Acclimating snails

[octanejunkie]

Any trick here?

Bag float, drip or just throw them in?

 

[brennae]

I only intentionally keep Mystery Snails and I just float the bag. Maybe that is not the correct thing to do but it has always worked for me. I switch them between my tanks with no acclimation period. Never lost one like that.

 

[Jev12]

When I first get them I would acclimate...however with all four of my tanks I will just pick out the baby mystery snails and put them in one of my other tanks without acclimating them and I haven't lost any

 

[Fishfur]

Nine times out of ten, you can get away with just floating to equalize temps and let them go. But sometimes, if the store water was very different from yours, it may set them back some, interrupt shell growth, for example.

I think it's worthwhile, if you have these snails because you like their looks, to acclimate them a bit more carefully. Remove some of their bag water after temp is good, replace with = amount tank water. Wait fifteen minutes, do it again. About a cupful at a time. Once you've done that two or three times, you can either release them water and all, or pick them out and release them, if you practice not letting store water into your tanks, which is a good idea, since you don't know what's in that store water.

I also, now, release them gently, rather than just dropping them in. They can damage or chip their shells if they hit a rock or other hard decor too hard, or at a bad angle, and if the growing edge is chipped badly, it may create a permanent defect in the shell.

Up to you... but you paid good money for them, why not take a little care to make sure they have the best start with your tank ?

 

[octanejunkie]

Nine times out of ten, you can get away with just floating to equalize temps and let them go. But sometimes, if the store water was very different from yours, it may set them back some, interrupt shell growth, for example.

I think it's worthwhile, if you have these snails because you like their looks, to acclimate them a bit more carefully. Remove some of their bag water after temp is good, replace with = amount tank water. Wait fifteen minutes, do it again. About a cupful at a time. Once you've done that two or three times, you can either release them water and all, or pick them out and release them, if you practice not letting store water into your tanks, which is a good idea, since you don't know what's in that store water.

I also, now, release them gently, rather than just dropping them in. They can damage or chip their shells if they hit a rock or other hard decor too hard, or at a bad angle, and if the growing edge is chipped badly, it may create a permanent defect in the shell.

Up to you... but you paid good money for them, why not take a little care to make sure they have the best start with your tank ?

I decided to drip acclimate over about an hour or so. I then placed him on a dwarf water lettuce floater on the surface and let him manage his own entry into the tank.

He seems well-adjusted and unscathed.

 

[Fishfur]

Even better. Well done.

 

[NinjaTetra]

I persnally just throw inverts into the tank no problem. Well not throw, but i let the bag sit for like 10 minutes with inverts vs. 45 minutes with fish. I never drip acclimate. Ever:

 

[Fishfur]

I recently acquired a pair of orange rabbit snails. They were not cheap ! I drip acclimated them, just because I wanted to safe instead of sorry. Mystery snails I usually let the temp equalize, then place them on the bottom one by one, or I let them crawl out of a shallow water dish on the edge of the tank.

The water dish is full of moss and I use it when I have snails that don't look very well when I get them home. Rather than fish a dead one out, I put them in the dish to let them open up and show me if they are ok. Usually if they are ok they crawl out inside ten minutes or so and that's ok with me.

 

[octanejunkie]

Yea, I'm not a big snail guy... but this assassin is interesting to watch. It blindly plods about but I have yet to see it "take out" another snail... that would be cool.

I'll be happy if he stems the neverending tide of snails we have been enjoying.