Snails won't stay alive

[tfeeken]

Leopard Polyclad Flatworm

I hunt for them almost every night before going to bed. After the lights are off, I grab a turkey baster and suck up any I find.

Help help Leopard Polyclad Flatworm big as my hand.

Hey so the other night I seen this and it scared the crap out me. I was wondering why my snails kepts coming up missing. Tonight I got this pic and after I hit him with the tweezers but it was so far in the rocks because it is so big. I ended up ripping some of it in pieces. Do you think it...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Spare time]

I just have/had this problem- I think due to nickel. I am running cuprisorb to reduce heavy metals. I know nickel is “dangerously high” due to Triton, and I believe it was from my circulation pump for salt mixing that I would leave in the bucket for days. I had two that were for fountains, not saltwater. I had a big death after my last water change.

Yeah I'm worried about metal so I have cuprisorb running.

 

[Spare time]

Make sure your temperature does not go or is not above 78 F Snails do not like overly warm water.

Never goes above 78f. Used to run at 80f but I fixed that a few weeks ago.

 

[Spare time]

Leopard Polyclad Flatworm

I hunt for them almost every night before going to bed. After the lights are off, I grab a turkey baster and suck up any I find.

Help help Leopard Polyclad Flatworm big as my hand.

Hey so the other night I seen this and it scared the crap out me. I was wondering why my snails kepts coming up missing. Tonight I got this pic and after I hit him with the tweezers but it was so far in the rocks because it is so big. I ended up ripping some of it in pieces. Do you think it...

www.reef2reef.com

I took out the rocks and looked but didn't see one. I haven't seen one at night yet though but I'll look harder. It's in my office so I'm not always there when the lights go off at 5:30pm. It's a university office though so I'm able to go in whenever without issue.

 

[Gretchacha]

Yeah I'm worried about metal so I have cuprisorb running.

Let’s hope it works and that was actually our problem. I just received my Reef Cleaners order today. I went with limpets, cowries, another conch (first one died) snd some stocky african ceriths. Plus some shrimps.

 

[Spare time]

Let’s hope it works and that was actually our problem. I just received my Reef Cleaners order today. I went with limpets, cowries, another conch (first one died) snd some stocky african ceriths. Plus some shrimps.

I'm debating on how long to leave the cuprisorb in. I really don't want to do an icp at the moment because I'm on a very tight budget (hooray PhD stipends lol)

 

[Gretchacha]

The Directions say 2 weeks, but to leave it longer to pull from sand and rock.

 

[Spare time]

The Directions say 2 weeks, but to leave it longer to pull from sand and rock.

I think that is if you are removing copper from an aquarium that was being treated but I would hopefully think it to be less if it was just from contaminated water.

 

[C.bldwn]

For some reason, snails (turbo mixes, cerith now I think, and trochus) have all repeatedly died in my nano. Strange thing is, all other inverts (crabs, corals) are just fine if not thriving. Anyone ever had this happen? The snails last a week or so, albeit the ceriths held out much longer. There is plenty of algae.


For reference

salinity 1.025-1.026sg
nitrate I think 10ppm but could be 5. I am colorblind and can't afford to buy a hanna right now.
phosphate 0.03ppm last time I dosed
temp 78F
ph unknown
magnesium unknown but not dosed so should be around 1300-1400ppm
alk and calcium are somewhere in the right range but haven't test recently since the tank had little coralline and only soft corals (i.e. very slow drain speed). Last time I dosed alk to 12 and calcium up relatively high.


What I think killed some was the zero water pitcher (for topping off) going bad and possibly dumping stuff back into the tank as it's DI resin expired. However I think the snails had problems before the filter went bad. I've been running cuprisorb and carbon to try and remove and possible metals that may have come into the tank. I have also done a few water changes. I am just confused why multiple species of snails keep dying in my tank after being in there for a week or two.

