My mystery snail died... Why?

OrangeAugust · 08-19-2012, 04:28 AM

I got a mystery snail a couple of weeks ago. I put it in my 5 gallon tank with my betta, but my betta attacked it (I think he bit off some of its eye stalk thing), so I put my snail in a separate 1 gallon tank with some plants I had in quarantine, and it seemed happy. But then it stopped eating (I was giving it some of the betta pellets until I could get some algae tabs), and he would go for very long periods of not moving- either attached onto the side or just on the bottom inside its shell. Well, tonight I came home after 4 days of vacation, and it hadn't eaten any food and it looked like it was in the same position it was in before I left. So I picked it up and it fell out of its shell dead. Eww. Gross and kind of sad.
I'm wondering what I could have done wrong. Was it the attack by my betta? Or the food I was feeding it? Maybe I didn't change the water enough? I did change the water 3 or 4 times in the 10 or so days that I had it. Hmmm... Thoughts?

somewhatshocked · 08-19-2012, 01:37 PM

First, sorry about your snail less. But here are some of the things you mention which likely contributed to its death:

Attacked by Betta - physical damage and likely stress
Being moved from tank to tank in a relatively short period of time - It went from its original tank to your Betta tank to your holding tank and that could likely lead to stress. Depending upon water parameters of each tank, it could have suffered quite a bit, unfortunately.
Changing the water repeatedly - why so many changes? Snails require calcium and water that isn't too soft. Short of those two, they're rather hardy snails. Click here for a good care sheet.

What were the water parameters of your tanks? Why were you changing the water so frequently?

OrangeAugust · 08-19-2012, 05:22 PM

Ok, thanks a lot.
I changed water so many times because I know they produce a lot of ammonia and ammonia isn't good for fish, so I was assuming it's not good for snails either.
Well, now I know what and what not to do next time. Thanks.

08-19-2012, 04:28 AM	#1
OrangeAugust Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Connecticut, USA Posts: 76	My mystery snail died... Why? I got a mystery snail a couple of weeks ago. I put it in my 5 gallon tank with my betta, but my betta attacked it (I think he bit off some of its eye stalk thing), so I put my snail in a separate 1 gallon tank with some plants I had in quarantine, and it seemed happy. But then it stopped eating (I was giving it some of the betta pellets until I could get some algae tabs), and he would go for very long periods of not moving- either attached onto the side or just on the bottom inside its shell. Well, tonight I came home after 4 days of vacation, and it hadn't eaten any food and it looked like it was in the same position it was in before I left. So I picked it up and it fell out of its shell dead. Eww. Gross and kind of sad. I'm wondering what I could have done wrong. Was it the attack by my betta? Or the food I was feeding it? Maybe I didn't change the water enough? I did change the water 3 or 4 times in the 10 or so days that I had it. Hmmm... Thoughts?

08-19-2012, 01:37 PM	#2
somewhatshocked Obsessed? Maybe (View User Tanks) PTrader: (262/100%) Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,616	First, sorry about your snail less. But here are some of the things you mention which likely contributed to its death: Attacked by Betta - physical damage and likely stress Being moved from tank to tank in a relatively short period of time - It went from its original tank to your Betta tank to your holding tank and that could likely lead to stress. Depending upon water parameters of each tank, it could have suffered quite a bit, unfortunately. Changing the water repeatedly - why so many changes? Snails require calcium and water that isn't too soft. Short of those two, they're rather hardy snails. Click here for a good care sheet. What were the water parameters of your tanks? Why were you changing the water so frequently? __________________ 12gal Long \| 20L Shrimp Tanks \| 3gal Longs \| 10gal \| 45-F \| 5.5gal Tigers \| 20cm Cubes

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08-19-2012, 05:22 PM	#3
OrangeAugust Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Connecticut, USA Posts: 76	Ok, thanks a lot. I changed water so many times because I know they produce a lot of ammonia and ammonia isn't good for fish, so I was assuming it's not good for snails either. Well, now I know what and what not to do next time. Thanks.