snails

[jhc]

I am fairly new to the hobby, and I need some help. I have had a 55 gallon tank for about a year with no problems. I have 2 percs, a firefish, 10 hermits and some astria and sandsifter snails and a peppermint shrimp. I had no problems until 2 days ago I noticed my cleaner shrimp was gone and my firefish began acting sick. All levels are good: nitr 0, nitrates 0, Ammonia 0, pH 8.2. This morning I noticed at least a hundred tiny snails on my liverock and glass. They are half a millimeter in size and have an elongated shell. What are these and are they the cause of the illness and is there anything that I can do? Are my percs doomed? My most recent water change was about 2 weeks ago. I used distilled water. Any help would be appreciated.
JHC

 

[bigarn]

Have you been using distilled water all along or was this the first time? RO water is best. The critters may be Pods,do a search at the top of the page and see if you can identify them.

 

[jhc]

I have used distilled all along. Thanks
JHC

 

[elfdoctors]

If you are sure the spots are snails, it is unlikely that they caused disease. Are you sure they are moving? Do a search on Stomatella snails if they are. They reproduce in hobbyist tanks. If you have these, you are lucky as you will not have to buy snails again. These tend to be nocturnal. I find hordes of them in my tank every evening.
Distilled water can occasionally be harmful. From what I understand, the problem is often based on what medium was used to condense the steam. If a metal condenser was used (which is most economical and most common) your distilled water now has metal ions in it. If a copper condenser was used, your invertebrates will die and eventually your fish will get sick as the copper ions will eventually build up in your tank due to evaporation. This is why reverse osmosis water is preferred over distilled.
Are your other readings okay?