I had the same issues, all parameters were good. Ended up discovering a giant polyclad flatworm trying to engolf a turbo snail, only noticed as I was looking in the tank at night with a red flashlight and the snail was shaking violently trying to get it off. I ended up catching a couple in the fish store I was helping out at and tested the effectiveness of Prazipro and found it killed then within a few minutes. Ended up treating my entire tank with Prazipro for 30 min then did a 75% water change to try and prevent all my beneficial worms from dying as well. Now I scrub and treat all incoming snails and haven’t had the issue since.

 

[Mikeltee]

How old is the tank? Is there algae to eat? 1 turbo should be enough to never have to clean a nano. I had 3 in a 120g and they kept the glass clean. Turbos are amazing!

 

[Spare time]

I had the same issues, all parameters were good. Ended up discovering a giant polyclad flatworm trying to engolf a turbo snail, only noticed as I was looking in the tank at night with a red flashlight and the snail was shaking violently trying to get it off. I ended up catching a couple in the fish store I was helping out at and tested the effectiveness of Prazipro and found it killed then within a few minutes. Ended up treating my entire tank with Prazipro for 30 min then did a 75% water change to try and prevent all my beneficial worms from dying as well. Now I scrub and treat all incoming snails and haven’t had the issue since.

I've actually done prazipro twice in this tank.

 

[tfeeken]

I took out the rocks and looked but didn't see one. I haven't seen one at night yet though but I'll look harder. It's in my office so I'm not always there when the lights go off at 5:30pm. It's a university office though so I'm able to go in whenever without issue.

They're so thin and essentially snot like in structure that you likely wouldn't see them. They're very light sensitive. I've caught them in the past with a chunk of scallop on an algae clip after lights out.

 

[Spare time]

Update.

A cerith and turbo snail are still alive. The tuxedo urchin which I am getting rid of is also alive (I have had it for months). The urchin just eats coralline so I don't want it anymore as I think it just aids the hair algae (as urchins seem to do from my experience). I am not sure about my emerald crabs because they are usually hidden during the day. I am going to try one more round of snails before I shut this tank down. The tank just grows hair algae like there is no tomorrow so if i can't have snails, and no fish (that can fit in a 14g cube) will eat derbesia, I will just shut it down and probably make it a freshwater shrimp tank or something like that. Thought it would be fun to have an office tank but the tank is more of an annoyance. The corals for the most part are doing amazing though.

 

[Spare time]

Update: Emerald crabs and hermit still alive. I think the water is fine.

 

[Flex714]

What was your salinity at?

What was your salinity at?

1.028 I had bought a new refractor and assumed it came calibrated, so the water changes weren't helping the chemi pure and carbon didn't do anything. Fishes were okay, corals didn't look the best, but the inverts wouldn't come out of there shell as soon as I would place them in my tank.

 

[VintageReefer]

Tank might need a rip clean. Brandon429 has thread on this and instructions

 

[Spare time]

Tank might need a rip clean. Brandon429 has thread on this and instructions

There is nothing wrong with organics in the tank. Its only fed once a week.

 

[VintageReefer]

There is nothing wrong with organics in the tank. Its only fed once a week.

Just suggesting as a means to eradicate any possible unwanted trace material that might be lingering in sand or water

 

[Spare time]

Just suggesting as a means to eradicate any possible unwanted trace material that might be lingering in sand or water

Ah yeah. I ran cuprisorb for a while. The snails and crabs seem ok now. The corals were never bothered.

 

[Spare time]

Update. Corals thrived, most snails died again plus a tuxedo urchin died (this may have been from a hydrogen sulfide kick up in terms of the urchin death) but a cerith and something that looks like a light shelled margarita snail. The hermit and emerald crab are fine. I tore the tank down and am giving the corals away. One snail made me think it could be a polyclad flatworm since it was a turbo that died on its back on a flat rock which was bizzare unless it managed to float there (unlikely)


I am debating starting over again with all new sand and rocks and doing a bubble tip anemone tank with clownfish. I just down want to start over and have the same issue of nothing that eats algae staying alive so it may end up being a planted fw tank instead.