Issues With Snails

[ZWesley]

Hello all, yesterday I went to my lfs and restocked my cleanup crew as I had previously lost mine.it looked as though it was primarily cyano and I dosed chemiclean and it mostly went away. Looking at the tank now, it looked like that was the only possibly poisonous issue and I have been running carbon for about a week. My nitrates were bottomed out for a while however they are present again. Main issue, I woke up this morning and I found that all of my snails and the conch I had just bought will not stick to any surface. They are laying Theresa their backs with their (feet?) in the air. I don’t think it is a poison issue because of the carbon and I can’t think of any possible contamination. Can anyone help me? Thanks.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Acclimation very important with most snails.
How did you acclimate them and for how long ? When weakened, they rarely cling to surfaces.
Because cyano is a bacteria, assure you siphoned after last treatment, cleaned all filters and skimmer cup. Can there be presence of toxins from cyano- Its a possibility

 

[ZWesley]

Acclimation very important with most snails.
How did you acclimate them and for how long ? When weakened, they rarely cling to surfaces.
Because cyano is a bacteria, assure you siphoned after last treatment, cleaned all filters and skimmer cup. Can there be presence of toxins from cyano- Its a possibility

Drip acclimated for 1-2 hours. Lithe snails were very stuck down and didn’t want to leave the bucket so perhaps they could be a little sore? But as for the conch, I just have no idea. There are some cyano remnants in the tank and some in the sand but it shouldn’t have been too much.

 

[Uzidaisies]

Dinoflagellates seems to be quite toxic for snails. Maybe there’s an issue with that?

 

[ZWesley]

Dinoflagellates seems to be quite toxic for snails. Maybe there’s an issue with that?

Unfortunately I can’t see any at the moment. Could be the dead cyano covering it but wouldn’t the carbon clean up any dino toxins?

 

[Uzidaisies]

Unfortunately I can’t see any at the moment. Could be the dead cyano covering it but wouldn’t the carbon clean up any dino toxins?

I think they might be poisoned by eating it, so the carbon wouldn’t help in that regard. I’m not sure.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I think they might be poisoned by eating it, so the carbon wouldn’t help in that regard. I’m not sure.

He had cyano - not Dino.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Unfortunately I can’t see any at the moment. Could be the dead cyano covering it but wouldn’t the carbon clean up any dino toxins?

Again cyano is a bacteri, and should not be lethal when present.
To help you understand about cyano, . . . . . cyano blooms typically start when water nutrient concentrations go haywire. Just like when you eat too much sugar and your waistline starts to bloom, the same happens in your tank when concentrations of phosphate, nitrate and other organic compounds are too high.
Some of the most common causes include:
- Protein skimmer which fills water with tiny air bubbles. As bubbles form from the reaction chamber, dissolved organic compound molecules stick to them. Foam forms at the surface of the water and is then transferred to a collection cup, where it rests as skimmate
- Overstocking / overfeeding, your aquarium with nutrients is often the culprit of a cyano bloom
- Adding live rock that isn’t completely cured which acts like a breeding ground for red slime algae
- If you don’t change your water with enough frequency, you’ll soon have a brightly colored red slime algae bloom. Regular water changes dilute nutrients that feed cyanobacteria and keeps your tank beautifully clear
- Using a water source with nitrates or phosphates is like rolling out the welcome mat for cyano. Tap water is an example
- Inadequate water flow, or movement, is a leading cause of cyano blooms. Slow moving water combined with excess dissolved nutrients is a recipe for pervasive red slime algae development

I recommend to reduce white light intensity or even turn them off for 5-7 days. Add liquid bacteria daily for a week during the day at 1.5ml per 10 gallons. Add Hydrogen peroxide at night at 1ml per 10 gallons. Add a pouch of chemipure Elite which will balance phos and nitrate and keep them in check.

After the week, add a these particular snails which help with Cyano - cerith, margarita, astrea and nassarius plus 6-8 blue leg hermits to take control.

