Anyone Know About Golden Apple Snails?

[Athena]

ANOTHER UPDATE ON MY SNAIL

Well, I checked on my snail last night. Been trying to think of a good name for him...considering "Lord Lucan" as that seems quite fitting what with the disappearing act and all...

Anyway, HE IS ALIVE!! Yaaay!! When I put the tank lights on I could see he was still in the same position as I'd left him, except that he was poking out a little bit again. I sat and observed for about half an hour and saw that every now and then he seemed to have a stretch of his foot outwards for a few seconds before retreating back inside. Still haven't seen any sign of those lovely long tentacles, though, as he doesn't get that far out of his shell.

Checked again this morning and the same thing - in the same spot with a fraction of his foot visible.

But...phew...at least I know he's still alive at the moment!

Athena

 

[alex.wardle]

How very strange. I wonder what he is doing in his shell. maybe he is redecorating the inside of it

 

[Athena]

LOL yeah, it is strange, Alex. He's my first snail so I have nothing to compare with, though.

Maybe he pigged out so much the first week or so that he's too lazy to move now. I wonder if they do this when they are growing their shell a bit more...

Can't believe I've had all this worry over a snail! And yet you should see the state I get myself into when I see my garden path full of giant snails after it's been raining! Eugh creepy!

So it's very strange that I'm quite smitten by this golden apple snail!

Ah, still, at least I don't keep pet mozzies LOL

Athena

 

[alex.wardle]

ha ha. Made me chuckle (the boss is looking at me now as if 2 say are you atually working) I have 2 golden apple snails and 3 assassin snails. Mine never really stop still tho. one gave the othe a piggy back the hole way round the tank yesterday. very amusing to watch

 

[alex.wardle]

How is Lord Lucan 2day any change ???

 

[Athena]

Hi Alex, sorry - only just noticed you posted on here!

Yes, LL was still doing the same thing last night. Sticking his foot out a wee tad but that's it. I moved him to a shadier part of the tank under some plants as I read that they don't like being in direct light and are more active in the dark. Well, he used to be active the whole time before he went on strike!

His shell isn't as beautiful as it used to be, either. Used to be a really bright golden colour but now it's looking a bit patchy and dull.

Thanks for asking!

Athena

 

[Abyss]

I have a similiar problem.

I've had 2 Golden Apple Snails for just over 2 weeks and I think 1 is dead.

It hadn't moved for 3 days so I picked it p to have a look and a load of goo came out the shell. If I was French it would have made me hungry, but alas I think he is dead.

Why did this happen?

Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate 30-50 (right before a water change)

Water change 100L a week from 390L tank.

Fed on Lettuce, Cucumber and algae wafers (though they never seemed to eat the veg, just the wafers).

I'm thinking it might have starved or something?

What could it be? Fish are obviously all fine and stats above are good.

 

[Athena]

Oh dear! Sorry to hear about your snail. My Lord Lucan is still alive but still hasn't moved yet, apart from sticking a fraction of his foot out now and then.

I don't understand these snails at all. Quite a mystery!

Athena

 

[alex.wardle]

i am quite worried about LL. Not at all normal for a snail.
Especially if he is off his food and is losing colour. Mine are still giving each other piggy backs around the tank. I seperated them last night into different tanks as i dont want any more
post a pic. May be he wants a friend

I have a similiar problem.

I've had 2 Golden Apple Snails for just over 2 weeks and I think 1 is dead.

It hadn't moved for 3 days so I picked it p to have a look and a load of goo came out the shell. If I was French it would have made me hungry, but alas I think he is dead.

Why did this happen?

Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate 30-50 (right before a water change)

Water change 100L a week from 390L tank.

Fed on Lettuce, Cucumber and algae wafers (though they never seemed to eat the veg, just the wafers).

I'm thinking it might have starved or something?

What could it be? Fish are obviously all fine and stats above are good.

I think it may be dead my friend. does he smell.

 

[Abyss]

No, but from what came out of the shell I'd say he is dead.

But I want to know why?

Hope LL turns out to be OK.

ps. I have MTS as well, and they are ok.

 

[Athena]

Hi Alex - yes, as the days go by without any movement of LL I am feeling pretty desperate. I know he's alive but he just won't show his face! Someone on another thread suggested it may have been something to do with the lettuce I gave him, possibly had pesticides on it making him ill...

I did ask my LFS if they had any more nice ones but at the moment they don't. There was one in a tank but, like LL, he was hiding in his shell and I thought that wasn't a good sign LOL.

If I get time to post a pic at some point in the next week I will do.

That sounds funny, your snails doing piggy backs LOL - I remember reading that snails often eat any algae deposits from another snail's shell, so maybe that's what they're doing? Or just being completely lazy LOL!

Athena

 

[alex.wardle]

I really do feel quite sorry for LL well i was thinking along the same lines that maybe they were cleaning each other. I was rong. I have eggs. You can have 1st dipps on some if they hatch out. just about to upload some pics on my thread about them.

 

[Athena]

Aw, thanks Alex - I just read your post about the snail eggs and even cheekily joked about you sending me one when they hatch!

I've decided that any future snails I get won't be fed on any raw veggies as someone on another post suggested that even with washing it doesn't remove all the harmful pesticides (well, maybe not so harmful to us but to snails it is). she said she had the same problem with various apple snails clamping up and dying after being fed on lettuce etc, now that she doesn't feed raw veg she doesn't have any snail's getting sick or dying prematurely.

I feel so bad if LL is sick because of what I fed him! And if he is sick I have no idea how to make him better... extra water changes maybe to detox him?

Regards - Athena

 

[Littlemonkey]

Athena, don't be put off feeding veg. Use anything you can peel first, this will cut down the chance of contaminates getting to the fish/snails. Apple snails I have found are good indicators of problems within a tank and some are more sensitive than others. You have may just have been unlucky with Lucan. I can send you a couple of Golden Apple snails if you want, just PM me your address. I can then PM you some piccy's of them.

 

[Athena]

UPDATE


Lord Lucan is dead!

I was away at the weekend (mum was staying at mine and feeding fish etc). When I got back Sunday night she said one of my "little fishies" had died. When I checked the tank I discovered it was one of my Harlequins, poor thing. My molly was also looking a lot worse for wear...couldn't understand it as I've not had any problems in years (apart from when the heater broke recently). Then I noticed Lord Lucan, my apple snail, looking a weird colour (and still in exactly the same position he'd been in since last week). This time there was no sign of him at all. His door firmly shut but his shell just looking a weird colour.

So, after removing the Harlequin, I gingerly removed LL and had a sniff...left me gagging to say the least!!! PHEWEEEE! Now I know what you were all saying about "you'll know by the smell if it's dead". So, yes, alas he's gone and I'm feeling rather sad about it all.

I can't help but feel a bit guilty that he may have died due to the lettuce I gave him and possibly digesting pesticides off it, although I never actually saw him on the lettuce leaf. I just don't know.

Anyway, he'd obviously been dead a while, causing ammonia to rise in my tank and thereby killing my harlequin and my molly was obviously stressed. The others looked ok but I did a huge water change last night, so hopefully tonight when I get home the stats will have returned to normal.

On top of all that, I installed a new filter into that tank after the water change as I noticed the filter in there was running a bit slower than normal and even with a clean it didn't seem as powerful, so I got a new one...which turned out to be faulty and ended up spraying tank water out of the top like a fountain all up my walls and over my wooden floor. The tank lid was off whilst I set everything up. Arrgh! Have to return it on Saturday.

Was NOT a good evening.

Athena