# Whats wrong with my snail



## FishMatt (May 12, 2010)

Good morning, I have a question my Black Mystery Snail is floating is it dead?
I wanted to put that snail into my 20 gallon before I dipped it out it was floating I put it in my 20 it still floats Whats wrong and what do I do.


Thanks, FishMatt


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## snyderguy (Feb 9, 2010)

Snails are really weird and sometimes they just float. For no reason at all. It's not dead though. If it were dead, it's body would be hanging out of the shell.


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## FishMatt (May 12, 2010)

Thanks I feel better now


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## FishMatt (May 12, 2010)

How long will it stay like that it is still floating?


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## Corwin (May 23, 2010)

Ive never seen my apple snail float before. If you want to see if hes still alive you could pull him out and try touching his foot, if he moves hes alive. Though its not difinitive if he doesnt (id quarentine him though). 

Hiding in his shell could also be a sign of stress from something as well, how often do you do water changes?


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## FishMatt (May 12, 2010)

Thanks I forgot about touching his foot I did he didn't move. We don't do water changes that often in thant tank the only thing that could stress him is my blue gouramis that picks on him he's huge (look at him in my albums) And he has a deadly history of killing fish like plecos for instance but the snail has been there for a few months. The snail is probley dead can anyone suggest something that could eat of the bottom that he might not kill?

Thanks, FishMatt


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## Corwin (May 23, 2010)

Id still quarentine him for a little while, you dont want to toss him if hes not dead (a slow death by drying out in a garbage bag or being burried alive doesnt sound like fun to me) 

As for bottom feeders your pretty limited in your options, I assume that the tank in question is the 20 from your signature, and looking at what you have you seem to have either a problem with either A) what you put in being eaten, or B) what you put in getting too big.

You could try something like trumpet snails, they are smaller and have a trapdoor so Ive heard most fish cant eat them, though they do reproduce so if you dont like that then dont get them (their also dirt cheap). 

When you say bottom feeder what do you mean? something that will eat extra food or something that will just clean up the tank a bit.

One of the smaller species of crayfish COULD work but im not 100% sure on that so if I were you I would do some more research into them before making a decision; http://www.planetinverts.com/


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## FishMatt (May 12, 2010)

I'll look into both of them the tank is the 3 gallon ( I know to small) The snail is currently in a bowl with water. And I ment something that would clean the tank up a bit. Thanks for the suggestions


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## Corwin (May 23, 2010)

alright 3 gallon is out of the question for a crayfish, and they arent great cleaners anyways so dont worry bout them.

you could try something like a couple ghost shrimp, they put out very little waste and are fun to watch. What would they be tankmates with?


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## FishMatt (May 12, 2010)

Blue Gouramis thats all and he is kinda mean.


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## Corwin (May 23, 2010)

hmm he may eat your shrimp then. Though you could still use them, buy ghost/glass shrimp (their the same thing just different names), they will help clean the tank and provide a tasty treat for your gourami, also their really cheap as many places sell them as feeders. If you find them in the store and they are expensive (im talking about the same cost as your average fish) the store is overcharging, find them somewhere else. 

Or you could try the trumpet snails, their easy to maintain, and burrow in your substrate (though they do come out at night) the only negative to them is that they do reproduce, so if your one of those people who doesnt like populations to grow in their tanks, you wont like them.


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## FishMatt (May 12, 2010)

Thanks, I'll find some shrimp


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## Corwin (May 23, 2010)

hope you have fun with them


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## FishMatt (May 12, 2010)

Maybe I could put some in my 20 too they'd be fun to watch


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## Corwin (May 23, 2010)

yup, just remember if your keeping them as pets expect a moderate death rate when you first get them (part of why I said find them for cheap), this is due to the fact that they are often mistreated while being transported because they are often used as feeders and their health is deemed unimportant. (though the upside of shrimp is that they have virtualy no diseases so you dont have to wory about that)


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## FishMatt (May 12, 2010)

Thanks for the heads up. I guess the same for the feeder goldfish....


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## Corwin (May 23, 2010)

yeah prety much


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## Corwin (May 23, 2010)

its really easy to tell when they are dead though, when they are alive they are prety much transparent (except their main body in which you can see their dinners being digested) when they are dead they turn a milky cream color, and are realy easy to spot.

Also it is a good idea to keep them with live plants as they will supliment their diet by grooming the plant (though I have heard that ferts are bad for them, so if you dont have a substrate that plants can grow in without added nutrients dont get plants, they will do fine)

I recomend if you dont have live plants and cant keep them without additives, get something like some caves or something for them to hide in (also they aparantly like java moss)


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## FishMatt (May 12, 2010)

I have caves in my tank but I can't have live plant because of my pleco. Should a pet store have the moss?


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## Corwin (May 23, 2010)

most LFS have it yeah, though the caves might be enough provided theres nothing else inhabiting them


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## FishMatt (May 12, 2010)

Well one of my caves has a Featherfin catfish in it but he is not mean at all my other log has a pictus living in it but he might not notice the shrimps and the pleco is there sometimes but he is very nice also.


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## Corwin (May 23, 2010)

honestly, they are really inexpensive, and seeing as they can be viewed as feeders I would just say get some and find out what happens


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## Citizen Snips (Jan 6, 2010)

snails, especially golden apple/inca/mystery tend to float when they are happy and full. Mine used to float all the time and when ready to feed or explore sink back to the bottom of the tank. They take in a bubble of air and expel it when they want to land.

No reason to worry. You'll know when a snail is dead because they STINK.


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## FishMatt (May 12, 2010)

Thanks, I just smelt the cup I have him in It STINKS so he is dead


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## FishMatt (May 12, 2010)

Hi again, Okay my Black Snail died I haven't got the shrimp yet but then my snail in the 20 died so I replaced him and now this morning I floating this is just crazy weird. Could he have killed himself? Because his door is closed and part of his flesh is hanging out? I'll put him in a cup like the last one so I'm screwed. Is this a good price for shrimp 33 cents? And this is my at LFS ?

Here is pic of him


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## Corwin (May 23, 2010)

33 cents is a very good price for ghost shrimp, lol and if its any other shrimp besides ghost/glass shrimp its an AMAZING price (so low that I would wonder about it infact).

You may want to hold off on picking up those shrimp untill you know what is killing your snails, inverts in general are sensitive to additives in the water, and shrimp are by no means an exception.

Run a few tests on your water, and if you can get one of your LFS (pet smarts do it too) to do a test on your water and give you a readout on its various stats. 

Also how long did you have the first snail for and did you buy them in the same place?

edit; from the picture you showed he may or may not be dead, he could just be hiding out inside his shell for one reason or another.


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## FishMatt (May 12, 2010)

I'll take a sample to PetSmart when I go back. I thought the price was kinda low but I'd ask you first Thanks.


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## Corwin (May 23, 2010)

np, as I said they should be cheap as they are often sold as feeders, also dont forget to expect a few to not survive when you get them though


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