Problems with snails dying immediatly after acclimation

[JB64]

Hello and welcome to the channel

Thank you.

 

[exnisstech]

What type of snails are you adding? The only reason I ask is because my local store that only deals in saltwater does not stock trochus snails because the owner says they all have arriving dead or dying soon after arriving.

 

[JB64]

Welcome to R2R!

You mentioned drip acclimation, what's your acclimation period? I've personally had pretty good success with 4-5 hour drip acclimation in a temperature controlled environment(the bag is always kept at the same temperature as the tank throughout the process), with a drip rate of 1-2 drops per second.

It was about 1 1/2 hours. In a seperate bucket. Not sure the temp held. Was thinking about floating and doing the drip acclimation using the sump with an airstone. Will try the longer time period. Thamk you.

 

[JB64]

What type of snails are you adding? The only reason I ask is because my local store that only deals in saltwater does not stock trochus snails because the owner says they all have arriving dead or dying soon after arriving.

I have tried turbo,nassarius and astrea as well as a cleaner shrimp.

 

[Tamberav]

I have been having troubles with ph as well. Not sure what to do about it. I have ran an airline from outside to the protien skimmer. That seemed to stablize to the 7.8 before it would drop to 7.5 or so at times. Was thinking of starting dosing kaulkwasser. Any thoughts or suggestions?

I would not dose kalk in a tank devoid of corals not using alk/ca.

It isn’t too abnormal for a newer tank to run lower pH as the biological processes work itself out. 7.8 isn’t something I would worry about right now. 7.8 certainly does not kill snails.

Where do you get your saltwater? Top off water?

What do you test salinity with?

 

[PlumbTuckered]

Your problem is osmotic shock. There is too great of a difference between the salinity of the water they are in and the salinity of the tank.

This is not a water quality issue.

 

[Projects with Sam]

Your problem is osmotic shock. There is too great of a difference between the salinity of the water they are in and the salinity of the tank.

This is not a water quality issue.

ahh great point! I've started testing salinity of the water from the lfs and usually find its way less salty.

 

[JB64]

I would not dose kalk in a tank devoid of corals not using alk/ca.

It isn’t too abnormal for a newer tank to run lower pH as the biological processes work itself out. 7.8 isn’t something I would worry about right now.

Where do you get your saltwater? Top off water?

What do you test salinity with?

I mix with ro/di water and Red Sea blue bucket. Use an ato with ro/di water. I use a refractometer.

 

[JB64]

Your problem is osmotic shock. There is too great of a difference between the salinity of the water they are in and the salinity of the tank.

This is not a water quality issue.

I have not tested the lfs water. I will the next time i purchase something. If that is the case is a longer drip time the solution?

 

[JB64]

ahh great point! I've started testing salinity of the water from the lfs and usually find its way less salty.

Thank you, going to try that.

 

[PlumbTuckered]

I have not tested the lfs water. I will the next time i purchase something. If that is the case is a longer drip time the solution?

Drip acclimate until salinity in the bag = salinity in the tank.

 

[JB64]

Drip acclimate until salinity in the bag = salinity in the tank.

Awesome idea! Don't know why I didn't think of that. Thamk you.

 

[bnord]

Welcome! and sounds like you are doing everything right

agree that the snails AND shrimp point to an underlying metal contaminant from somewhere

Are you making your own water? (sorry if I missed that elsewhere)

good luck on the ICP turnaround

 

[SPR1968]

Some great advice already so welcome!

 

[JB64]

Welcome! and sounds like you are doing everything right

agree that the snails AND shrimp point to an underlying metal contaminant from somewhere

Are you making your own water? (sorry if I missed that elsewhere)

good luck on the ICP turnaround

Yes I am. I have a six stage system with 1 micron filters. I got that a few months after i started the tank. I just used tap water and dechlorinating drops before that.

 

[JB64]

Some great advice already so welcome!

Very appreciative of it all!

 

[JB64]

Any recomendations on an ICP test?

 

[PlumbTuckered]

Welcome! and sounds like you are doing everything right

agree that the snails AND shrimp point to an underlying metal contaminant from somewhere

Are you making your own water? (sorry if I missed that elsewhere)

good luck on the ICP turnaround

If everything is being done right, the inverts wouldn't be dying.

 

[shakacuz]

welcome aboard the r2r board!

Any recomendations on an ICP test?

ATI!!

 

[Tcook]

This is how Ron Shimek taught me how to acclimate snails many moons ago. Place them in an empty bowl and let them express all the water they are inflated with as they close up. Set up a ramp going into the tank at the water surface. Place the snails on the ramp at the water edge. They will slowly crawl in and self-acclimate.