# What's Up With My Tiger Nerite?



## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Today I found Tigre slightly above the water line. I know that's okay, but when I checked him more closely he didn't look right. I am usually see his mouth sucking at the glass, but I can't see it now. It kind of looks like he's coming off his shell. I took pictures about an hour apart & he hasn't moved. Any thoughts?


----------



## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Here's the picture I took about an hour later...


----------



## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

it could be a few things, water parameters, lack of naturally available food etc... see if he/she's still hanging out there tomorrow...


----------



## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

I tested the tank water, everything is at 0ppm & 7.6pH, which has been the constant. Last night I left a piece of seaweed & this morning I dropped a piece of algae wafer. I taped off the glass to mark the spot Tigre was on. Before I left for work, he had shifted over about 3/8". He also looked a bit more "normal." I'll check him again tonight.


----------



## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

How long have you had him? Most nerites are wild caught and they take a while to adjust to tank parameters (Out of the 6 I ever bought, only 1 survived). Has he ever eaten prepared foods like algae wafers? It's well known that many nerites don't eat prepared foods and require actual algae to eat, they also eat the diatom film along the glass so try not to scrub it off when cleaning the tank. 

My surviving nerite did this a few times and I would remove her and float her in her own cup in the tank with some extra food. She defied death more than once- one time climbing out of the tank and went missing for 2 days. She should have died but she came back! Word is, she's still alive in my boss's tank back in Newfoundland (which would make her about 3 and half years old)


----------



## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

I've had them for almost two weeks. I've seen both my Tiger Nerites close to the algae wafer pieces, but they've never eaten the entire piece. I never scrub the tank glass when I clean it. I might try some supervised cup feedings to make sure they're eating the algae wafer pieces & seaweed.


----------



## Lilypad (Oct 15, 2014)

My nerites stayed above the water line while I was cycling, but I haven't seen them above it since then. I was told by my LFS though that they'll occasionally find them on the other side of their fish room though, and they are always testing their parameters.


----------



## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

I have them in a 2.5G quarantine tank, while my Betta's tank cycles. They're in there with two ADFs (soon to be three, after I observe a new one in a kritter keeper).


----------



## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

So when I got home, Tigre was at the bottom of the quarantine tank. I feared he was dead, but his coloring (on the fleshy part) looked okay. I flipped him over, but he hasn't moved or come out of his shell. I added a piece of cuttlebone, as a calcium supplement. I put some seaweed right next to hm, but he hasn't paid attention to it. Here's a picture of what he looks like. Don't mind Porthos photo-bombing, LOL.


----------



## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Last night I placed Tigre at the center of the tank bottom. This morning he was unmoved & still in his shell. You can't even see any fleshy are in the space between the bottom of his shell & the glass tank bottom.


----------



## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

Maybe you can take him back and exchange him. has it been 14 days yet?


----------



## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Not yet, but I think I threw out the receipt. I'll keep an eye on him. I'm hoping he'll be out & about when I get home tonight.


----------



## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

Snails are non-refundable at my LPS's.


----------



## Lilypad (Oct 15, 2014)

Oy, that's frustrating  I recently lost one of mine when he somehow found his way into the filter unit.


----------



## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

I think Tigre is a goner. He was still unchanged when I got home. I even took him out to see if that would trigger some movement. Got nothing. Should I just throw him out?


----------



## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

Dead snails smell really bad...guve him a whiff, that should tell you whether it's time to toss him


----------



## Greenapp1es (Dec 4, 2014)

Can he keep his trap door closed? Or does his foot just kind of hang limply?

I've also heard that the smell of dead snail is rather unmistakable. I've never tried it myself though.


----------



## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

This is what he looks like (forgot to attach the picture before). I can't bring myself to sniff him out, but I notice any bad smells coming from him when I inspected him.


----------



## Greenapp1es (Dec 4, 2014)

From what I understand, Nerites can close up and keep to themselves for quite a while. It doesn't really look like he's completely closing his door though. Poke that part of the shell that covers his hole - the "trap door". Does he hold it tight? Or does it move with no resistance?


----------



## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

When I tapped it with the tweezer tip it didn't move & felt solid/firm.


