Zebra Snail not active

seriosbrad

Yesterday afternoon I bought a Zebra Snail and an Oto to help remove my algae.

Fast forward to today, the snail hasn't moved an inch and I haven't seen him come out of it's shell at all. Does it just need more time to adjust to my tank?

I never saw the store owner pull it out of the tank, I was waiting at the counter to pay.

Edit:
A bit of information on my tank

10gal
1 betta
1 oto
2 mini guppies
1 glass cat
1 small cichlid

Twistersmom

Hello and welcome to the forum!

How does your water test for ammonia and nitrites? Do you know what kind of cichlid you have?

kelly528

Nerites have a long break-in period and take a while to get adjusted, but I would keen him under close observation to ensure that the betta and cichlid are not picking at him.

seriosbrad

Thanks for the welcome!

I don't have any test equipment right now sorry. I can't remember the name of this cichlid as my brother picked it out but here is a photo of it



Will keep on eye on it for sure, the betta and cichlid seemed to have no interest in it at all when I put the snail in but we will see once it decides to come out of the shell.

Twistersmom

Not to knowledge about cichlids, so not sure what type you have. That a beautiful picture! Love all the purple. Do you have a full tank shot?
How long has the tank been setup? Snails are sensitive to any ammonia or nitrites in the tank, but like kelly said, it may just need more time to adjust.
Nerites are better than most snails, as far as being protected from possible predators, but do keep an eye on them. A scared snail will not venture out.

seriosbrad

The plants were just plastic and we took them out to clean them but there was just too much algae build up and brother didn't want them in there any more lol. So the tank looks different now, we set up a small "cave" made of rock in the corner and the glass cat seems to enjoy that. We are going to look into some more plants soon. I'll try to get a full shot of the tank and all the fish though.

The tank has been going for about 5 months with weekly water changes.

Edit; here's a poor cell phone photo, as you can see, i really want the snail to feel welcome so he can go to work haha.

Jack Middleton

leave him for 2 or 3 days, if there is still no movement, pick him up and smell him. If it smells like rotting eggs hes died.

kelly528

Kind of a random question, but are your lights flourescent and how long do you leave them on for?

seriosbrad

Yes, it is a fluorescent light and the light is usually on all the time

molliefan09

lights should be on MAXIMUM 10-12 hours a day. fish need a rest period just like we do and they need the lights out. with an algea problem, if it were my tank, first i would post a thread asking for help....but in the mean time i would cut my light ON time from the 8 hours they are on currently to only being on a few hours.....some one will be along to elaborate and give you more info....in regards to the snail my guy didnt come out for 2-3 days after i brought him home and now he never goes in his shell, hes always out moving around...as jack middleton said...give him a few more days and if he still hasnt come out pick him up and give him a sniff.....if the smell is horrid....hes dead and his "trap door" will not be there