All snails die in my tanks

[AilyNC]

Longest snail survival was an MTS but tank was cycling and after 2 weeks it died.

I then got a Red Union snail for a different tank. It moved around for few hours then not at all for days. After 4 days it was clearly dead.

A good while passes so I tried 3 nerite snails. Two for bigger tank that the MTS has been in, one for my smaller tank the red union had been in.

At first the were so active. 2 days if activity. Then all 3 stopped moving. Ok maybe they're hibernating. I would check and yep still alive. Now almost 10 days of no movement around tanks they are dead.

My nitrate is always 20ppn from tap and sits around 30ppm until water change. Nitrite & ammonia zero. Hardness is 250ppm and ph is 8. Use

I don't get it.

 

[cane76]

Hi
Have you been using any medications or additives
Snails can be sensitive to certain things

 

[AilyNC]

Hi
Have you been using any medications or additives
Snails can be sensitive to certain things

Only in one tank when I'd nerite. I'd some salt added. But none of the other times or any other medication.

It's very odd.

 

[Essjay]

Do you know where your plants came from - the grower not the shop. Plants grown outside the EU must have been treated with a snail killer and these can linger in the tank a surprising length of time. These chemicals also kill shrimps.

 

[Colin_T]

Get your tap water tested for copper.

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a week, then add a couple of Ramshorn snails. See what happens.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

 

[Elephant nose 4]

Also check you haven't used anything with copper in it, its known to kill snails. Hope you get to the bottom of it.

 

[Elephant nose 4]

Sorry just noticed Colin _ t has mentioned copper .

 

[StevenF]

We need more information how often do you dow water changes and how much water do you change? Also please list all products you use in the tank, GH / KH boosters, fertilizers and water conditioners.

One post I saw a long time ago was a person that had a very similar problem to yours. None of the replies he got helped but then he figured it out... Too much potassium. He was using potassium bicarbonate to maintain a stale KH. He tried sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) And that worked. Animals including snails need sodium and potassium to live. He apparently had little to no sodium and a lot of potassium.

Even more helpful is to have an ICP-OES test on your water such as this one, http://icp-analysis.com. This can measure 33 elements in the water such as iron copper and boron. down to parts per billion levels It will not test for KH, nitrate, ammonia, or nitrite. I have done this on my tank to help me troubleshoot fertilizer issues I had. Once you get the result post them so we can all look at the results. This type of test is frequently used on salt water aquariums. So much of the advice these companies give are for salt water aquariums only. It costs about $30 and you can get results back in a week.

 

[Geordie Paul]

Are your plants growing at all and is there any algae forming?

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I have nothing to add except to say it's happened to me too. Some tanks, the snails last for a long time. Others they're dead within a couple months. I've never figured out why, but I'm with you!

 

[AilyNC]

Do you know where your plants came from - the grower not the shop. Plants grown outside the EU must have been treated with a snail killer and these can linger in the tank a surprising length of time. These chemicals also kill shrimps.

All my are from Tropics & lots of them were invitro.

 

[AilyNC]

We need more information how often do you dow water changes and how much water do you change? Also please list all products you use in the tank, GH / KH boosters, fertilizers and water conditioners.

One post I saw a long time ago was a person that had a very similar problem to yours. None of the replies he got helped but then he figured it out... Too much potassium. He was using potassium bicarbonate to maintain a stale KH. He tried sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) And that worked. Animals including snails need sodium and potassium to live. He apparently had little to no sodium and a lot of potassium.

Even more helpful is to have an ICP-OES test on your water such as this one, http://icp-analysis.com. This can measure 33 elements in the water such as iron copper and boron. down to parts per billion levels It will not test for KH, nitrate, ammonia, or nitrite. I have done this on my tank to help me troubleshoot fertilizer issues I had. Once you get the result post them so we can all look at the results. This type of test is frequently used on salt water aquariums. So much of the advice these companies give are for salt water aquariums only. It costs about $30 and you can get results back in a week.

My tank has weekly 75% water changes and I use Seachem Flourish Comprehensive half dose one or twice weekly. I also have some Seachem Flourish Root tabs & some TNC plugs. At this stage I'd say the root tabs are all gone though so likely just TNC plugs.

 

[AilyNC]

Are your plants growing at all and is there any algae forming?

Yes lots of growth in plants & algae too.

 

[AilyNC]

I'll have to find a way to test for copper. And won't get more snails unless I've a good chance of addressing the issue. Pity as they add something nice to the tank

 

[Essjay]

This is just one brand, there will be others

API® | COPPER TEST KIT

Copper – a treatment for many parasitic infections – must be monitored in an aquarium or a pond. The copper level can drop too low for the treatment to be effective, or can increase to a point that is detrimental to fish health.

apifishcare.com