Snail Problem Update

[VespertineStar]

First the important stuff:

Tank stats:

ph: 8.0
ammonia:0
nitite:0
nitrate: 80 (20-40 out of tap)
temp: 26.5c
size: 115gal (approx)
water changes: 10% a week, sometimes every other week if I forget.
fish: mollies, 10 black phantom tetra, red fin shark, blue acara, (killer snails?)

OK guys got a major problem happening here. I've had a snail problem for a while now and everything I hve read has said they don't do too much harm if left alone and, as I haven't had the money to buy any loaches to clear them up, that's exactly what I've been doing besides the occasional baiting to get shot of the worst of them.

Yesterday my otherwise completely healthy plec for the last 3 years or so was not moving and was sitting at the bottom of the tank. Very slow gill movement, no appetite, no external symptoms. This morning he was a gonner, still no external signs of disease.

I've done some extensive reading on my snail problem today as they are the only thing that has changed in the tank for ages and, now they are a little bigger, I can tell they are red skinned ramshorn snails or something very similar. According to the Wikipedia article on them they can sometimes carry internal parasites around with them, could this have been what did my plec in?

My blue acara is now exibiting exactly the same symptoms as the plec the day before he kicked the bucket only he is respiring quicker than usual. I have not been able to observe either fish depositing waste to check for stringy poop.

Any advice before i go down the LFS tomorrow and get something to take care of internal parasites?

Matt

 

[angel-al]

problems with nitrate can be reduced dramatically by using jbl nitrate x in filter. however u first need to get nitrates right down or it will turn them into nitrite. u might want to use ro water or do lots of water changes. do u use a gravel cleaner cos this helps remove bacteria thats lurking in your gravel and also keeps nitrate down. you could also increase the amount of water u take out- do 20% instead of 10. You may also be feeding too much. i dont think your fish will have parasites unless they are very thin. problems with gills may be nitrite or flukes but they would be up at top. sounds more like water quality-see if they perk up after a water change
good luck

 

[VespertineStar]

problems with nitrate can be reduced dramatically by using jbl nitrate x in filter. however u first need to get nitrates right down or it will turn them into nitrite. u might want to use ro water or do lots of water changes. do u use a gravel cleaner cos this helps remove bacteria thats lurking in your gravel and also keeps nitrate down. you could also increase the amount of water u take out- do 20% instead of 10. You may also be feeding too much. i dont think your fish will have parasites unless they are very thin. problems with gills may be nitrite or flukes but they would be up at top. sounds more like water quality-see if they perk up after a water change
good luck

o...k thanks for the advice, I think

Nitrate is the end product of the nitrogen cycle, it wouldn't turn back into Nitrite as that's what got broken down to create the nitrate in the first place. I have sand, not gravel so no hidden waste there at least. Never heard of anyone needing RO water for a tropical tank, strikes me as rather unstable. The nitrate reading was taken this morning just after I plucked out the dead plec, since then I have done a water change so it will be slightly lower though still obviously about 20-40ppm. I don't think the Plec had been dead very long 'cos he was still in one piece, maybe a few hours.

Oh and, duhh, I have 4 kribs in the tank too.

I'm not sure it would be water quality as these are roughly the same stats I've had since the tank was set up, only thing that's changed in the meantime being a bigger filter and new heaters which should only be good changes.

The red fin shark is the only other fish in the tank that may possibly be showing signs of the same thing happening, although I could just be getting paranoid, everyone else seems happy enough for now. Both the plec and Acara were both swimming about happily one day and then the next they are very lethargic, just hope I don't wake up to a dead Acara in the morning!

 

[angel-al]

ive used nitrate x in my filter and i dont know why but it does change nitrate into nitrate honest. if u did use ro obviously you would have to buffer it with an agent or use a bit of tap water but it would keep your nitrates low and your algae down. hope your fish get better

 

[darklight]

The only fool-proof method I know of getting rid of snails (and the one that worked for me) was to reduce the amount I feed my fish. In fact dont feed them at all some days, and then when you do, just a small pinch. The snails died off very quickly after I tried this tactic.

 

[ShoC]

If you want to have rid off your snails I believe wormer plus I what you want. I think it what I used. It blocks their ability to feed. Thus starving them. But do double check if I'm correct. Bonus Is this will help ur potential fish problem.

I have a thread about my Plec and worms where I user sera nematol l. Killed. My gourami but what I got pictures of were concerning

 

[VespertineStar]

Cheers for the advice, I'll try and find some at the local fish place. In the meantime I'll try and give some more details on my Acara.

He is sitting on the bottom of the tank, gills going like mad and he seems unable to move very far, it's like he's stuck on the bottom of the tank. I have watched him for ages and still not seen him poop. Also I still can't see anything wrong with him externally.

 

[ShoC]

Sounds exactly like my catfish. Very lethargic.

I'd tackle snails last as when they die they will cause ammonia.
I'd say use sera hematology but its potent it seems only a 2 day treatment then 80% water change.
If you got gouramis put them In a seperate tank.
U can only get it online, also make Sue your. Tanks got good surface agitation.
Worker plus is online only also.


I haven noticed an improvement in my catfish after treatment but have yet to see him eat

 

[kaivalagi]

I have shed loads of snails in my external filter, never caused any issue

If you want to get rid as stated before reduce the amount you are feeding and manually remove the snails as and when you can...

That's what I'd do anyway if it was a problem

 

[VespertineStar]

Thanks mate, not sure I have a problem with overfeeding, they are down to three times a week at the mo and nothin hits the sand.

 

[White Whale]

You can always get a small school (3 to 5) of botias. My brother-in-law had a snail problem in his 55g, they were everywhere but no idea how they got there. He wanted to get rid of them chemically, but I told him to do that only as a last resort as it might change the chemistry of the water. After I got him 3 botias, the snails were gone in a matter of hours. Any sign of snail regrowth was eaten up immediately.

 

[VespertineStar]

Cheers White Whale, I am planning to get some clown loaches but at the moment I'm trying to stop my existing fish dieing from this mystery illness. I'd rather not risk putting the loaches in just yet