# Nerites in Quarantine



## CollegeBettas (Feb 23, 2016)

So, after looking for nerite snails all year, Petco finally had some, so I picked up two on Thursday (two days ago). After I got home, they sat in the bag for a while (I think about 30 minutes) while I set up a tank, since I wasn't prepared to bring them back with me. After acclimation, they were put in a 3 gallon half moon tank with a DIY filter (air driven through filter floss and cycled media), heater (set to 79), and an algae caked amazon sword. I put one snail on the bare bottom and one of the plant. The one on the plant climbed off almost immediately and fell from the pot and landed on its back. I left it alone since I was going to bed and I had seen my land snails get out o the predicament before. In the morning, he hadn't turned over so I flipped him over and placed him a few inches over. During the ay yesterday he moved up next to the other guy who still has not moved (though I think he moved a short distance immediately after being put in the tank). Both snails were alive when I got home because they climbed fairly far out of the water (which I do know is because of bad water conditions).
So I just have a few questions:
1. Is not moving a sign of illness?
2. What signs should I look for while they are in quarantine?
3. What can I put in with them to eat? I have plenty of algae in the tank they are going in, but in QT, they only have the plant.


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## fernielou (May 19, 2015)

I would just throw them in the future tank. I mean there's a possibility they could bring disease but it's a probability they will die in that qt


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## CollegeBettas (Feb 23, 2016)

I would rather not risk killing my first betta though. I did take a few sheets of algae from her tank and put them in the QT, so that may work. Most of it will be picked up by the filter though.  @Aqua Aurora do you have any ideas? I know you have experience with these guys.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Some snails, like some fish, don't always eat at first. And, like some fish, it may take them a bit to get used to a new aquarium. Give them some time. BTW, climbing out of the water is not necessarily a sign of bad water conditions. These guys, like Amano Shrimp, are notorious for climbing out of tanks. Natalie Nerite is quite lucky Edward the Shih Tzu has a soft mouth and retrieves *everything*. She climbed out of 0 Ammonia and Nitrite and 15 Nitrate. Edward found her on the floor and brought her to me. Plunked her back in the tank and she's still with me.

I've never quarantined snails. I'm not really aware of any communicable diseases between snails and fish but someone please feel free to correct me. The only issue would be if you got PetCo water in your aquarium.


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## fernielou (May 19, 2015)

As far as snail/fish disease I know mystery snails don't carry anything but a disease rodents can get. Not sure about Nerite but yeah putting a snail in the fish tank is not as risky as putting another fish in there 


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## CollegeBettas (Feb 23, 2016)

Almost everything I have seen when researching snails always says that you need to quarantine for two or three weeks when bought from a pet store. I think I remember hearing that they can get bacteria trapped in their shells from other fish they are living with and then pass it on even if they don't get sick.


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## fernielou (May 19, 2015)

Do what makes you feel comfortable. It's your fish & tanks 

I have gone over plants to get rid of bladder snails b/c I don't want them in the tank but they make it anyway. I always get one or two a few weeks later (snail free tanks at petco are a joke!). I would feel much better about a nerite. I have never had a disease brought in. I think with snails you can tell pretty quickly when things go wrong. It's part of why I like them. Even though the snails would outlive fish in bad conditions, it's because they are the first to "close up shop" when something is wrong, be it from them being sick or bad water. If a snail is out and about, it's probably healthy. I don't think my tanks have enough food for nerites so I have never had one. been lucky with the algae thing. snails may be tough, but from my observation they are only active when in good shape/conditions.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

If you want a Nerite but don't feel you have enough natural algae you can cultivate it. Put a small bowl of rocks in a sunny window and in a short time instant Nerite food. Swap out rocks when ones in the tank have been cleaned.

And I agree: You have to do what's comfortable for you.


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## CollegeBettas (Feb 23, 2016)

Well, I did the sniff test and considering both of them smell like poop and are very retracted in their shells, I believe both are dead, so I threw them into the bag of water they came in and I will most likely return them. I'm not sure if I will get them replaced or not. 
Is there anything I did wrong with them?
Also, do you know if I can return them to a different Petco? I am going to my other Petco Wednesday, so I would like to limit my trips.


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

Sorry they didn't make it. If you think they are dead take them out of the water and give them a sniff, dead nerite will make you wretch from the smell.
I had bad luck with the last nerite I tried to get at petco a few months ago, it moved/ate very slowly and died within a few days. I went back to the store to find out ALL the snails had died. I'm guessing lack of water changes (soaring ammonia) as they were just kept in a little plastic under 0.5 container used to hold fish before bagging. 

You can return them to any petco if you have the receipt the dead animal.

I ended up buying 1 mystery snail from kitkat67 (on this forum) instead (however its in a large tank-mystery snails are larger than nerite so they will make more poop/ammonia). Mystery snail is chugging along and doing well, not as thorough as i recall my nerites being but now bad.


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## CollegeBettas (Feb 23, 2016)

I may just get one or two from her after I get moved in next week. They would be okay in a cycled 3 or 5.5 gallon, right?


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

CollegeBettas said:


> I may just get one or two from her after I get moved in next week. They would be okay in a cycled 3 or 5.5 gallon, right?


Personally I'd only do 1 mystery snail in that size tank.


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## CollegeBettas (Feb 23, 2016)

I was going to split them up between tanks. I am working on a planted tank and I have my crazy algae tank that I am going to have a nerite that another user is giving me on Wednesday.


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## fernielou (May 19, 2015)

I have learned that different filtration systems get used at different places and that really affects the quality of snails. A lot of times they are all dead in a week. I found a petsmart farther away that keeps their snails very healthy and take good care of them so I go there. I hope you find a good source. If you have copper pipes or metals in your tap water you could also face snail failure. 


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## fernielou (May 19, 2015)

You could do a couple in the 5.5 if you only had a betta and either planted or double filtered. I will overstock the 2.5 gal rule but double filter. 3 gallon just isn't enough space for 2. They actually get around and explore. 


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