-2 months. My tank has been doing awesome. 0's on everything consistent. But obviously there is something wrong.
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
The star is most likely dying of acclimation shock. This is characteristic (a disintegration) and typically occurs within a couple of weeks to a month after introduction. The tank is really quite young for a star like that. Of course, it could be from acclimation into a tank with some other sort of chemical problem (that we don't test for) that could also be responsible for the snail issue.
When you see the snails on their back, I am assuming you still see the snail in the shell. There is a cover, the operculum, that hides the opening...is this being held tightly in the opening of the shell or is the animal "gaping" so that you can kind of see the snails foot?
It might not be a bad idea to try adding a polyfilter to the tank and seeing if it turns any color.
 
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