# Nerite Snail Death?



## RainbowsHaven (Aug 28, 2013)

My betta Gallifrey is sick and we are trying desperately to get him back up and running with Epsom salt and api general cure. (That's another matter entirely though...) Yesterday, we did our first full water change due to the salt, using my siphon. We have a small nerite snail (female) that we don't usually remove from the tank for this. 

During the cleaning she was in the filter, which quickly was above the draining waterline. I gave her a very gentle tug, but she was firmly in the filter, so we left her there, figuring it would be no more than 10-15 minutes without water and she'd be fine. 

Twice, we noticed her shell seemed to be falling off. I gently pressed it back to her body both times. 

After we refilled the tank we kept checking on the fish and my boyfriend called me over to look at the snail. She had fallen off the filter and a portion of her 'body' was exposed from the shell. The little dark portion that normally attaches to the tank was shriveled up and facing up. I gently flipped her, but when she didn't move for 10+ minutes we knew she had died. 

Up closer, it looks as though the rim of he she'll cracked and came off, taking her body with it. Between the cracked shell and main shell is a pinkish whitish sac that I assume was filled with organs? She looks terrible and we're burying her today... 

That being said, what happened? Was it the medicine? Leaving her out of the water?


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## SplashyBetta (Jul 28, 2014)

As far as I know, API General Cure isn't safe for inverts. It wouldn't be leaving her out of the water - they can live out of water for weeks.


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## Strawberry12 (Mar 6, 2015)

Salt is very bad for them as well, think: using salt to kill slugs or keep them out of your garden.


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## SplashyBetta (Jul 28, 2014)

Strawberry12 said:


> Salt is very bad for them as well, think: using salt to kill slugs or keep them out of your garden.


Actually, Nerites like brackish water :-D


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## Strawberry12 (Mar 6, 2015)

Good to know! I thought i'd read somewhere else that it'll kill them in concentrations that would generally be used to treat illness. 

Move along, nothing to see here


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## RainbowsHaven (Aug 28, 2013)

I feel awful... I suppose I know for next time. I'll definitely need to have a definitive quarantine tank if I've got any other little friends in their for my bettas.  Honestly, it didn't even occur to me that the medication could be bad for her. 

Although I feel terrible about Melee, I suppose on a more positive note maybe it'll kill the little pesty snails that came with one of my more recent Petco plant purchases? :/


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