Turbos dying

raptor72

raptor72

Member
In the past month I've lost 3 of my Turbo snails. They just turn over and croak. I've read that inverts are the first ones to go when there's something wrong with the tank. The thing is I've done all my maintenance and water tests and everything comes up fine.
PH 8.2
Am 0
Ni 0
Na 0
Phos 0
Alk 2.4 (working on that)
Cal 500
I'm not sure what's up.
 
raptor72

raptor72

Member
I just lost another one.
As far as food, there is no short supply. If anything, like a lot of people, I tend to overfeed. I know they are algae eaters, but there is enough and has been enough to maintain them. I think this is something else if I'm losing them in such a short time frame.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
It could very well be the alkalinity issue. I'm assuming everything else is fine?
By any change do you have a magnesium test?
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by travelerjp98 http:///t/388201/turbos-dying#post_3422280
Or a copper test?
You'd be surprised how uncommon copper is. We're all taught to fear it, but it really has to be incredibly high before it really effects anything. That's why I don't mention it other than when someone is buying a used tank.
 
travelerjp98

travelerjp98

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by BTLDreef http:///t/388201/turbos-dying#post_3422283
You'd be surprised how uncommon copper is. We're all taught to fear it, but it really has to be incredibly high before it really effects anything. That's why I don't mention it other than when someone is buying a used tank.
hmmm that's interesting. I thought it was more common. Thanks for telling me that. Well if he can test for Cu, he might as well.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
The ALK level is not harmful to your Snails. It's nearly NSW levels.
I would not be quick about discounting copper if you use tap water instead of RO water. The issue with copper is that once it's in the tank it's difficult to remove. The algae scrubbers WILL slowly remove copper. The issue is that copper doesn't stay in the water, algae sequesters it quickly and it is also adsorbed by live rock. Since water changes do not remove copper it can build up over years if it is present in the water you are using. This is why it tends to affect Snails first when they graze Diatoms on the rock.
Testing the tank water will not tell you the story since the copper doesn't stay in the water very long.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
One other thought, do you know the exact specie of Turbo you have and what is the water temperature? I'm wondering it you picked up a temperate Mexico species of Turbo.
 
raptor72

raptor72

Member

One other thought, do you know the exact specie of Turbo you have and what is the water temperature? I'm wondering it you picked up a temperate Mexico species of Turbo.
I'm not sure on the exact species of Turbo. I've had them all since March and they have all developed a good coraline algae coating.
It's a new tank so there was no copper used and all the water I've ever used has been RO water.
I've never tested for Magnesium, but I guess that will be my next purchase.
 
wartooth1

wartooth1

Member
I wouldn't worry too much. I've read/heard from several sources that Turbos could die for really no reason. I started out with 4 last May and 3 of them have died within a couple of weeks of eachother out of the blue and so far those 3 Turbos are the only thing in my tank that has died (except for a Fighting Conch that I suspect was sick when I bought it).
 
S

saxman

Guest
IME, it could be species-related, and since yours were doing fine, and suddenly up and died, it's pretty likely that you have a cooler water species that simply "burned out" at higher temps. How warm is your tank?
Once you get "good" turbos, they get HUGE and live several years.
There's a really nice orange-shelled species from the Carribean that stays a lot smaller and does really well at normal tropical temps, but you don't see them often in the trade.
 
jburgi

jburgi

Member
What is RO water exactly? I am new to this site and am having the hardest time figuring out all of the acronyms everyone uses! I feel super dumb! hahahaha. I am guessing RO water is some kind of water you buy at the store?
I do not have a good source of saltwater anything where I am at. I can buy salt at the local pet store, but that is about it. I need all the help I can get! :)
Have you had any salinity problems? I lost a bunch of snail in my first month because I was having a hard time getting the hang of the consistent salinity thing.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by jburgi http:///t/388201/turbos-dying#post_3423982
What is RO water exactly?
RO = Reverse Osmosis. Here we are referring to water that has been purified by a Reverse Osmosis filter. You will also see RO/DI. DI = Deionized. So this is RO water that is additionally run through a Deionizer to further purify the water.
Quote:
I am new to this site and am having the hardest time figuring out all of the acronyms everyone uses! I feel super dumb! hahahaha. I am guessing RO water is some kind of water you buy at the store?
I do not have a good source of saltwater anything where I am at. I can buy salt at the local pet store, but that is about it. I need all the help I can get! :)
Here's a list of acronyms commonly used in the hobby --->
http://api.viglink.com/api/click?format=go&key=8ca4c5a3252429a8a38a0e1c554109db&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fforums.saltwaterfish.com%2Ft%2F264597%2Fa-list-of-extremely-helpful-threads-for-all-hobbyists&v=1&libid=1317907028129&out=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.saltwaterfish.com%2Fvb%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D42388%26highlight%3Dacronyms&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fforums.saltwaterfish.com%2Ff%2F15%2Fnew-hobbyists&title=A%20List%20of%20Extremely%20Helpful%20Threads%20for%20All%20Hobbyists&txt=Abbreviation%20and%20Acronym%20Meanings&jsonp=vglnk_jsonp_13179070361413
Quote:
Have you had any salinity problems? I lost a bunch of snail in my first month because I was having a hard time getting the hang of the consistent salinity thing.
Once you understand the mechanics of it maintaining Salinity will be one of the easier aspects of the hobby. Topoff with fresh water to replace evaporated water. The more often you topoff the more stable the Salinity will be. The most stable are from an Automatic Topoff (ATO).
 
mrdc

mrdc

Active Member
They aren't Margarita snails? That is a species that doesn't like high temps. They are also susceptible to osmotic shock. I have read that if they aren't properly acclimated that they can slowly die over time and you also have to worry about how they were handled from the time they were collected or bred to the time they made it to your tank. In my experience I have had good success when I started to drip acclimate them.
 
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