Why do my snails keep dying?

[Caperguy99]

I have a 5 gallon beta tank. Parameters: 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0 nitrate, 7.8 PH, 10 GH, 8 KH, 220 ppm TDS.

I’ve been trying to add a snail to clean up some diatom algae and just as an addition.

However, every single time I add one it zooms around the tank as soon as I put it in, then takes a tumble - either off a rock or the glass - then stays still for days on end until it starts turning white and fuzzy and dies.

What the heck is this? The betta has lived in the tank for nearly 3 years now without issue, and I don’t see it picking at the snails. Are they being poisoned? Has anyone had this happen?

I bought a new mystery snail today at around 10:00 - same as before, he zoomed around a bit as soon as I put him in, then closed up and now that I checked again 4 hours later he’s still in the same spot.

Frustrating!

 

[Tristan's 6000 Fish]

Do you acclimate them before popping them in the tank?

Snails are sensitive to changes in ammonia/nitrate/pH crap.

Also some snails are shy or something. I breed Bladder snails and they usually sit for about a day in any new tank, then disappear for awhile, before there are about 20 sliming around the tank. Give him awhile and he might start moving around.

 

[danotaylor]

Any copper or heavy metals present in the source water or in the tank? Snail poison…
This may give some insight to the challenges you’ve had with the moba & water as well. Might be worth paying a university to do a source water analysis

 

[Caperguy99]

Any copper or heavy metals present in the source water or in the tank? Snail poison…
This may give some insight to the challenges you’ve had with the moba & water as well. Might be worth paying a university to do a source water analysis

My pipes in my house are copper - when I first started fish keeping, I would get a copper reading when I first turned on the tap. However, after listening to some advice I now run my water for a few minutes before water changes to clear the water out of the pipes and I no longer get copper readings. Testing the tank water reveals no copper.

At this point, I might get a full test done up just to see what I see - thanks for the recommendation.

 

[skjl47]

My pipes in my house are copper

Hello; I doubt the pipes in the house are the culprit. The copper I think of is from a different source. Some folks do not like snails and have used such copper additive to kill snails.
Perhaps the best evidence for me is that my home has copper pipes and my snails do fine.
Good luck

 

[Caperguy99]

Hello; I doubt the pipes in the house are the culprit. The copper I think of is from a different source. Some folks do not like snails and have used such copper additive to kill snails.
Perhaps the best evidence for me is that my home has copper pipes and my snails do fine.
Good luck

Alright good to know -

I added a mystery snail today, and he’s sort of sitting there still for the moment. I’ll give it a few days and hope he starts moving again!

 

[Caperguy99]

I believe it is now dead. It’s hanging half out of its shell, I squirted it with a pipette and it didn’t move at all. I’ll do the smell test later -

Even though my tank water tests clear of copper, is it possible copper from my pipes has somehow leeched into the tank material?

I literally don’t understand this at all - it’s like they die as soon as I put them in. It would seem like something is seriously wrong, but a betta had been happy and healthy for nearly 3 years!

Unless the betta is killing them when I’m not watching?

 

[skjl47]

Unless the betta is killing them when I’m not watching?

Hello; A distinct possibility. I kept bettas several time over the decades. I have watched a male betta hover near a snail and then take a bite out of them. Kuhli loaches are suspected of attacking snails. As are puffers and also maybe some other loaches.
There is a type of snail called an assassin snail which kills other snails.

 

[skjl47]

Hello; I did a brief search on both this site and the internet. There are copper based treatments for fish disease and also specifically to kill snails. Copper sulfate being the sort i found named. I seem to recall discussion surrounding using such copper treatments for disease. One being the lasting effect on snails. Along the lines of residuals of the copper compounds being long lasting once used.
I just do not have a direct answer about your copper house pipes. One thought being they may be like lead pipes which have a sealing layer which forms over time on the inside of a water pipe. As I mentioned before my current home has copper water pipes throughout. I have been running tanks with snails for around 16 years now. Sometimes with lots of snails. Of course, my water could be some different that yours in terms of parameters. Have you recently had work done on the copper pipes or is the house brand new?

 

[Caperguy99]

Hello; I did a brief search on both this site and the internet. There are copper based treatments for fish disease and also specifically to kill snails. Copper sulfate being the sort i found named. I seem to recall discussion surrounding using such copper treatments for disease. One being the lasting effect on snails. Along the lines of residuals of the copper compounds being long lasting once used.
I just do not have a direct answer about your copper house pipes. One thought being they may be like lead pipes which have a sealing layer which forms over time on the inside of a water pipe. As I mentioned before my current home has copper water pipes throughout. I have been running tanks with snails for around 16 years now. Sometimes with lots of snails. Of course, my water could be some different that yours in terms of parameters. Have you recently had work done on the copper pipes or is the house brand new?

Thanks!

House is about 40 years old - no recent work on the pipes. Never treated for any illness in the tank, as we can’t even get many of the normal treatments here in Canada.

Unless it’s the betta killing them, it’s a mystery to me.

It would also have to be something that would kill an invert almost immediately, but cause no notable issues for a fish. That’s why I’m wondering if it’s a small amount of copper or something similar.