# Snail tank???



## Friendlyfishies (Aug 16, 2012)

So after getting my new nerite snails in and then doing research (too late) ive decided not to place them in my tanks (I read up on parasites and dont want to chance it)...So now I have a tank of 8 nerite snails in a cycled planted betta tank ( I dont use that tank for the betta anymore, he moved to a nice set up) ...they seem healthy but just the same, im all set with introducing anything weird to my boys and try and be very sanitary with them. So now I have snail pets! LOL..what on earth do I do with these guys? I tried to sell them but no go...right now they are in a 6.6 gallon petco bookshelf tank with a couple of moss balls, java and anubias just hanging out munching on algea...I did get them some bottom feeder algea food...I dont know how much I need to clean the tank? How much to feed? or what size thank these guys need? lol what a mess. They are cute...but I deffinitely didnt have this in mind. Any help on creating the right habbitat and feeding them right would be great, thank you!


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## gbose (Dec 2, 2010)

Not sure why you decided against putting the nerites into your tank. I have several in each of my tanks and they keep the algae down.

If you want to keep them by themselves, that's fine too. I have never tried feeding mine -- I let them graze on the natural algae that grows in the tanks. But I think algae wafers might work -- do they like them?

Good luck!

GBose


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## Maddybelle (Sep 29, 2012)

I breed apple snails. (pretty much the same, care-wise, just bigger) Algae wafers are the best invention ever! They don't last very long in my tanks, lol! As far as parasites go, it really depends on where you got them. For pet shop snails, I'd quarantine them just like with fish. Both my snail tanks had a betta each in them, until I brought the boys inside. (The "tanks", really just big rubbermaid containers, were outside, and fall fell, so the boys are now all settled in to their inside lodging)


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

:/
Nerites will eat prodominanty algae. if there arent any in the tank... try blanched veges. some will eat algae wafers, others will ignore and prefer to starve.

in a snail tank, increase water hardness by adding some crushed coral, shells etc...

Nerites should not carry any parasites. Snail parasites only come from wild collected snails....


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## Friendlyfishies (Aug 16, 2012)

thank you all! aokashi...I read some different article from different places about them carrying flukes? Then I saw one of my snails has some little brown stringy things on his shell...im freaked lol..thats what started my concern...you guys definitely make me want to put them in there but on the flip side...im not sure I can get past the brown stringy thing hanging off the shell. It was probably nothing but its just weird...I havent seen anything like that since, but still. Thank you all for the input! Maybe after a few months ill add them but for now they will have their own tank  ...

Crushed coral and shells it is! I will pick some up this week  
sounds like im on the right track with the algea wafers!
Which blanched veggies can they happily/safely eat?


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

Friendlyfishies said:


> thank you all! aokashi...I read some different article from different places about them carrying flukes? Then I saw one of my snails has some little brown stringy things on his shell...im freaked lol..thats what started my concern...you guys definitely make me want to put them in there but on the flip side...im not sure I can get past the brown stringy thing hanging off the shell. It was probably nothing but its just weird...I havent seen anything like that since, but still. Thank you all for the input! Maybe after a few months ill add them but for now they will have their own tank  ...
> 
> Crushed coral and shells it is! I will pick some up this week
> sounds like im on the right track with the algea wafers!
> Which blanched veggies can they happily/safely eat?


spinach, zucchinis....

The shells are pretty easy to find. and petsmart sells small packs for around $2. 
if you can find those, a bit of a cuttle fish bone will help them wirh their shells. make sure you boil it first.


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## RedRaz (Sep 12, 2012)

Friendlyfishies said:


> thank you all! aokashi...I read some different article from different places about them carrying flukes? Then I saw one of my snails has some little brown stringy things on his shell...im freaked lol..thats what started my concern...you guys definitely make me want to put them in there but on the flip side...im not sure I can get past the brown stringy thing hanging off the shell. It was probably nothing but its just weird...I havent seen anything like that since, but still. Thank you all for the input! Maybe after a few months ill add them but for now they will have their own tank  ...
> 
> Crushed coral and shells it is! I will pick some up this week
> sounds like im on the right track with the algea wafers!
> Which blanched veggies can they happily/safely eat?


