Ok, so i think my ivory snail is dying... He keeps sleeping at the top of my tank and most of his foot is sticking out of the water.. IS HE SICK/DYING??? any help will be great! THANKS!!
First of all, a Public Service Announcement: please don't ever throw out an Apple snail or a Mystery snail because it seems dead because it has not moved. (Yes, people really do this.) It probably isn't dead.
It is common for Apple snails or Mystery snails to not move, or float at the top of the tank for 3, 4, or more days, maybe up to a week.
To check if a snail is dead, pull it out and smell it. If it smells horrible, like a rotten egg, then it's dead.
Now keeping that in mind, what meegosh said is true:"Snails are usually a good indicator that your water parameters are out of whack. What are your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate readings?"
If snails park themselves at the waterline with their heads right at the top of the water, or completely out of the water, then it may be because they don't like something in the water such as ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, or lack of oxygen. My snails do this.
However, if your Mystery snail is hanging out motionless below the water, or is just floating in the water -- and your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and oxygen levels are good and you do 25% weekly partial water changes, and your other animals are fine -- then your Mystery snail is just doing that hibernating thing they do and will be moving again in a few days.
And again, please don't throw out an Apple or Mystery snail just because it hasn't moved.
