Omg - I Think I've Poisoned My Apple Snails

[Littlemonkey]

I totally cleaned out My Apple snails 60 litre tank on Sunday. Snails and Plants went into a bowl I always use for water changes, with some of the Tank water. The white roman gravel went into the sink with (wait for it) a dishcloth over the plughole to stop the gravel going down the plug-hole but allowing water and snail waste to drain away. Cleaned filter as usual. Then put back plants and gravel. Filled back up with warm water (no de-chlor, I thought this would be OK for one change). All was Ok untill I got home last night and first noticed the white cloudy water, then when looking close up noticed some off the snails had gone green ( a rather nasty green) What was strange was that there were no bad odour comming of the snails. So i changed the water again and collected the now green and dead snails. This morning cloudy again and more green and non green dead snails. So another water change this morning, out of 163 snails there where only 11 who where a good colour and their trap doors were working. I thought I had cleaned the dish cloth enough. I can only assume that some of the chemical's from the dish cloth got into the water and this had led to dimise of the snails. I'm absolutley gutted, I have been bringing them on and had just started to sell them on E-bay. I have now pulled the ad. If anybody thinks this could have been anything else, it was mainly the body not the shell that went green. I would welcome all advice.

 

[Schmill]

I don't know much about the snails, but I would think unless you had been using bleach and it was neat on your dishcloth then I don't think it was that.

If it was something on the dishcloth it would be diluted anyway, then it would get even more diluted whilst you washed your gravel etc, perhaps some tiny miniscule amount of <something> might transfer from cloth to gravel. Then you put the gravel in the tank and add 60L of fresh water, effectively further diluting anything that might have made it onto the gravel...

Based on the above I would really doubt it was the dishcloth at fault, and think it was more perhaps to do with something that was present in the new water. As you effectively changed 100% of the water, and didn't use a water conditioner then if there was anything in the water the snails will have been hit with the full whack of it.
Did you let the water stand before you used it?
You say you used 'warm water'. How did you get the water warm, tap or kettle? If it was from the warm tap and you have a heating system that has a hot water storage cylinder then it is possible that there were higher than normal levels of copper in the water and no water conditioner to remove it. That is why despite using Prime conditioner, I only ever warm the water for my shrimps using a kettle if needed.

I could be wrong, but those are my thoughts I am afraid.

 

[Littlemonkey]

I hadn't thought of that, I always use mixed hot and cold straight from the tap, but normally use a de-chlor, this will be a very valuable lesson for the future. Yes it was in effect 100% water change. + the green colour would sound out the copper. So i have been compounding the problem by doing further water changes. Oh lord, there will be none left by the time I get home. Thank you for comming back so soon. Thank god I havent done a change in the community tank.

 

[JustKia]

If you have a combi boiler your hot tap water won't contain any more copper than your cold tap water.
It's only if you have a hot water holding tank that problems might occur.
I wouldn't expect them to go green with the small amounts of copper that they might have been exposed too though.

I think the most likely thing is that doing a 100% water change with no dechlor was too much, especially as Severn Trent (I'm guesing we're on the same water supplier) like to use plenty of chlorine.
I doubt that it was too do with your dish cloth, anything there would have been very dilute (unless it was soaking in bleach before hand).

 

[Curiosity101]

How did you clean the filter?

And also why do you take the gravel out to wash it?

 

[Littlemonkey]

Thanks Justkia,

Your right same water board, has your water got a really strong chemical smell, We had a new boiler (condenser) fitted around 6 months ago. Well lesson learn't, got a empty tank now, just the plants and gravel. Awaiting de-chlor then hopefully the new eggs will hatch.

Cheers

 

[Curiosity101]

Could you just answer my question please? Just incase...

Oh and another question, when was the last water change before the other day.

And was the filter cycled?

 

[Littlemonkey]

How did you clean the filter?

And also why do you take the gravel out to wash it?

With the tank water as normal. I take all the gravel out once every two months, even with a vac you can't clean all the Snail poop, god they drop little bombs like no-body's business and having 163 in a 60 litre, that's a lot to clean.

 

[Curiosity101]

Ah, fair enough. I think kia will be 100% with the chlorine then. Basically don't do a change without de-chlor in future... never realised it'd do that though.

 

[Littlemonkey]

Could you just answer my question please? Just incase...

Oh and another question, when was the last water change before the other day.

The week before, standard clean with vac and water change 90% with de-chlor.

And was the filter cycled?

Yes the filter (fluval) was given to me by a friend with the tank with mature media, the tank had been running for 6 months with the snails in and all were thriving no deaths etc.

I think that doing a 100% change with no De-chlor seems to be the prime suspect. The green colour was truely manky.

 

[Schmill]

As you only have snails and shrimp in the tank, (ie. low waste producers), it shouldn't be an issue anyway, but there is a good chance you will ahve killed off your filter bacteria with the chlorine if it was enough to kill the snails, and of course now there is nothing in there to keep any surviving bacteria fed anyway.
As I say, as you aren't keeping fish it might not be an issue, but it will be worth keeping an eye on water parameters once you repopulate your tank :thumbsup:

 

[Curiosity101]

Snails aren't low waste producers at all. For their size they should be counted as the same bioload as fish. Eg. A 4cm big apple snail should be thought of as the same bioload as a 4cm fish.

 

[Littlemonkey]

As you only have snails and shrimp in the tank, (ie. low waste producers), it shouldn't be an issue anyway, but there is a good chance you will ahve killed off your filter bacteria with the chlorine if it was enough to kill the snails, and of course now there is nothing in there to keep any surviving bacteria fed anyway.
As I say, as you aren't keeping fish it might not be an issue, but it will be worth keeping an eye on water parameters once you repopulate your tank :thumbsup:

Thanx to all and esp justkia, who's generosity has enabled me to re-set up the 60 litre again. So Iam re-cycling the tank as Schmill rightly say's I guess the good bacteria would have been killed off by the chlorine. I have more eggs on the go so by the time the snails are big enough to move from the community tank to the 60 litre, fingers crossed all should be well.