Snail not moving

[Divinityinlove]

Hi.

I moved a snail from my goldfish tank at 20°C to my cherry shrimp tank at the same temp to help with the green algae. However it has not come out of the shell or moved in 3 days.

What could be the issue? The shrimp are healthy and active in there.

 

[Aqua67]

I’ve had snails that I thought were dead before and they just started moving again, surprising me. Take the snail out and sniff it. If it smells like something that belongs in your toilet, it is dead. If it just smells like nothing in particular, it is still alive. If it is dead and it is in your shrimp tank, don’t worry too much about it as the shrimp will have it gone in less than a day.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Snails do sometimes go into a sort of dormant state where they don't move for days at a time. As @Aqua67 the sniff test will soon let you know if it's dead - it's unmistakable when you smell that! If you're not sure, then it's not dead, and just place it back and keep an eye.

 

[MiracleTank]

Exactly the same experience I have had. A Nerite snail stayed in its shell for 5 days. One day, it was out and about! I have also experienced a dead snail, and it is absolutely true, that if they stink to high heaven, they are definitely dead.

 

[Divinityinlove]

Thanks everyone.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Thanks everyone.

Did it pass the sniff test??

 

[Divinityinlove]

Did it pass the sniff test??

I didn't sniff actually. Just put it in the original tank and it started moving in a few hours. The only thing I can think of is .aybe the almond leaves made the shrimp tank water softer and he didn't like that. I put another nerite snail in the shrimp tank and he was on the move within hours. Not sure why that red spotted guy was on strike.

 

[connorlindeman]

I just got 30 nerites in the mail(for my shop) and they really smelled up the whole house. One or two must be dead.

 

[MiracleTank]

They really really really stink when they are dead. I agree with the sniff test. I have done it often.

 

[Essjay]

That's why I always suggest to take a tiny sniff. The smell lasts in the nose for hours if you take a big sniff

 

[Divinityinlove]

What might cause snails to die though?

 

[Aqua67]

There are many things that can cause a snail to die. Dirty tank water or improper water parameters/temperature, chemicals, overcrowding, food scarcity, predators, parasites and diseases, insufficient oxygen, accidents, contaminated food, salt/copper in the water, fish medications, and so on.

 

[Divinityinlove]

So even though upon return to its original tank, it did start moving within hours, it didn't go far. It stuck to the glass close to where it was placed and didn't travel anywhere. A couple of days later it collapsed again on its back right there in the same position. I sniffed it, was fine, turned it onto its front, left it. 2 days later it is again on its back and only this time... It doesn't even look like it is there. Only an empty shell. Could it be hiding waaaaaay deep inside squashed up? Could it have been eaten by the goldfish??

When I put this snail back in the main tank, I took another from the main tank and put it in the shrimp tank... That one has been doing totally fine with the change. So, nothing wrong with the shrimp water. The first "failed" snail was red spotted and this other a zebra nerite. Aren't they the same? Both nerites?

Also, days ago I receives a live lightning bolt nerite.. Put it in the tank and it was on the move right away. Hours later, it is nowhere to be seen. Days later, it has not appeared. This was it upon arrival. I told the supplier it arrived with white shell marks and he said he doesn't know why. He sent another days later. Is this illness, damage or something that caused it to quickly run and hide to die?

Only hiding place is the big ceramic cave. But why it would hide there for a week idk. You can see from the state of the rocks, the snails are not as active as they used to be when the rocks were polished!

Today the second lightning bolt has arrived. Shell more in tact but a bit white where the spiral starts. Beautiful. Looks smaller. Maybe it will be more active. So far it is in a jug and will put it in soon. It arrives in a plastic bag with damp sponge so not in water anyway but still just slowly introducing to water before putting in the tank with other moving things.

Well the seller calls these lightning bolts and the photos advertising them look more fit to the name but the ones I was sent look different from the photos. Any thoughts on these behaviours? Is the red spotted eaten? I can't imagine unless it was rotting they could fit in their mouths... But never seen the shell look so empty.

 

[Essjay]

That shell in the first photo is empty. There's no operculum (trap door) so there's no snail in there. It will have been eaten by its tank mates.


Nerites crawl into tiny spaces and cling to the underside of decor. I once needed to treat a tank for ich (before I knew about the heat method) so I needed to remove the nerites first. This was back in my fake plant days so I took everything out of the tank and examined everything carefully. I could not find one of the snails. So I put everything back in the tank and added the medication. A couple of days later, there was the nerite crawling up the tank wall.

 

[Essjay]

The white on the shell - most of my snails have this. It can be caused by the snail scraping the shell against something hard, or erosion from being in water with low pH. The white has never affected the behaviour of my nerites, some of which have lived for years like that, or worse.