snails dieing

[gaya]

I bought three snails a little more than a week ago. So far two have died. I've gone through the snail website b4. I added extra chloring and heavy metal remover today when doing a water change. I just don't get it. Water specs are fine. I'm still unsure of where to get chalk for them or how to put it in the tank.
can you help? i'm being slow

 

[smithrc]

what type of snail?

how do you know they were dead?

 

[gaya]

apple snails and i new they were dead because they were laying on their sides with their doors open and another snail was eating them

 

[Mogo]

Has a copper remedy ever been used in the tank, or any rocks, ornaments etc. that may have been donated from a tank that had ever been treated with copper?

 

[gaya]

Has a copper remedy ever been used in the tank, or any rocks, ornaments etc. that may have been donated from a tank that had ever been treated with copper?

good point. I didn't think of that. yes i guess i do have some stuff in there that could have been exposed to a copper based ick treatment. but I haven't used meds like that since the summer. what should i do? carbon, boil the stuff?

 

[Mogo]

Some types of rocks/substrate tend to absorb copper quite well and will leach slowly back into the water over time. Inverts are very sensitive to even low amounts of copper.

I would probably take a water sample from the tank in to a LFS and have them test for copper (instead of buying a kit as this is not something you'll be monitoring unless using copper based meds)

If copper is detected, even at low levels, you should probably try to find the cause. Either rocks previously exposed to copper treatments, or old/bad copper pipes in an older house.

Might as well take in a declhlorinated tap water sample to the LFS to rule out the household plumbing.

 

[gaya]

thanks mogo,

good idea and i'll do that. hopfully my last little guy will survive.