Random Snail Deaths

[Nebraska Cornfed]

I am at a loss with some snail deaths. I have a densely planted 40 gallon breeder.  I have healthy zebra danio and Colombian tetra.  The tetra are spawning and have some babies. I use coop fert weekly. I use Seachem potassium 2 days a week due to my ferns turning brown. This week I noticed three of my rabbit snails and 3 of my  Nerite snails had not moved. I pulled them today and they are quite dead. Smell test was not good! Ph 7.6 nitrate between 25&50 nitrite 0 ammonia 0 chlorine 0 kH 120 GH 150 temp 76 and iron and copper are not detectable. All done with test strips. I have two mystery snails and several more  nerites cruising the glass.  The only recent change is added purigen to my HOB and did about 10% water change a week ago. I feed pellet, algae wafers and bottom micro wafers only three days a week due to a bladder snail boom.  I also have Corey’s and shrimp that are doing well.  Any ideas. Just thought it was weird so many died at once. 

[Tanked]

Definitely weird, sorry for your loss.  Hopefully you did the smell test individually.  I've never kept Rabbit Snails, but Nerites can remain motionless and, or, out of water for days.  If the Operculum was open, than they were likely dead.  If I'm not sure I float mine in a separate  container for a few more days.  I hope this isn't a canary in the coal mine situation for you.

[MattyM]

Do you have calcium in the water and in their diet? I had to put some cuttlebone in my tank to help add calcium to the water, and toss some Crab Cuisine pellets in there every day or so, which contain calcium. No more deaths since I did that. 

[Tanked]

Perhaps @Guppysnail can chime in, and move your post to General Discussion.  

[Guppysnail]

I really have nothing to add other than it sounds like there is a food shortage for the snails due to pest snails outcompeting the others possibly.

Ill move this to general as requested 

[Lennie]

Nerites and usually rabbit snails are wild caught, as nerites are hard to breed as they require brackish conditions and rabbit snails don't breed prolifically, just one baby once a month if you are lucky to have a female that breeds. They grow slow and take considerably long time to reach maturity too, and their lifespan isn't so long. Rabbit snails need a bit warm water. What's your temp is like considering u r keeping danios?

 

When I got my first batch of rabbit snails, I lost all 4. I think shipment during winter time did no good for them even tho there was a heat pack added. I would personally never order rabbit snails if the weather is not warm enough. They refused eating any food or veggie I tried. They were even scared of the bubble sounds sponge filter makes. 

A possible issue that comes to my mind is, your fish might be nippy to the antennas. Rabbits are even more scared than mysteries are if they are bothered. Being scared and not opening up mightve lead them to starve to die. Also they are bad at finding food and they are not like mysteries. I personally target feed mine.

Also rabbits are not ideal tankmates for mysteries for three main reasons. Mystery snail males may bother rabbits by trying to mate with them, may result in injuries and bothersome for both sides. Secondly, rabbit snails like their tank a bit warm, warmer than the mystery snails ideally want. Third, mystery snails are pretty fast at moving, finding food and eating. They can easily outcompete rabbits if they are kept together. The time difference of eating snellos between rabbit snail tank and mystery snail tank is huge in my experience.

 

As nerites are wildcaught, it is not easy to know about their age once collected. So old age is always a potential factor. I would also consider the chances of starving here if the tank does not offer enough algae and biofilm to graze on since you mentioned there are also many more nerites grazing around. Sometimes people add too many in a level a tank can't support their diet enough, or a tank that is not mature enough.

 

Just thinking,, why is kh 0? 

[jwcarlson]

My apistos just killed about four big spixi snails on me.  It's been fine with just the female apisto, but I added a male and he darn near wiped them all out.  There's four I rescued today, hopefully they survive.  Not sure they'll have antennae.  I could see danios and big tetras doing the same.  

[Nebraska Cornfed]

On 12/16/2023 at 5:49 PM, Lennie said:

Nerites and usually rabbit snails are wild caught, as nerites are hard to breed as they require brackish conditions and rabbit snails don't breed prolifically, just one baby once a month if you are lucky to have a female that breeds. They grow slow and take considerably long time to reach maturity too, and their lifespan isn't so long. Rabbit snails need a bit warm water. What's your temp is like considering u r keeping danios?

 

When I got my first batch of rabbit snails, I lost all 4. I think shipment during winter time did no good for them even tho there was a heat pack added. I would personally never order rabbit snails if the weather is not warm enough. They refused eating any food or veggie I tried. They were even scared of the bubble sounds sponge filter makes. 

A possible issue that comes to my mind is, your fish might be nippy to the antennas. Rabbits are even more scared than mysteries are if they are bothered. Being scared and not opening up mightve lead them to starve to die. Also they are bad at finding food and they are not like mysteries. I personally target feed mine.

Also rabbits are not ideal tankmates for mysteries for three main reasons. Mystery snail males may bother rabbits by trying to mate with them, may result in injuries and bothersome for both sides. Secondly, rabbit snails like their tank a bit warm, warmer than the mystery snails ideally want. Third, mystery snails are pretty fast at moving, finding food and eating. They can easily outcompete rabbits if they are kept together. The time difference of eating snellos between rabbit snail tank and mystery snail tank is huge in my experience.

 

As nerites are wildcaught, it is not easy to know about their age once collected. So old age is always a potential factor. I would also consider the chances of starving here if the tank does not offer enough algae and biofilm to graze on since you mentioned there are also many more nerites grazing around. Sometimes people add too many in a level a tank can't support their diet enough, or a tank that is not mature enough.

 

Just thinking,, why is kh 0? 

KH is 120. Typo. Temp is 76

On 12/16/2023 at 6:02 PM, jwcarlson said:

My apistos just killed about four big spixi snails on me.  It's been fine with just the female apisto, but I added a male and he darn near wiped them all out.  There's four I rescued today, hopefully they survive.  Not sure they'll have antennae.  I could see danios and big tetras doing the same.  

That’s a good point. The tetras were a bit nippy until my tank grew in a bit. Seemed to have calmed down now. 

[Nebraska Cornfed]

On 12/15/2023 at 11:22 AM, Tanked said:

Definitely weird, sorry for your loss.  Hopefully you did the smell test individually.  I've never kept Rabbit Snails, but Nerites can remain motionless and, or, out of water for days.  If the Operculum was open, than they were likely dead.  If I'm not sure I float mine in a separate  container for a few more days.  I hope this isn't a canary in the coal mine situation for you.

Yep. Quite smelly. All parameters are stable. I wonder if this was a resource issue with the hitchhiker bladder snails I had.  Have since removed majority of the bladder snails. Hopefully won’t be an ongoing issue.