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Mystery Snails Not Moving

BaylorPerez

Fishaholic
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Dec 29, 2015
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So i recently got some Black mystery snails from Petsmart, yesterday once i put them in (15Minute acclimation time(told by store rep)), one of them didnt move from the spot where it landed when i put them in, the other one moved to the other side of the tank, woke up this morning and they havent moved from what i can tell, been checking on them every so often and no movement whatso ever, i checked the bottom of both of them, applying little pressure on the opening where they come out, one was hard as rock the other was soft, mucusy. but it doesnt seem to move off of the gravel bed of my aquarium, what do i do ( no i dont have the reciept anymore as my finace took it with her yesterday )
 
Tank size
20 gal
filter
40 gal carbon filter
tank occupants
4 rainbow neons, 3 tetras, 2 blackfinned tetras, (2 black mystery snails, new additons) and 1 albino catfish
Added things to tank
Air filter( added for extra air flow ), 20 gallon automatic water heater, 2potted plants, 1 unpotted plant.
Medicines(medical things for tank)
Plant food( adds Phosphate/iron/magnesium to tank for plants ) Stress+zyme, and StressCoat for adding new fish
Foods for fish
API slow falling food pellets/Fish flakes
Plant food
Algae wafers for snails if they are alive still
 
Tank tempture
76-78 based on stick on thermometers
Tank parameters
Ph-7.2
Ammonia 1.2
Nitrate .78
Nitrites 2.54(estimate based on tank test) keeps going from 2.45-2.57
 
Heavy metals in water
Iron/Magnesium due to plant food not in huge quanties
10Mls adds .75 Mgs of iron and 1.25 Mgs Magnesium
 
Tank water status
Possible Algae bloom/cloudy water
 
Algae in tank
 
Orange/redish
Black string algae on ornaments
 
Ammonia 1.2 Toxic levels.
Nitrite 2.5 Less so but still toxic.
I'd do an immediate large (70%+) water change as soon as possible.
Have you read up on cycling?
 
yes i have but its the first time ive had snails in my tank and i havent had anyone tell me what to do besides to acclimate then for 15 minutes
 
It sounds like your tank may not be fully cycled yet.
Is there anything else in the tank?
NVM, just saw the list...
You'll want to be keeping the ammonia as low as possible with water changes, preferably below 0.25ppm, until your filter's bacteria catch up with the bioload.
Edit: Apologies if I seemed rude/abrupt.
Here's hoping your fish make it.
 
as i just did the water change,about how much time do i need for my filter to cycle the new 70%
 
I'm not sure, there are many variables here, could be a week, or it could be a month or more.
I will say that it will be easier to  keep the ammonia down if you reduce the feeding as much as possible.
 
there's one way to tell if a snail is dead and I'm afraid that means getting it close to your nose. Dead mystery snails stink and I mean reallly stink. If it's mushy it's more than likely dead. If it's mushy and it stinks it's definitely dead
 
You've had the advice on the water stats but I'll just reiterate. Ammonia needs to remain at zero, as does Nitrite. If either are above zero you need to do a water change to bring it back to zero. Sometimes this can mean changing nearly all of the water. You need to use a dechlorinator and add this to the fresh water according to the instructions. 
 
i had done the dechlorination test size(10Mls) one that came with my test kit to see if it works with my water, as my water has heavy metals in it from the tap, but not sure about the chlorine
 
you need to add dechlorinator every time you change water on your tank as the metals/chlorine etc in the tap water kill the good bacteria. Copper (often present in our tap water) will also kill snails and shrimps. If you have copper in your tap water that'll be why the snails are dead and fouling up the tank water.
 
You need to arm yourself with a good dechlorinator and use it as per the instructions (although it's almost impossible to overdose it) every time.
 
If you are adding it to your buckets before adding the fresh water then that's good. If you have an internal filter system and are adding clean water to the tank and then adding the dechlorinator you're still killing the bacteria. It's always best to dechlorinate the fresh water before it goes into the tank. That way none of the nasty bacteria killing stuff comes into contact with your filter. 
 
Update on snails
 
they are sticking to the side of the tank, both of them, wasnt sure how but after i did the water change and added the conditioner to the tank they started to wake up and feed on the algae wafers
 
Good to know they're feeling better.
good.gif

 
BTW, snails make good tank "barometers" as they will often retreat into their shells in unfavorable conditions, frequently before the other residents show any obvious ill effects.
 
So my mystery snails were hiding(looking to be dead) because i had bad parameters and when i did the MAJOR water change it fixed them up
 
I am surprised they didn’t try and escape.
 

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