 

[Uzidaisies]

He had cyano - not Dino.

Seeing how dinos could be confused for cyano, OP said the nitrates bottomed out, and cyano shouldn’t turn all the snails belly up like that, I raised the presence of dinoflagellates as a possible cause. OP could have both, or could be misidentifying dinos as cyano.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Seeing how dinos could be confused for cyano, OP said the nitrates bottomed out, and cyano shouldn’t turn all the snails belly up like that, I raised the presence of dinoflagellates as a possible cause. OP could have both, or could be misidentifying dinos as cyano.

Both can do that . Dino will be a different color -appearance- effect and wont respond to chemiClean.
Pictures under white light would help.
Cyano can be red -green-brown wgheras dino typically brown/goldish with bubbles and looks like snot.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Unfortunately I can’t see any at the moment. Could be the dead cyano covering it but wouldn’t the carbon clean up any dino toxins?

What color and texture was the cyano you treated for ?
Any pics?

 

[ZWesley]

What color and texture was the cyano you treated for ?
Any pics?

Pic from before chemiclean and after. Bad before photo, I know, but it was the camera I had.

 

[ZWesley]

Seeing how dinos could be confused for cyano, OP said the nitrates bottomed out, and cyano shouldn’t turn all the snails belly up like that, I raised the presence of dinoflagellates as a possible cause. OP could have both, or could be misidentifying dinos as cyano.

Take a look at the photos I replied with just before this.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Take a look at the photos I replied with just before this.

Top shows cyano, and bottom cyano dying
Doesn’t seem to be Dino
Is this how tank looks now?

 

[Uzidaisies]

Nothing sticks out as being dinos, there’s a couple spots that I find questionable. Looks like a whole lot of diatoms and hair algae and some cyano at least. Might be time to rip clean the tank. What are you doing for filtration and circulation?

 

[ZWesley]

Top shows cyano, and bottom cyano dying
Doesn’t seem to be Dino
Is this how tank looks now?

Yes, pics were taken yesterday

 

[ZWesley]

Nothing sticks out as being dinos, there’s a couple spots that I find questionable. Looks like a whole lot of diatoms and hair algae and some cyano at least. Might be time to rip clean the tank. What are you doing for filtration and circulation?

Skimmer was turned off to raise nitrates. Last test was 5-10 and cyano started when it was 0. Skimmer running now to maintain that level. I also have chaeto algae in my sump.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Yes, pics were taken yesterday

Use skimmer and do this on bottom:
Cyano blooms typically start when water nutrient concentrations go haywire. Just like when you eat too much sugar and your waistline starts to bloom, the same happens in your tank when concentrations of phosphate, nitrate and other organic compounds are too high.
Some of the most common causes include:
- Protein skimmer which fills water with tiny air bubbles. As bubbles form from the reaction chamber, dissolved organic compound molecules stick to them. Foam forms at the surface of the water and is then transferred to a collection cup, where it rests as skimmate
- Overstocking / overfeeding, your aquarium with nutrients is often the culprit of a cyano bloom
- Adding live rock that isn’t completely cured which acts like a breeding ground for red slime algae
- If you don’t change your water with enough frequency, you’ll soon have a brightly colored red slime algae bloom. Regular water changes dilute nutrients that feed cyanobacteria and keeps your tank beautifully clear
- Using a water source with nitrates or phosphates is like rolling out the welcome mat for cyano. Tap water is an example
- Inadequate water flow, or movement, is a leading cause of cyano blooms. Slow moving water combined with excess dissolved nutrients is a recipe for pervasive red slime algae development

I recommend to reduce white light intensity or even turn them off for 5-7 days. Add liquid bacteria daily for a week during the day at 1.5ml per 10 gallons. Add Hydrogen peroxide at night at 1ml per 10 gallons. Add a pouch of chemipure Elite which will balance phos and nitrate and keep them in check.

After the week, add a few snails such as cerith, margarita, astrea and nassarius plus 6-8 blue leg hermits to take control.