I bought a nerite and my betta now has gill flukes I would be cautious and quarantine the snails. Everyone I talked to said they shouldn't carry parasites but now my betta is struggling to get better. Just be careful is all. Good luck.


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## Friendlyfishies (Aug 16, 2012)

Great! we have spinach on an every other week basis! On occasion some zuccini too.

Exactly what I dont want to have happen Red Raz, thats terrible, I hope your guy heals up quick! I never thought about them having parasites til after I got them...$40 later between shipping and their cost per snail I find about the possibility lol...sucks, but ill do the best I can at giving them a good life though, they are awfully cute.


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

lol, even so, you dont need to separate them forever. without i a final host flukes will die anyway  

it's like ich. they have to find a host within 48 hours...


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## babystarz (Aug 3, 2012)

Does anyone know if cuttlebone works as well as crushed coral as a calcium supplement for snails? I was thinking about getting one for my snails.


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## RedRaz (Sep 12, 2012)

Friendlyfishies said:


> Great! we have spinach on an every other week basis! On occasion some zuccini too.
> 
> Exactly what I dont want to have happen Red Raz, thats terrible, I hope your guy heals up quick! I never thought about them having parasites til after I got them...$40 later between shipping and their cost per snail I find about the possibility lol...sucks, but ill do the best I can at giving them a good life though, they are awfully cute.


Thanks! Yeah it is a struggle but I can only hope for the best and that he gets better. Good luck and I'm sorry I didn't mean to discourage you. They are so awesome though and very cute! I have had snails before and always loved them. I hope to see pics of the little guys. ;-)


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## RedRaz (Sep 12, 2012)

aokashi said:


> lol, even so, you dont need to separate them forever. without i a final host flukes will die anyway
> 
> it's like ich. they have to find a host within 48 hours...


Well my little guy has a weaken immune system so I'm not sure he will recover from the flukes. Perhaps in a more healthy fish they could recover from them. In my case I'm not too sure. I just thought I would give anyone the heads up when thinking about snails.


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

hmm.. what are you treating him with?


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## RedRaz (Sep 12, 2012)

aokashi said:


> hmm.. what are you treating him with?


AQ salt and daily water changes. If that does not work then meds (Hikari Prazipro). He hasn't eaten in like 3 weeks. So his immune system is not too strong. Flukes is a nasty parasite. I have a thread about it all.


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

ur better iff medicating him if it's gill flukes... Aq salt wont get rid of it...
Sakura 8 recommended general cure as it is a milder medication... you probably should begin to medicate him asap before the flukes do futher damage...


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

cuttlebone is supposed to work for calcium as well as calcium pills for humans. try visiting applesnail.net for some good info. Its for apple snails but i'm assuming the info is relevant for all snail types.


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## RedRaz (Sep 12, 2012)

aokashi said:


> ur better iff medicating him if it's gill flukes... Aq salt wont get rid of it...
> Sakura 8 recommended general cure as it is a milder medication... you probably should begin to medicate him asap before the flukes do futher damage...


Sakura suggested I wait and see if the AQ salt works first. Today was first full day of treatment.


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

Okies, if that's what she said, I'll go with it.

bu the way, I don't think it was the fault of the snail that flukes appear in the aquarium...
gill flukes do not need intermeditery hosts... 
So would not have infected a snail...
did you quarantine the snail at all?
it probably came with the water...


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## RedRaz (Sep 12, 2012)

aokashi said:


> Okies, if that's what she said, I'll go with it.
> 
> bu the way, I don't think it was the fault of the snail that flukes appear in the aquarium...
> gill flukes do not need intermeditery hosts...
> ...


