Why are my inverts so sluggish?

[gio28]

all my inverts have been acting real sluggish and i dont know why (with the exception of my emeralds and cleaner shrimp) so my snails, hermits, and conch are all really lazy cause they dont move at all and they are eating algae at a very very slow pace..some not at all. all my params are perfect and i cant figure out why they are just sitting there.

 

[meowzer]

have you ever head as slow as a snail....LOL

 

[gio28]

lol yeah...but this is like super slow even for a snail. my ceriths dont even move...and all my new turbos move maybe 1-2 cm per day. the conch is sitting in the same spot for a few days now...i pretty sure all the hermits, turbos, and at least a few ceriths are alive...so idk what the problem is...i acclimated them for 3 hours and...i just dont know lol

 

[meowzer]

I had 3 conch...sit in the same spot for a week...lol...one of them stayed longer...I finally picked it up thinking it was dead....it wasn't. They get to a spot, and stay there till they are done...same with turbos...and ceriths are boring...but good at what they do

 

[gio28]

ok thats good to know...i though i had a super lazy CUC lol. those darn ceriths though...they are being hekkkka lazy

 

[ophiura]

Can you post parameters? What is "perfect" for fish is often fatal for inverts. Do you have any brass fittings in the tank? How do you measure your specific gravity? Have all of your test readings been verified at an LFS?

 

[gio28]

nitrate - def below 5. prob 0
nitrite and ammonia- 0
ph 8.3
no brass fittings...
LFS verified all my tests but last time i went in they said my ph was 7.2, which it was not...they mixed my test up cause i checked multiple times w/ a new test kit. everything else was perfect.
i use a hydrometer for SG it is between 1.023-1.025

 

[gio28]

calcium is a little low...i forget exactly...but its close to the normal range. also, the alk was perfect too i just forgot what my LFS said exactly besides it right on target.
phosphates are 0 and im using tap (can that be the problem)
also, my anemone may be dying/dead...but it is still attached to the rock so it must still be alive i think. but maybe it is releasing something into the water.
lastly, my tank is real smelly lately, idk why so maybe that is it....
idk what other info i have lol
hopefully some of this will help solve my problem

 

[whitebird]

Originally Posted by gio28
http:///forum/post/3137735
nitrate - def below 5. prob 0
nitrite and ammonia- 0
ph 8.3
no brass fittings...
LFS verified all my tests but last time i went in they said my ph was 7.2, which it was not...they mixed my test up cause i checked multiple times w/ a new test kit. everything else was perfect.
i use a hydrometer for SG it is between 1.23-1.25
you should think about getting a Refractometer all i used to use was a hydrometer(had 3) and always thought my water was 1.025 and i finaly got a Refractometer and my water was at 1.030+ am glad i got one

 

[gio28]

im asking for one for my bday from my parents (this month)...i would buy one but im a high school student with no money lol

 

[whitebird]

Originally Posted by gio28
http:///forum/post/3137752
im asking for one for my bday from my parents (this month)...i would buy one but im a high school student with no money lol
oh ok been there lol buts been a few decades ago but got a lawnmower?

get out mow a few lawns and bingo

you got money for one

 

[gio28]

lol well luckily i dont have to resort to that...i can work for my dad...but i just spent all they money i earned working on my sump. since school started i cant keep up with working and doing all my homework from my ap classes...lol...my tank will barely have any new additions till next summer when i work again.

 

[whitebird]

Originally Posted by gio28
http:///forum/post/3137754

lol well luckily i dont have to resort to that...i can work for my dad...but i just spent all they money i earned working on my sump. since school started i cant keep up with working and doing all my homework from my ap classes...lol...my tank will barely have any new additions till next summer when i work again.
yes home work comes first our daughter comes home gets a snack and then spends 2 hrs doing homework they really pile it on too but last year she was a honor student all year with 3.57 avg.

 

[gio28]

congrats to her! my gpa was like 3.something... i need to focus more like she does...it will pay off hopefully for us both for college...but man theres so much hw its crazy. almost all of my friends have it easy...i get so jealous sometimes that they can come home and do whatever while i have to sit and study every day.

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by gio28
http:///forum/post/3137610
all my inverts have been acting real sluggish and i dont know why (with the exception of my emeralds and cleaner shrimp) so my snails, hermits, and conch are all really lazy cause they dont move at all and they are eating algae at a very very slow pace..some not at all. all my params are perfect and i cant figure out why they are just sitting there.

What temperature do you keep the tank? Too cold will make critters move slow.

 

[gio28]

78-82 depending on the MH and temp of my house

 

[king_neptune]

is it unusual behavior? i have bouts where my snails are "Slow"
sometimes they bury in the sand and sit fora few days. other times they only move a couple inches over the course of the day. most often though when I feed the tank, everyone rushes towards the meat at top speed(unless they are the ones sitting in the sand...those guys just chill for days)

 

[snakeblitz33]

1. test your salinity. For keeping inverts, it should be anywhere from 1.024 to 1.028.
2. test your tank for any copper. copper can sometimes leach into a system when using tap water.
3. Do you have too many snails and not enough algae? Somtimes if there's not enough food to eat, then why spend the energy necessary to go find it?