Mystery Snail and Easy Green

[ElenaSnail]

Hi everyone. My beloved Mystery Snail has been listless and not eating since I added Easy Green to my 10 gallon tank a few days ago. Why is Easy Green said to be safe for snails when it has copper in it? 
 

I did a 50 percent water change and am monitoring. Any advice? 
 

The snail has also expelled a long string today. 

Thanks for any help!
 

 

[Theplatymaster]

please test the water a post that here, there are many variables that could affect it apart from the easy green.

[AllFishNoBrakes]

I’ve never had an issue with Easy Green and the many snails I’ve kept. Agreed with @Theplatymaster that water parameters would help greatly 

[ElenaSnail]

Thanks for your concern. Water is fine according to my test strip. Will go to LFS tomorrow for a more through testing. 

Mystery snail was very active and eating well right before adding the Easy Green. 
 

Here’s a photo of the long string that came out of him today and also a photo from a few weeks ago when he had his siphon completely extended. I really adore him and want him to be ok.

[Theplatymaster]

On 2/9/2023 at 8:17 PM, ElenaSnail said:

Thanks for your concern. Water is fine according to my test strip. Will go to LFS tomorrow for a more through testing. 

Please provide actual paramteters, im not saying there is something, but there might be something you missed and its hard to diagnose without actual parameters.

[ElenaSnail]

Here are the water parameters according to the test strip:

Nitrate: 20 ppm

Nitrite: 0 ppm

GH: 150 ppm

Chlorine: 0 ppm

KH: 40 ppm

PH: 6.8

Also, the tank has a small sponge filter, a HOB filter, and an air stone. Also a cuttlebone, and I put in a small wondershell yesterday thinking maybe it would help the mystery snail. 
 

There are some plants in the tank and 6 ramshorn tank mates. No fish, but some ramshorn babies (of course!)

I feed the snails invert aquatics mini algae disks every other day. 
 

Thanks again for your help! 

 

 

 

[Theplatymaster]

On 2/9/2023 at 8:31 PM, ElenaSnail said:

PH: 6.8

how long have you had this snail? You might want to raise the PH to ideally 7-7.2 for the snails.

Have you added anything new to this tank recently?

on a side note @Guppysnail@Chick-In-Of-TheSeaand @Cinnebuns all have good experience with mystery snails, maybe they can help.

[Katherine]

On 2/9/2023 at 6:22 PM, ElenaSnail said:

Why is Easy Green said to be safe for snails when it has copper in it? 

Invertebrates actually do need some copper to live. Easy green should be perfectly safe for them in normal amounts. How much did you put it?

As for the string, if you mean the thing hanging over it's shell in the top photo, that's just its poop. It sometimes stays connected to them for a while and I've seen some pretty long strings of it from mine.

[ElenaSnail]

Thanks for your help! I added 20 drops to my 10 gallon tank as per the instructions. Was that too much?

I didn’t add or change anything else recently.l except adding the wondershell yesterday in an effort to help my mystery snail. 

Thanks for your advice about the PH. Do you have any suggestions as to how to raise it up? 
 

Two weeks ago my water was tested at the LFS and the PH was 7.4. I don’t know if it really fell, or if my test strips are inaccurate. 

I’ve had the snail since December and it’s been thriving so far. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 2/9/2023 at 8:47 PM, Theplatymaster said:

how long have you had this snail? You might want to raise the PH to ideally 7-7.2 for the snails.

Have you added anything new to this tank recently?

on a side note @Guppysnail@Chick-In-Of-TheSeaand @Cinnebuns all have good experience with mystery snails, maybe they can help.

I use Easy Green with mystery snails. I have fish, 6 mysteries and a nerite snail in the tank that I use Easy Green in. I have not had any issues. I dose less than what the bottle recommends because I already have nitrates in the water from the inhabitants and I don’t want nitrates to get too high. 

Make sure you feed your snail calcium also for shell health and growth. Crab cuisine is a food you can offer that contains calcium.

Edited February 10, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Theplatymaster]

On 2/9/2023 at 8:50 PM, ElenaSnail said:

 

Thanks for your advice about the PH. Do you have any suggestions as to how to raise it up? 
 

you could try some crushed coral

[ccc24]

Mine get listless after wondershell, I haven’t figured it out yet. But each time I’ve added it, the mystery just kind of sit around and slow way down. 

[ElenaSnail]

Thanks again, everyone! It’s a joy and relief to find such a knowledgeable and generous group. I ordered crushed coral from Aquarium Co-op and will add it to the tank for added calcium and to raise the PH. 
 

I’m one of the people who loves to have ramshorn snails in the tank! Any advice on how to gravel vac without sucking up the babies?

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 2/10/2023 at 9:27 AM, ElenaSnail said:

I’m one of the people who loves to have ramshorn snails in the tank! Any advice on how to gravel vac without sucking up the babies?

Maybe @Katherine would know.  I'm thinking don't go into the substrate w/ your vac.  Swirl the vac just above the substrate to kind of stir up stuff that is sitting there.

Edited February 10, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Katherine]

On 2/10/2023 at 8:27 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Maybe @Katherine would know.  I'm thinking don't go into the substrate w/ your vac.  Swirl the vac just above the substrate to kind of stir up stuff that is sitting there.

I actually don't worry too much about sucking up ramshorn babies. There are so many of them! I will say if you gravel vac into a bucket rather than right down a drain they tend to attach themselves to the bottom of the bucket if given the chance. Although the freshly hatched babies are so small you would never be able to tell you even sucked them up.

[Cinnebuns]

On 2/10/2023 at 8:27 AM, ElenaSnail said:

Any advice on how to gravel vac without sucking up the babies?

There's one idea I have but I've never tried it so I can't guarantee it will work. 

Put a container inside the water change bucket. Do your best to avoid the babies while vacing but ofc it's impossible to miss all of them. Make sure the end of the vac is going into the container in the bucket. After you fill, most, if not all of the babies sucked up should end up in the container. Lift it and remove the babies. I would then pour the water very slowly when you empty it. In my experience with ramshorn snails, the ones that end up in the bucket usually hold on to the bottom pretty tight. When the water is nearly empty you can then check the bottom for any remaining babies. 

Again, this is not something I have tried myself. It's a mixture of things I have heard suggested as well as my experience vacing with ramshorn snails. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Some people put pantyhose on the end of their siphon so they don’t suck up shrimplets. The issue I have with that is that you can’t suck up mulm either. At least, not very well.

[ElenaSnail]

Thank you very much for your advice! 

[The endler guy]

How much did you add/ how big is the tank? I’m sure if you add a lot to a little water anything would act unusually 

[ElenaSnail]

I added 20 drops for my 10 gallon tank. 

Update on the snail: he stayed immobile by the water line until today when he went to the bottom of the tank and crawled around a bit. He extended his siphon under the water, and now crawled back up to the water line. I’m watching him closely, but still haven’t seen him eat! But I’m so grateful that he is moving!!