I quarantined the snail for three days. Everything seemed okay. Then my nerite started acting sick and then Raz my betta started acting sick too. The snail died yesterday. :-( So I have no idea but my little guy now has gill flukes.


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

oO weird....that the snail died too....
I'm clueless about what might have happened. but I do wish you the best of luck and your little man a speedy recovery!


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## RedRaz (Sep 12, 2012)

aokashi said:


> oO weird....that the snail died too....
> I'm clueless about what might have happened. but I do wish you the best of luck and your little man a speedy recovery!


Yeah it was all very weird and sudden. Thanks. I hope so too.


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## goldfishyman (Jun 8, 2012)

Your snail probably died because of the salt. Ever try putting salt on a garden snail or slug they melt.

I bought a betta from petco and it eventually it started floating sideways and would get tired quickly. I found something yellow on his tail but he was a yellow betta so I thought it was just part of his tail. I pulled it off thinking it was just a piece his tail that was falling off. He continued to get sicker. So I decided quarantine him and added a lot of salt to his tank. Within an hour I found another yellow thing on the bottom of his jar. I took it out and looked under a microscope. It was a fluke. It had been trapped in his gills. I left my betta in the high salt solution for a week and bought a treatment for parasites just in case there were eggs. He got better in 3 days and started swimming normal again. I treated with the parasite treatment afterwards for as per directions to be safe. 

Just add more salt and the fluke should fall off.


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## RedRaz (Sep 12, 2012)

goldfishyman said:


> Your snail probably died because of the salt. Ever try putting salt on a garden snail or slug they melt.
> 
> I bought a betta from petco and it eventually it started floating sideways and would get tired quickly. I found something yellow on his tail but he was a yellow betta so I thought it was just part of his tail. I pulled it off thinking it was just a piece his tail that was falling off. He continued to get sicker. So I decided quarantine him and added a lot of salt to his tank. Within an hour I found another yellow thing on the bottom of his jar. I took it out and looked under a microscope. It was a fluke. It had been trapped in his gills. I left my betta in the high salt solution for a week and bought a treatment for parasites just in case there were eggs. He got better in 3 days and started swimming normal again. I treated with the parasite treatment afterwards for as per directions to be safe.
> 
> Just add more salt and the fluke should fall off.


I never added the salt with the snail in the tank. I moved the betta into a hospital tank then started treatment. Yes there was something on the snails shell just like you described. I will continue will the salt and try to get these flukes to fall off. So the flukes hitch rides on the snails shells? I'm not sure why my nerite died. Maybe wasn't healthy in the beginning. Im not buying pets from either Petco or Petsmart. Too many sick animals.


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

I did have a mild outbreak of ich after I added wild snails to my tank. Not sure if snails can transmit ick or if it was just a coincidence. I kinda think it was a coincidence as one girl was acting off before i added them. I treated the whole tank with the snails in it :shock:. Luckly they were OK. I dont think I used salt though


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

nerites shouldnt even feel the salt...
they can live in brackish and marine environments


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## goldfishyman (Jun 8, 2012)

Depends on the concentration of salt. What I use to treat is usually higher than brackish water environments. Depending on the plant I salt dip them and it causes the snails to drop off the plants. 

I hate snails I thought I would try some snails since they hitched a ride on some plants that I'm raising outside. I put one in my breeding tank with some gourami fry. After 2 weeks I now have an infestation problem. Over 50 snails captured and still more being discovered everyday.


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

Nerites from petco are usually half dead anyway...
the normal 3tsp/ g dosage recommendation is nothing... I have friends running brackish tanks, and I can tell you the water tastes salty... 
really the defintion of brackish is from a littler saltier than fresh water to almost full strength sea water.... it's a fairly vague thing.


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## babystarz (Aug 3, 2012)

Tikibirds said:


> cuttlebone is supposed to work for calcium as well as calcium pills for humans. try visiting applesnail.net for some good info. Its for apple snails but i'm assuming the info is relevant for all snail types.


Thanks Tiki!


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