Snails - Can They Die from Too Much Algae (Overdose)?

that Reef Guy · Sep 9, 2015

AlexG said:
When the snails die are they rotting in the shell or are you just finding empty shells or empty shells with a slime around them? The RO water you are using where is it coming from? What is the TDS reading of the RO water you are using? What type of rock and sand is in this tank? If there is sand how deep is it? What types of filtration are in place? How old is this tank?

I never checked the Shells so I don't know.

The RO TDS is 5

I don't know what kind of Rock it is? I bought it 5-6 Years Ago.

Sand is Fiji Pink - Maybe an Inch Deep.

Filtration is Live Rock, Live Sand, Reef Octopus Protein Skimmer, and a Tetra Hang on the Back Filter.

The Tank is almost 6 Years Old.

gaz · Sep 9, 2015

My algae blenny died from to much hair algae he consumed so much he couldn't move anymore. When I first started out about 3 years ago my hair algae was way out of control so I tried nopox and rowa but nothing seemed to work the only thing that worked for me was carbon dosing ie vodka which I still dose today.

AlexG · Sep 9, 2015

Does the hang on the back filter have filter pads in it or just a bag of carbon? If there are filter pads in place you might want to consider removing them as they might do more harm than good. What type of cleanup crew is in place for the sand? Is the sand ever cleaned with a vacuum? How old is the RO membrane and pre-filters? Are you using DI? If you used to test 0 on TDS it might be time to consider replacement filters for the RO unit.

that Reef Guy · Sep 10, 2015

AlexG said:
Does the hang on the back filter have filter pads in it or just a bag of carbon? If there are filter pads in place you might want to consider removing them as they might do more harm than good. What type of cleanup crew is in place for the sand? Is the sand ever cleaned with a vacuum? How old is the RO membrane and pre-filters? Are you using DI? If you used to test 0 on TDS it might be time to consider replacement filters for the RO unit.

It has Filter Pads but I do not add the Carbon.

What is wrong with Filter Pads?

Why would they do more harm than good?

The Sand has not been vacuumed in quite a while.

ReeferJohn408 · Sep 10, 2015

In my 12 years of experience, I always had phosphate issues eveytime i overfeed the tank. Feeding fish heavily and adding too much coral food and supplements = Algae.

- No, snails doesn't die of food overdosed.

AlexG · Sep 13, 2015

that Reef Guy said:
It has Filter Pads but I do not add the Carbon.

What is wrong with Filter Pads?

Why would they do more harm than good?

The Sand has not been vacuumed in quite a while.

This is an opinion I have based on experience and it might meet some resistance. Filter pads trap waste but the high amount of water flow against them breaks the waste down at an accelerated rate. This can create a nitrate factory that cannot be handled by the normal biological filtration of the live rock/live sand. I would suggest removing these pads or getting a few in rotation and replacing daily allowing the removed pads to be cleaned & dried before reuse. As for the sand I would get the vacuum out and clean it good especially under rocks. If you are not using a sand cleanup crew IE: sea cucumber, sand gobie, or sand star after the sand has been cleaned well invest in the appropriate animal for your size tank after a week or two. I would also consider cutting back on feeding and lighting. Sorry for the late response I was on vacation.

Jlentz · Sep 14, 2015

Dino's can kill snails. Are you sure its GHA?

that Reef Guy · Sep 19, 2015

AlexG said:
This is an opinion I have based on experience and it might meet some resistance. Filter pads trap waste but the high amount of water flow against them breaks the waste down at an accelerated rate. This can create a nitrate factory that cannot be handled by the normal biological filtration of the live rock/live sand. I would suggest removing these pads or getting a few in rotation and replacing daily allowing the removed pads to be cleaned & dried before reuse. As for the sand I would get the vacuum out and clean it good especially under rocks. If you are not using a sand cleanup crew IE: sea cucumber, sand gobie, or sand star after the sand has been cleaned well invest in the appropriate animal for your size tank after a week or two. I would also consider cutting back on feeding and lighting. Sorry for the late response I was on vacation.

I have 6 Tanks.

All 6 have Filter Pads and all 6 have Zero Nitrate.

I check all 6 Once a Week and Nitrates are always Zero.

I have tried to raise them by feeding a ton and it is impossible for me to get them above Zero.