# Ramshorn snail help



## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

So I am having issues with my snails. I had a large number of them for my Figure 8 puffer fish until their light fell in the tank and shocked them all killing them. I cleaned out the tank and took out all of the dead snails I got about 10 free snails from the LFS but they didn't make it either. I was about to get 20 more free snails from my LFS and more from another place. But again, they seem to be not doing so well. 

Their shells are very brittle due to soft water at the LFS and they are staying in one spot. They are poking their heads out of their shells and seem very slow. I have only seen 2 out of the 30ish snails I have move about the tank. Any idea what might be wrong with them? 

I have hard water. I didn't acclimate them since the last batch I didn't need too. I hope they will pull through.









picture above they have not moved from that spot for 2 days now. =(


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## Rainbo (Nov 23, 2015)

What's the temperature of the water? What are you feeding them? Do you have a calcium source for them? 

I have a 2.5 gallon tank for my ramshorn snails, it's not filtered but it does have a heater. I keep the tank around 75 degrees, but before I got the heater the tank would get down to around 67 degrees at night, I have found that when the water was at 67 they moved very slowly. I have live anacharis in that tank with them, and some guppy grass, to help keep the water clean. I clean the gravel and do a 50% water change around every 2 weeks.

For food around once a weeks I'll drop some algae wafers in the tank, I'll also sometimes put in decaying leaves from the plants in my 5 gal tank, or a couple of blood worms, or Omega One pellets. Overall they do pretty good, and the3 adults are probably around 8 months old by now, I raised them from babies.


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## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

The tank temp is about 80 degrees. The water is cycled and is hard water. I have placed an algae waffee in there but they have not been eating. I have a sponge filter and another type of filter. It's a five gallon container that has live floating plants. I was thinking about adding a cuddle bone in the tank but I think they need to eat that for thier shells to get stronger right? After all my old snails died that were doing so well. I have not been able to keep the ramshorns happy. There are two bladder snails that are doing just fine racing around the tank so I know there is nothing wrong with the water.


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## Rainbo (Nov 23, 2015)

Tree said:


> The tank temp is about 80 degrees. The water is cycled and is hard water. I have placed an algae waffee in there but they have not been eating. I have a sponge filter and another type of filter. It's a five gallon container that has live floating plants. I was thinking about adding a cuddle bone in the tank but I think they need to eat that for thier shells to get stronger right? After all my old snails died that were doing so well. I have not been able to keep the ramshorns happy. There are two bladder snails that are doing just fine racing around the tank so I know there is nothing wrong with the water.


The only guess I have is that it's the drastic change in PH from soft to hard water is sending them into shock. Hopefully they adjust and rebound.

If they don't, and you try again with new ones from the LFS, what I'd do is a slow acclimation to the new water parameters and see if that helps.

I honestly think that bladder snails would survive radioactive water....


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## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

Alright thanks for the info. 
LOL bladder snails are crazy indeed.


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