Snail help needed!

[7Enigma]

So I've been trying to breed snails so I can set up a dwarf puffer tank in my cube at work. Everything was going great at home. I had a small container (probably 2 cups worth), did 100% PWC's with tank water every other day or so, fed heavily, had some plants in the container, and the snails seemed to be happy and laid eggs like crazy. So I decided I could do this at work (10 minutes from my house). I upgraded to a 2 gallon container, with an air stone and a strip light, more plants (a handful of christmas moss), and everything was going extremely well. I probably had over 100 eggs scattered around the tank.

So my first water change I used our DI water. I figured the water from my house wouldn't be much different from my works tap water, but wanted to change the water gradually. This just diluted the existing tank water about 50% or so. Everyone was fine with this and the snails were still cruising around the tank happy. The next water change I used the tap water here (with Prime of course). Now I'll admit I messed up on the matching temps and probably used water several degrees warmer (10!) which is not good, but almost immediately the snails turtled up. I came in the next day and they were dead on the bottom. I thought the water temp was the cause so I sucked out the dead snails.

There was still several snails above the water line that were fine and all the eggs were still intact so I felt good. I did a water change with treated tap water (matched temps this time), sucked out all the uneaten food and any remaining dead snails and thought I had just a bad PWC.

After this PWC, any remaining snail under the water line was dead by morning. The ones above the water line refuse to go into the water, and I'm beginning to think something is up with our tap water at work. I know copper and other heavy metals really wreak havoc on inverts and so I'm concerned. Even more important obviously is my future plan to get a dwarf puffer. The last thing I want to have happen is to setup a new tank and kill the puffer with the water here.

My current thought for the snail tank is to use DI water with some of my water from home (say 5-10%). I have a shell from the beach I boiled to supply hopefully some calcium for the shell development, and so hopefully won't run into nutrient issues from using mostly DI water. This works since the tank is so small.

But there is no way I can cart in tons of water for my future 10 gallon tank.

HELP!

EDIT: So I just did an 90% PWC with DI water and 2 of the snails that had been turtled up on the sides of the tank for the last 2-3 days are not out and moving around. I don't know if they are running towards the surface or roaming around but its a good sign!

 

[smn723]

How old of a building is your office? Possibly they used copper piping for water lines? Or a lot of copper fittings? I am thinking, like you are, that maybe the office water is full of heavy metals. Even using prime may not detoxify the metals enough for the water to be safe for you snails. Could you take a sample of your water to your city department to have them do tests on metal content?

 

[7Enigma]

I'm pretty sure it is copper piping since i've seen them with welding tools around when doing work. I'll have to ask around to see who deals with water quality on site. But the snails seem to appreciate the new water...

 

[smn723]

Well at least you have a temporary solution. Good luck 7Enigma!

 

[jsoong]

I don't think it is copper pipes. Copper pipes are standard here & I've never heard of any problems with fish or inverts.

If it is an older building, it might be lead pipes or lead solder. I would imagine that your office & house share the same water .... being 10 minutes away .... but it is possible that they get water from different treatment plants, in which case it would be worthwhile to check with the water co to see how different the water is.

If it is something localized to the building, I would suspect something in the pipes. If there is lead pipes or solder, it is generally advised to run cold water through the pipes for several minutes before using for drinking, as warm water will leach out more lead. To be safe, I would run the water through a good filter before drinking it .... and you might try filtering water for the tank & see what happens.

If you suspect water quality in an office building, you should be able to get management to get the water tested. Ask them to test both hot & cold water from several taps, as the piping might well be different in different locations.

 

[SparKy697]

What is the source of water in your area?
Is it water from a municipal well? Or is there some source of surface water that is being used?
Is the building doing any softening?
Are you using the same bottle of prime on the water from home as you are on the water from work?
Have you tried just testing for the big three from the tap at work to rule out any form of ammonia?

I'm just throwing out questions that come to mind because this really does not make sense. It seems likely that both buildings have the same water source. You have proven that the water from home makes the snails happier than the water from work, so the task now is to find out what is different with the water.

I have heard the copper pipe theory in the past but do not buy it myself. Copper water pipes are a normal thing is this area as well. So far I have had no problems nor have heard of anybody else having any with the copper either. In most areas where there are older homes with lead services ( the pipe that enters the home), the water company is required to feed phosphoric acid to the finished water. The phosphate precipitates out of the water and coats the pipes which builds up a protective layer. Over time this also happens to the copper pipes as well.