Snails

[toolisj]

I just put two gold mystery shnails in my tank. they act odd. they'll partially burrow into my sand and just sit there......for a long time. i have a lot of algea in the tank so i was hoping they would go right to work. is this just something they do during the day or could something else be wrong?

[Northernguy]

Did you acclimate them?
What are your perameters? PH?

[toolisj]

yes they were slowly aclimated. im not sure of what the ph. i actually have a pond snail thats fairly large (sounds weird but it was quarentined for a while and i had no problems and still haven't and felt bad about flushing him) and it just chugs around and eats. could the ph affect them that much? i thought they were hardy creatures.

[Northernguy]

The need a ph of at least 7.5 or their shell will deteriorate and they will die.They also need calcium in their diet to keep a nice looking shell.
Here is some info for you.[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

Invest in a liquid master test kit.You will need to have an idea of what your tank water is up to.Avoid test strips because they are not very accurate.

[Wild Turkey]

First and foremost we need your water parameters. Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and ph. I also recommend API master liquid test kit, includes all of those for about 25USD

Playing dead is a sign of stress


Mystery snails are not low-care or an easy first invert imo. They are also not a good scavenger, since like already mentioned they have dietary requirements. They usually vote eating algae unless there is nothing better around (not a good thing)

Ng has it right, they need calcium in the water, and in their diet. As well as a ph of at least7.0+ + being better

Heres a short article:

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[toolisj]

alright. i am SURE that our water's ph is higher than 7.0 because its city water and its alkaline. im also SURE that its hard water because once again......small town city water. is there anything else other than water parameters that could cause it? also what kind of foods other than algea would they eat, i read in the article wild turkey sent that talked about foods high in calcium?????

[rookie]

i will admit i dont know anything about city water. however i would still test because i have city water and my ph is 6 i know its crazy however after living in the house for a yr i know i didnt mess up testing and the ph is not going to change.

[Wild Turkey]

The low ph isnt going to cause the response you are seeing, its going to cause its damage in the long term and is tough to reverse.

The stress you are seeing right now is something else. But again we need your parameters. Ammonia nitrite and nitrate

[Northernguy]

alright. i am SURE that our water's ph is higher than 7.0 because its city water and its alkaline. im also SURE that its hard water because once again......small town city water. is there anything else other than water parameters that could cause it? also what kind of foods other than algea would they eat, i read in the article wild turkey sent that talked about foods high in calcium?????

The water here is border line acidic! Its great for a lot fish but I lost a couple of snails from it.
Take a sample of your water to your fish store and ask them if they can test it for you if you do not have a test kit yourself.
I had to add limestone and few other rocks to my a few of my tanks to get the ph up over 7.Now my snails are doing much better! lol
If you have high ammonia and trites not only your snail will suffer but your fish as well.