Floating Snail??

[SparKy697]

This is my first time I have actually sought out a snail to put in a tank. As usual I have no idea what kind of snail it is, maybe as big around as a dime.

I put him in the tank and he was doing quite well. We went out and when I came back home I found him floating in a calm spot just under the filter outlet. His little door seems to be closed up tightly.

Is this normal behavior in a new tank? Or does this mean the end of Mr. Snail?

[joannde]

Its normal, but you might want to check your water parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates) esp since you say his door is closed tight. I've found that whenever my snails are closed up tight that there's something "wrong" with the water (they really aren't comfortable in high nitrates - at 30ppm they really slow down; ammonia and nitrites can kill them)

[SparKy697]

Thanks joannde,

I did check water this morning and found things look pretty good:

Ammonia = 0
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 20

I found the snail on the bottom of the tank this morning with the door slightly cracked and I thought it was dead. I pick it up to look at it and when I did the door went shut tight again. So I placed it back where I found it and decided to just leave it alone to get used to the new tank.

[courtnee]

Im a snail lover. I own a large apple snail. We bought him the size of a pea and he is now half dollar size and still growing. I also spend a great deal of time reading.

If ever in doubt pull the snail out and touch his door if he moves he is alive. A dead snail smells really bad and you will know it is dead. They start to stink rather fast.

Snails have unusual behavior. They can float for extended periods of time as if playing dead they can even close up shop and shut that door tight and go to sleep. In fact there are reports in tanks of snails doing this for a few weeks to a few months.

Touching their door and smell test is the only sure way to know it is still alive.

Snails also like to become inactive and close up when the water is not the best. As joannde stated I have noticed that with my snail as well. Those NitrAtes really bother him and he will not be as active.

Mine is healthy and he still sits on the bottom with his door barely cracked. In fact as I type this he is doing it sitting on a fake plant. He just likes to hang out. I know he is very active so I know he is not doing it out of illness.

What are you feeding your snail?

Also snails are very well known for "playing" mine spent two days straight playing in the airstone in my sisters 10gl tank. He was hitting the glass and everything just going in circles. AKA bubble surfing. We had to keep checking he was still alive and he would go right back to it. In my 55gl tank he walks along the bubble curtains several times a day. He lets air go into his shell and floats about. They just do odd things!

http://www.applesnail.net is an amazing site for information on snails. The forums are also full of information. That is how I have educated myself so well on my little guy.

Let us know how he is doing!

[SparKy697]

Thanks so much courtnee.

Just by chance I did exactly what you suggested the other day. I picked him (I use this term loosely) up because he just sat there with the door slightly open and I was worried that he had died. When I tapped on his door he snapped closed! I figured that this was good so I placed him on a nice flat rock and let him be. The next morning he was in a different part of the tank

My nitrates are in the 20 ppm neighborhood. As I have read, this should be too bad.

As far as what I am feeding him: Nothing as of yet. I have only had him for three days... Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I have been reading that web site as I stumbled across it this morning. It is full of useful info. I also found this guy at The Snail Store I'm kind of thinking of expanding on the snail herd They are interesting.

Thanks for the info!

[courtnee]

Snails eat all sorts of things. This is what I have done with mine and he is a horse.

I give him half an algae waffer every couple of days. I break mine up. I dont want left overs laying in my tank. That is just me. He eats a half of one so that is what he gets. When he was a baby I gave him just a chunk and what he didnt eat I scooped out. I learned fast just how much he would eat and gave him that amount.

Fish flake food is also liked but I never count on him getting some...

Tropical sinking pellets. Gary is obsessed with these. He will wake up from across the 55gl tank and go to a pellet and kick the fish off it.

Lettuce leaves, peas, cucumber. Washed VERY good. Just give little pieces and remove what he doesnt eat. applesnail.net has tons of good advice on treats. rainbowsnail.net (also AKA the snail store as you linked to) also sells biscuits and other snail treats cheap and has DIY food as well (look at the bottom of the site for the link)

I was going to buy a magenta snail from there. I debated it. I wasnt sure if I wanted the hassle of breeding. I decided against it. Also the USDA has really cracked down on apple snails because people are removing egg clutches (which are little babies in there) and flushing them down the toilets and some survive. The hurricans in the south with all those snails in tanks that got out have infested the south with apple snails. New Orleans is really infested right now.

Apple snails are a big issues because they are so hardy in the sense they have that door and well they use it. If conditions are not good they close the door and take a nap until conditions are better. They have a very wide range diet. In fact they will eat other dead snails or fish. They can live out of water and travel. I let Gary come out at times and sit outiside of the water. He will eventually come out of his shell, its so cute.

They can reproduce so fast and serious threat to crops so the USDA cracked down on snails recently.

What kind is yours? What does it look like?

[SparKy697]

Lol, I didn't figure out until the end of your post that Gary was the snail's name.

I really have no idea what kind of snail I have. I was at the lfs and was asking the guy about buying a snail. He told me that he was not supposed to sell any because of the same issues you had mentioned. While he was doing this he was reaching into the tank and placing a snail into the bag with the plants I was buying. Nothing else was said.....

Here is a photo of my snail.

I don't know if you can tell what kind it is or not. Sorry for the blurr, I guess I moved. I'll get a better pic up a little later.

Actually I did order 4 snails from that place because I figured that it would not be long before you will not be able to get them at all.

[courtnee]

It looks like an Apple Snail (Pomacea bridgesii). Cant be 100% because it depends on the opening of the shell too. The swirls, shape and angle all look like the Pomacea bridgesii.

Yea... sneaky....

I find it sad because I ADORE my snail and would love to have another when i get another tank