----------



## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

Seems like he's still alive then  when snails die the muscle holding the door closed loosens and the door falls outwards


----------



## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Is there anything I can do to lure him out of his shell? I have an organic cucumber I'm going to blanch tomorrow for the snails. Babo's been staying above the water line, but at least he's moving around. Killer also made his way partially above water.


----------



## Greenapp1es (Dec 4, 2014)

Give him time.

Also, keeping in mind that some nerites won't eat anything but natural algae, it would probably be a good idea to start a culture to supplement what grows in the tank. Take some river rocks and put them in a container of tank water (or otherwise treat some water and put them in that). Then, put the container in a sunny spot for a week or two. If you're worried about mosquitoes, you can surran-wrap the top.


----------



## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

I'll try the river rock in tank water left in the sun. How can I treat water to put them in?


----------



## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

Same as you would for your tank. I would culture the algae inside on a sunny ledge rather than outdoors, you want to have "organic" algae from non-rain water.


----------



## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

I left two separate cups on my windowsill (inside my apartment) with a river rock each, using water from both tanks with snails.


----------



## Alphaneon (Aug 1, 2015)

Hi, 
Its actually hard to tell whats wrong with nerite snails sometimes.
They need circulating water. Thats a must. If water doesn't have good areation or filteration, no snail will survive.
If you have good circulating water, check other parameters. 
If all of them are right. Just wait and see what it will do.
Sometimes nerite snails, will crawl up from the water level, sit there for few hours and go back in again. Dont force them in. My snail does that every other day. 
Other thing i read many times is that, they just go in to shell and dont move for a day or two for no reason. And come back again and continue crawling around the tank. 
Make sure there is lot of slime on walls of the tank. If not, turn on the light for longer hours.
And for calcium, i crush eggshell(rinsed) and put it in a mesh like bag or any bowl or however you are comfortable to put it in the tank. It works as magic for calcium deficiency. Cracks on my snail shell healed in 2 days. Magically!

But they are mysterious! Its really hard to understand them. I had new snail in my tank and lost him/her in a month. While another nerite snail lived happily in the same tank


----------



## Alphaneon (Aug 1, 2015)

If you are planning to get river rocks, you must wash them well in boiling water and dry out, brush off all other elements settled on it. Because few rivers have high contents of some elements which might effect other fish in tank. I forgot what are they.
If you want algae, all you need to do is half a glass of water in sun. I grew it that way but never fed that algae to my snails. At your own risk!


----------



## Strawberry12 (Mar 6, 2015)

Alphaneon said:


> They need circulating water. Thats a must. If water doesn't have good areation or filteration, no snail will survive.


tell that to my Malaysian Trumpet Snails, a bunch found their way into a stagnant bucket in the basement for months and were still alive and breeding ;-)


----------



## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Alphaneon said:


> Hi,
> Its actually hard to tell whats wrong with nerite snails sometimes.
> They need circulating water. Thats a must. If water doesn't have good areation or filteration, no snail will survive.
> If you have good circulating water, check other parameters.
> ...


So I tested the water in the tank that housed the Tiger Nerites & my original ADFs (two sadly passed away). The levels were thru the roof! Ammonia was 0.25ppm, Nitrite 5.0ppm, Nitrate 5.0ppm, & pH 7.6. It probably explains why Tigre is hiding in his shell. I'm going to do a big water change tonight. I'll test the water again tomorrow.


----------



## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Alphaneon said:


> If you are planning to get river rocks, you must wash them well in boiling water and dry out, brush off all other elements settled on it. Because few rivers have high contents of some elements which might effect other fish in tank. I forgot what are they.
> If you want algae, all you need to do is half a glass of water in sun. I grew it that way but never fed that algae to my snails. At your own risk!


The river rocks I'm using are pre-packaged from Petco. I would never use found river rocks in my tanks.


----------



## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Tigre is officially dead. This morning I took him out to check him, but when I put him back in the water the guts spilled out of his shell. I took his remains out of the tank but let his shell, thinking it would leech calcium into the water for Babo.


----------



## Alphaneon (Aug 1, 2015)

I am sorry to hear!!


----------



## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

Alphaneon said:


> I am sorry to hear!!


Thanks! I'll still give them a try. Just need to keep an eye on the water parameters.


----------

