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something wrong with zebra nerite snail

12K views 11 replies 2 participants last post by  Lupin 
#1 ·
I think there's something wrong with my zebra nerite snail. I've had him since November, maybe September and he's been acting very strange over the last two weeks. It's like he can't stick to the glass anymore and he keeps falling off and landing on his shell. It isn't cracked or anything but he can't flip himself back over and he gets stuck. I use the end of my fish net to gently turn him over and then instantly starts crawling away. What could possibly be wrong with him?

I have a suspicion that he simply isn't getting enough to eat. He used to have lots of algae to eat and he was very good about cleaning it off the glass. I say 'used to' because the algae hasn't been returning in the same amount so he hasn't had as much to feast on. I've tried adding spinach to the tank and broccoli but he hasn't touched any of it. I have no idea what I should do. I'm seriously thinking about giving him to my local pet store because they might know how to get him to eat.
 
#2 ·
Where do you live, Salix? If your area has lots of sunshine there, then start collecting some clean white smooth rocks, grab a bucket of water, dunk them in. Drop water and a pinch of fish food, connect aerator into the bucket and expose it to sunlight. In a few days, you should be able to grow enough algae for the nerite to eat. Doesn't matter if it's a mix of red, green and brown algae. Alternately use the algae-coated rocks. If you have other fish and snails in there, the nerite will have to be placed in the breeder trap and feed him there.
 
#3 ·
That sounds like an awesome idea, thank you so much. I live in Norther California, and we haven't been getting much sunshine lately because of all the rain and whatnot, but I'll give it a try. A bigger problem I'm going to have is getting the people I live with to leave the bucket alone. There's a good chance the water will just be dumped but I'll give it a try. I could also relocate him to my 10 gallon quarantine tank. Over the last few days it's been getting more algae of the brown algae on the glass and gravel whereas in the tank he's in now it's been growing more on the plants and I can't seem to make it stop. I think I'm going to have to toss the ones I have now and buy some more because all of the leaves are dying.
 
#4 ·
Maybe get some light tubes or metal halide. It can work though what a waste of electricity over algae culture.:lol:

If your QT doesn't have any fish and meds, toss him there.
 
#6 ·
Cool! Toss it there! I'd still grow algae just in case though. The nerite is getting malnourished. That'd explain the weakness.
 
#7 ·
Ok, so here's a little update. I just moved my snail into the quarantine/nursery tank. I was waiting until he was off the glass in the betta tank before I tried to move him. I'm always afraid I'm going to apply too much pressure when picking him up and accidentally crush his shell. On that note, what is the texture of their shells supposed to feel like? When I moved him it felt kind of soft but I could feel a harder layer underneath the softness. Is that supposed to happen or is he not getting enough calcium?
 
#8 ·
It should feel hard. Do you have pH, KH and GH readings?
 
#10 ·
Your pH is fine. You can always supplement calcium pills like Caltrate to help its shell.
 
#11 ·
Ok, so I went to the store to pick up some Caltrate but I couldn't find any that didn't have a weird coating so I bought some Tums instead. How many times a week do I add this to my tank? The snail is in a ten gallon, the other occupant is a baby molly, and I also have live plants (wisteria). Is the Tums going to have a negative affect on my plants or the baby molly?
 
#12 ·
Nope. It will cloud the water badly but no harm done. That's the only thing I hate about Tums. You can give it daily to 3x a week or any time you want.
 
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