Nerite Snail question.

[Huntress]

Hi, I purchased 2 zebra nerite snails, around 6 months ago. The first few months they were great, cleaning my tank. Now it seems that they just lay at the bottom. I've checked to see if they were dead, but they don't smell it nor look it. They are just laying at the bottom of my tank...All other fish are fine. Betta, mollies, neons and cory cats, and my otto's. I purchased a copper test kit, and nothing. 0, anything else I can look into? The last few times I did my master test kit, all read on the good levels.
Hope someone can help me.
Thanks so much

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Have they moved? My Nerite snail stay still for a while to. I am not that concerned, as when I come back, he is gone again.

That being said... your stocking is all jumbled up. Bettas are not community fish and shouldn’t be kept as such. Mollies need harder water than bettas.

Sorry to jump out at you like that, but I had to bring it up.

 

[Retired Viking]

I have had nerites sit in one spot for a week or longer without moving. I figure they were digesting their food. @PheonixKingZ is correct about your fish stocking, neon and cory are soft water fish, I have them in a RO soft water tank. I keep mollies, guppies and platy in my hard water tanks. I have moderately hard water. It is not healty for the fish to be in the wrong type of water. Sorry.

 

[Irksome]

My nerites went through a phase of lying belly up and not moving. Tuned out the liquid carbon I was adding was making them ill. I stopped using it and they never did it again.

 

[Fish and coffee]

Good to know I have my nerite belly up alot lately and found that they moved the next day but this seems to be a new cycle it's going thru. I have to get CO2 test kit. I have been using home made CO2 for almost a year now with great plant growth. This makes sense because my algae has been getting crazy again so my CO2 must be high. THANKS for this I wasn't even looking for any information I kinda thought this was normal snail behavior.

 

[Huntress]

Bettas can be kept as a community fish. Mine has no issue what so ever in my tank. He is happily swimming along with my mollies and neons in which I’ve had the same fish for the last 3 plus years. My corys are 4 years and they are active, healthy and happy swimming along the bottom. My only issue is the snails. They were fine at first. I do add seachem products. Prime, excel, flourish and pristine. But prime only with water changes. Excel once Weekly. Flourish once every week and excel only when needed. I also use either carbon or purigen as media sometimes biowheels. I use constant pump with 3 airlines and at times my circulation pump for water movement.

 

[Irksome]

Bettas can be kept as a community fish. Mine has no issue what so ever in my tank. He is happily swimming along with my mollies and neons in which I’ve had the same fish for the last 3 plus years. My corys are 4 years and they are active, healthy and happy swimming along the bottom. My only issue is the snails. They were fine at first. I do add seachem products. Prime, excel, flourish and pristine. But prime only with water changes. Excel once Weekly. Flourish once every week and excel only when needed. I also use either carbon or purigen as media sometimes biowheels. I use constant pump with 3 airlines and at times my circulation pump for water movement.

It is possibly the seacheam excel, the liquid carbon I used was basically the same thing and the only obvious problem was the snails. I thought they had some sort of snail dementia. The have been fine since I stopped adding it, they haven’t fallen over once. I guess they are just particularly sensitive.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Bettas can be kept as a community fish. Mine has no issue what so ever in my tank. He is happily swimming along with my mollies and neons in which I’ve had the same fish for the last 3 plus years. My corys are 4 years and they are active, healthy and happy swimming along the bottom. My only issue is the snails. They were fine at first. I do add seachem products. Prime, excel, flourish and pristine. But prime only with water changes. Excel once Weekly. Flourish once every week and excel only when needed. I also use either carbon or purigen as media sometimes biowheels. I use constant pump with 3 airlines and at times my circulation pump for water movement.

I respectfully disagree...

Bettas can be kept in a community tank, but it is pure torture for either the betta or the other fish. He may seem "cool" now, but he can snap in a slit second.

It will end, with either the beta getting his fins nipped at and torn to shreds, or all of the other fish being mauled by the betta. I'm speaking from experience and from the knowledge of people much smarter than me.

 

[StevenF]

This makes sense because my algae has been getting crazy again so my CO2 must be high.

Algae growth can be cause by things other than CO2. A nutrient imbalance in the water of high organic levels in the water. This problems can make the snails sick or go dormant. When was your last water change and how much water did you change? Have you cleaned out your filter? A buildup of organic material in the filter could cause water chemistry issues. Is organic material building up in your gravel substrate? If so that could feed the algae.

 

[Irksome]

Good to know I have my nerite belly up alot lately and found that they moved the next day but this seems to be a new cycle it's going thru. I have to get CO2 test kit. I have been using home made CO2 for almost a year now with great plant growth. This makes sense because my algae has been getting crazy again so my CO2 must be high. THANKS for this I wasn't even looking for any information I kinda thought this was normal snail behavior.

It shouldn’t be a problem with a co2 gas kit, it’s the chemicals in liquid carbon supplements that damage livestock and snails rather than the co2. Sometimes people add it to control algae or instead of using gas.

 

[seangee]

Excel is gluteraldehyde. This is essentially a poison with dosages calculated not to kill your fish quickly. It should not be used in tanks with live creatures.

 

[Fish and coffee]

Algae growth can be cause by things other than CO2. A nutrient imbalance in the water of high organic levels in the water. This problems can make the snails sick or go dormant. When was your last water change and how much water did you change? Have you cleaned out your filter? A buildup of organic material in the filter could cause water chemistry issues. Is organic material building up in your gravel substrate? If so that could feed the algae.

Hi Steve, yes yes and yes great advise! I do water changes often. Every 5 to 10 days and even as often as 3 days during any crisis. I also suspect my lighting cycle and feeding of course. The main point you make that makes the most sense is the gravel. I have a heavy over stock of Guppies I really need to thin them out more often. I only have my one tank a 36 gallon and alot of plants. Gravel vac is rough with plants for me I need to get down to more than the few open spaces. Yes I have cleaned up my filters one at a time a couple of weeks apart, my other contributing factor is my fertalizer dosing. Thanks alot Steve it's good to hear sound advise.

 

[Fish and coffee]

It shouldn’t be a problem with a co2 gas kit, it’s the chemicals in liquid carbon supplements that damage livestock and snails rather than the co2. Sometimes people add it to control algae or instead of using gas.

Interesting, I didn't know the difference between liquid and gas CO2. I avoided liquid because of $ cost. My monitoring is risky with no bubble count or CO2 testing. This new cost is my new necessary course of action. I will get CO2 test kit next payday for sure I can't put this off any longer. Thank you so much for your insights.

 

[Essjay]

Liquid CO2 is usually glutaraldehyde, a powerful disinfectant, which is why it can harm fish and some plants.

 

[Salty&Onion]

I respectfully disagree...

Bettas can be kept in a community tank, but it is pure torture for either the betta or the other fish. He may seem "cool" now, but he can snap in a slit second.

It will end, with either the beta getting his fins nipped at and torn to shreds, or all of the other fish being mauled by the betta. I'm speaking from experience and from the knowledge of people much smarter than me.

I agree, it is a pure torture to the betta and other fish when they are kept together, especially when the betta lacks his natural need, which is being alone. They should not be kept with other fish, they should be kept alone in a tank.
@Byron can confirm.