aisforangelfish
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
My aquarium is a 55g with an undergravel filter that includes three powerheads. I also have a submersible filter suctioned to the inside of my tank. My tank has been set up for many years and has been the happy home of six angelfish varying in size, as well as four diamond tetras, four sunset platys, a mollie, and a few danios and black neons. All of my fish are fat and healthy. I change a quarter to half of the water weekly and vaccume my gravel once or twice a month. I probably change water more regularly than I need because it's so easy and I know my tank is well stocked. I recently bought three trapdoor snails and when I received them I got six. I acclimated them to the tank as I would anything else. A week later they respond to being touched by shrinking back in their shells but only one has been seen roaming the tank and only for a short while. Is it possible that my fish are too inquisitive for slow moving and defenseless snails? Is it possible that there's something about my water quality that is keeping them in their shells? They come out a little and seem to just be breathing water but they haven't turned themselves over or been seen feeding. Perhaps there were more nitrates or something in the water they came from. My tank has no ammonia or nitrites but must have some nitrates if it's grown a bit of algae. I keep it at about 78 degrees and use prime and stress coat only. I am considering an experiment where I would put the snails in a breathable holding cell within the aquarium to see if they roam about the container. Any advice is greatly appreciated. I hope they're not unhappy or stressed. I thought these things were tough as nails.
After a day or two more I will probably return them to the tank. I greatly appreciate all of your advice and time with this somewhat small or unimportant search for answers. I don't wanna kill the poor suckers, much less anything else.
