Mystery Snail questions.....NEW at this!

**cnlubbe** · 07-20-2010, 05:15 PM

I bought a mystery snail from Walmart.....saved it actually. I brought it home and put it in a tank with some small african cichlids. It was doing GREAT! Then I woke up about a 2 weeks ago and he was stuck on the filter cap. Sad. I turned off the filter to see if it would get off on its own. Two hours later, it had not moved. So I helped it get unstuck and he floated to the bottom of the tank and laid there for two days. After the two days, I thought he was dead, so I decided I would take him out. From going to get the net and walking back to the tank, the little bugger was sliding along the side of the tank. I thought, Oh! He must have just been stressed. So, I left it. I then notice yesterday that he was on a plant and not moving. I also noticed that he had developed a flap or door thing on his underside. Is that normal?? I took him out of the big tank and put him in the small tank with the beta. He came out and was sliding along the side of the tank and in the fake plant that is in that tank.
And now he is floating on top of the water.......
I have not found any real info on them, accept that they mate and are not asexual like other snails.

Thanks!

Can anybody help me??

**Wild Turkey** · 07-20-2010, 05:51 PM

To check if its dead, pull it out and give it a quick sniff. When they are dead the smell is hard to mistake.

Dont worry about the filter intake. They are very strong snails and wont get stuck there, but will feed on the bio film there often.

Some quick questions...

Is the tank cycled?
Params?
Tankmates?
Ph?

**cnlubbe** · 07-20-2010, 06:19 PM

Originally Posted by Wild Turkey

Some quick questions...

Is the tank cycled?
Params?
Tankmates?
Ph?

The tank was cycled for about 5 months before it had any fish in it. It is a 30 gallon tank. Three African Cichlids (they were assorted at the pet store and I never saw them mess with the snail) Ph is around 8.2ish. Water temp 80. I took him out and gave him a sniff and he has no smell. He has now pushed himself up into his shell......I took him out completely and he is all alone in a separate container, with the tank water obviously. It is very strange.

**Wild Turkey** · 07-20-2010, 06:33 PM

The only potential problem I see is some africans eat snails, and so will harass them even if they are too big to eat. Notice any of this?

You have a great ph for snails, but Im assuming that ph is altered for your africans? Anyway, the snails need calcium in the water column, in their diet and require a ph of 7.0+.

They lay their eggs above the water line, you can easily remove them before they hatch if you so wish.

If the snails arent getting enough calcium or the ph is too low, the shells will rot away.

I would put him back in the main tank if hes not getting harassed. If its a problem with your water (copper, for example) Qing him wont help but might stress him out, and they are very sensitive to ammonia.

One more question, how long have you had him?

Its semi-typical for these guys to spend a few days lethargically, getting used to the new parameters or environment.

**cnlubbe** · 07-20-2010, 06:54 PM

I got him on July 2nd. I got the fish the day before. He did lay around for a couple days after I got him. But seemed to be doing fine. The ph is def for the fish. I would rather the fish be happy then cater to a snail. I really just saved it from walmart cause it was in a tank by itself (well there were two dead fish in with it). So, he was doing fine until yesterday. His shell if fine, I picked him up and did a check. I just wanted to know if the flap that is there now is normal. It wasn't there when I got him. It looks like he has made a door for himself. I don't know much about snails. Just didn't want him to die because of something I was doing or not doing. I will post a pic of him......

**Wild Turkey** · 07-20-2010, 07:02 PM

The trapdoor? Or is there something else I am missing?

Right now in the pic, I just see a snail thats stressed out for whatever reason. When they rest, the dont pull into their shells deep like that, thats a stress indicator. My guess would be either the fish or something with the parameters.

What is your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? Those are the "important" parameters.

The ph is excellent for both your fish, and snails. Lower ph wouldnt be as good. The shell looks great, but it can take a few months for shell damage to be noticeable, I would feed him some kale or other calcium rich veggies if possible. 80 is also a perfect temp for the apple snail, but at higher temps they require more calcium since they and their shells grow faster, just like a fish.

**cnlubbe** · 07-20-2010, 07:10 PM

I feed him algae wafers right now. I'm gunna get some more food for him tonight and also take a water sample with me , just to make sure I am using my testers right. HA!. I am going to put him back in the tank and just monitor him. The "trap door" is what I am seeing. He didn't have it when I got him. Maybe he was just smaller then. Thank you for all the info!! This forum is great!

**Wild Turkey** · 07-20-2010, 07:12 PM

When they are out crusin', the trapdoor actually folds underneath them so you wont notice it as much.

**cnlubbe** · 07-20-2010, 07:12 PM

Oh and if I put calcium in for the snail.....is that ok for my fish?

**Wild Turkey** · 07-20-2010, 07:25 PM

Originally Posted by cnlubbe

Oh and if I put calcium in for the snail.....is that ok for my fish?

Sure is, I wouldnt put the calcium in directly though, that could give you ph stability issues. What I would do is just bag some crushed coral and put it in the filter, or by the output of the filter in the tank.

As the crushed coral breaks down it releases calcium into the water column, raising ph but its much more gradual, and its one method people use to raise their ph for keeping africans, so no it shouldnt hurt the africans at all.

Kale, and some other veggies are a great way to get calcium into their diet as well, and again no harm for the fish to eat some.