snails acting strange...please help

[jds31788]

just got homw from work and i found one of my snails upside down. i picked it up thinking it was dead but it i was wrong. i set him upright and poked at the other snail to see if it was alive and it fell off the glass... both snails are alive but seem very very weak.. maybe malnutrition?? i added some phosphate remover just 5 days ago along with a lawn mower blenny to get rid of some alge. i also lost a hermit crab the other day. my only other hermit seems week also.. cleaner shrimp is fine.
30 gal no coral
1 yellow watchman goby
1 lawn mower blenny
1 hermit crab
1 cleaner shrimp
2 snails
no test kit. parameters were perfect according to lfs on Wed of last week. i have only hydrometer. currently at 1.024
whats wrong???
:help:

 

[blemmy_guy]

Has your tank ever been treated with copper??? Todd

 

[xrobbx03]

what type of snails are they? I had 3 turbos in my 38 gallon and i heard that u can only keep one every 20 gallons or so. 2 have died because i think they werent getting enough to eat. Since then the other was has been perfectly fine. Also all my tank levels were perfect.

 

[jds31788]

never treated for copper.. im not sure what kind they are but i dont think they are turbo snails. ill try to find out or get a picture. it seems like all the inverts are effected.. cleaner shrimp is ok but he doesnt seem his happy self.. thanks for your replies

 

[27mtaylor]

Maybe take your water the the LFS to have it tested. From what I understand, inverts are sensitive to water quality. A test kit would be a good investment.

 

[jds31788]

i agree. lfs opens at 11. ill have to leave work to go by there.. do u think the phosphat remover has anything to do with it?? should i do a partial water change? i would think snails are pretty hardy but i could be wrong.

 

[27mtaylor]

I've never used a phosphate remover... If your water quality is bad then a water change would definately help, but you wont know that till you test your water. Of course doing a water change is not going to hurt anything at all ...if you have the time.

 

[jds31788]

thanks for your advice. i might do a water change when i get home. for now im off to work then the lfs.. i hope everything is fine.. wish me luck.

 

[zsalinas]

I don't know what type of snails those are, but they never do good in my tank. I can have any other type of snail but those. I talked to my lfs and one of the guys said they tend to like a little colder water. I have no idea I just stopped getting them. All of my other snails do fine. I don't know if it's the same maybe for you?

 

[jds31788]

thanks for the suggestions.. i think i am going to look for a different type when these die off.. i had my water tested today and my hydrometer is at lease 0.004 off. thats what i get for not buying a refractometer.. my salinity is high.. 1.028. lfs said its not a problem though. they keep theirs at about 1.026. i added some distilled water to help with that. ph was at 7.4. i added some buffer to get it back up to 8.2. lfs also said that those snails sometimes do that. get real lazy and just hang out for weeks. they may die of old age even though they are tiny. other than that everything is fine and every1 is getting along famously. thanks again for your posts!

 

[jds31788]

Cleaner shrimp died... i think its from the salt. my hydrometer is to blame. i need to get some better equipment especially before i start corals.. i hate to spend $50 on a refractoment. does any1 have any suggestions on what kind of test kit to buy. ive been told to stay away from the strips but thats what the lfs uses. they claim that people dont use the strips properly. what do u think?? i would appreciate any suggestions.
Thanks

 

[27mtaylor]

I hate that your shrimp died, but you live you learn. It's an expensive hobby to have to learn the hard way though. And I've learned many things the hard way so far... lol.

 

[tang lover]

I have pne of those snails and the guy at my LFS said that it was a Zebra Snail.

 

[jds31788]

the lfs wants about $80-90 for a refactometer but i think i can find one for under 50 online. theres not much i can do about the snails. they are losing their shine and i think they will die soon. im not even sure if i am going to replace them. i want to add corals and i heard that the can be a pain to keep off the corals. even thought they dont eat the coral, the coral still doesnt like to be sat on. lol. should i get some sand sifting crabs or a starfish, feather duster, etc. in place of the snails. i have an urchin, a small hermit crab and an algea blenny as my cleaning crew. what else do i need. i have to have room for a jawfish, a flame angel, a manderin goby, and maybe a clown if im not overstocking.