Assassin Snails

[JustKia]

I just bought two of these critters around 6 hours ago. They've been in the tank for about 4.5 hours (after acclimatising - did I actually need to do that?) and they haven't moved at all
Are they just playing dead after their recent upheaval or should they have at least crawled off to a hidey hole by now?
Lights have been out for just over 2 hours.

 

[JustKia]

Still no movement

 

[three-fingers]

Are there any fish picking at them at all?
While I've not had assassin snails, I've had apple snails and nerites in the past that have taken at least 12 hours to move.
I wouldn't worry unless they don't move overnight, leave them be for now.

If come morning they still haven't moved, pick them up and tap on their trap doors (if they have one, not sure if assassin snails do ). If the door closes and shuts tight (or was never open) don't worry and give them more time...the snails are just being odd. May want to check your water stats though.

If they don't have doors, smell the opening (sounds weird, I know). Trust me, you should be able to tell if they have been dead for 12 hours after doing that,

 

[helterskelter]

How they doing now?
Mine was out and about with in 5 mins of adding to my tanks.

 

[JustKia]

Well about 16.5 hours they've been in there now and no movement at all.
The fish aren't the slightest bit interested in them.
There doesn't appear to be a "trapdoor" as I can see part way into the shell, but not far from the angle they are at.
Water stats are ammonia and nitrIte <0.2mg/l and <0.3mg/l respectively (paler than the first colour ref block on the chart but still not getting those all elusive zeros), nitrAte 12.5-25mg/l Temp is 23-24*C, 125L tank.
Will fish them out (no pun intended) and give them a sniff.

 

[JustKia]

They don't have any smell at all - I'm going to guess that's a good thing?
If they are in there, they are way down in their shells as I can't see them, but then the shell does curl round quite a lot (cone shaped). I think they must be in there because when I put them back in there wasn't any bubbles (like when water replaces air in an enclosed space).

At the LFS they were in a tank of just snails - assassins and feeder snails, but none of the assassins were actually "out".

 

[three-fingers]

Well about 16.5 hours they've been in there now and no movement at all.
The fish aren't the slightest bit interested in them.
There doesn't appear to be a "trapdoor" as I can see part way into the shell, but not far from the angle they are at.
Water stats are ammonia and nitrIte <0.2mg/l and <0.3mg/l respectively (paler than the first colour ref block on the chart but still not getting those all elusive zeros), nitrAte 12.5-25mg/l Temp is 23-24*C, 125L tank.
Will fish them out (no pun intended) and give them a sniff.

That's not too good, I've not read about how sensitive these guys are, but I have noticed with Tylomelania spp. and often apple snails that they wont come out if there is less than perfect water conditions.

Is this a new tank? Sound like it's not done cycling yet or is going through a mini-cycle. Try some water changes?

 

[JustKia]

Just finished week 4 of cycling. I don't mind how much effort it takes as still doing daily water changes (and the male danios are displaying and lady chasing like crazy), but it's a bit annoying that there isn't a change in the water stats - each time the liquid turns colour but not to match the first colour ref block on the chart - been like this for the last couple weeks with no change at all. I did check the tap water just incase.
I have used Ammo-Lock, which says it's ok for invertebrates as well as fish which is supposed to lock the ammonia up in a non toxic form, yet is still available to the bacs in the filter, but will still give a positive reading on a water test. The filter has Fluval NitrAte Remover ion exchange resin in it which it states "eliminates toxic nitrItes".
Also 8 live plants and some java moss in there too.

 

[three-fingers]

As I say, Ive got no personal experience with assassin snails so don't know how sensitive they are, however, if I was in your situation I would either return the snails or find a cycled tank for them, as clearly something is negatively effecting them. If they were this way in the shop, then perhaps something in the shops water was also effecting them (such as traces of medication). When looking to buy snails at the lfs, only go for ones that are lively and moving around .

I would also get rid of that nitrate removing resin, as I think it's probably affecting the cycle in some way. Replace this media with biological media like ceramic rings, or if you want, inert mechanical media like filter floss. The best option for you right now is to get any media from a cycled tank, be that gravel from an undergravel filter or sponge from an internal, and place this in that filter chamber. Any amount of mature media will help at least a bit.

A nitrate remover that "eliminates toxic nitrItes"? Doesn't make much sense unless your talking about an established tank, where some bacteria also convert nitrate into other compounds including nitrite.

As a rule, try to avoid any chemicals that remove nitrogen compounds from your system (especially when cycling), far more reliable to let bacteria and plants do that.

In mature aquariums, it's not just a simple case of ammonia -> nitrite -> nitrate (this is just the major important process that is often focussed on) but rather there are loads of other bacterial process going on including those where nitrate is converted into other nitogen compounds like nitrite and nitrogen gas.

The bacteria that grow on filter media live in a biofilm - which is like a structured film of different species of bacteria built up in a way so the different species can all get the different foods they require, the important bacteria to us use nitrogen compounds as food..
Anything that removes nitrogen compounds from the system is going to impact on the development of the biofilm on your filter media (the process referred to as 'cylcling'), possibly (as I'd hypothesise in this case) adversely.

Ammolock is probably affecting the cycle in some way too (as it's changes ammonia to another nitrogen compound, that possibly a different species uses), but since it's pretty much necessary to avoid harm to the fish, and it's widely used without adverse effect to the cycle being noticed. So for now take that chemical as the exception to the rule .

 

[doresy]

Hi, yes you do have to acclimatise them as they are water sensitive.

I had 2. One never looked alive or even at home. Took it back and got another. Never saw either of them again untill one day they got sucked up in the vac. On closer inspection, empty shells. Reckon they ate each other!

Worst tenner I ever spent.

 

[JustKia]

doresy - I'm wondering, although I did phone the LFS and said that they haven't moved at all, they said give them another day and if they still don't move they will exchange them.

three-fingers - lots of interesting info - thanks.
Originally I had a Fluval 3+ but after 3 weeks the clogging indicator had triggered - can't see why. Hubby decided that if money was to be spent on a new filter then money would be spent on a filter that would sufice a much bigger tank (should we choose to upgrade at any point) and so went and bought me a Fluval 405. I put the sponges from the 3+ in with the sponges of the 405 and have 2 baskets of bio-max, 1 with the resin and the top 1 with the polishing pads.
This didn't have any effect on the water stat results (testing before water change, which I'm doing daily approx 24 hours). Usually use Tetratec tests (liquid), tested today with API master kit, just to see if I got different results, but nope, still darker than a zero reading but paler than the first "non-zero" block on the chart.

I've peered as close as I can - don't want to be picking the shells up too much incase I disturb the snail, if he's in there, but I can't see anything in there.
I can say that my hundreds of pest/pond/common snails (whatever they are really called) are looking well and prolific lol