Jonathan P

I recently moved a breeding pair of angelfish to a breeding tank with 2 small apple/mystery snails that were in the established tank.

Both tanks have clear water, recent weekly water changes, temperature 77-79 degrees, ph 6.8-7.0, nitrites of zero, ammonia of zero, and nitrates of 40-80.

So far 5 of my six snails have died off in the last week in both tanks.

Any ideas what happened? Or what I can do to protect the fish in these tanks?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

susitna-flower

NITRATES at 40-80! I'm not sure about the snails, but that will kill shrimp! It is also too high for fish, and especially if you are wanting to breed them.

It is usually accepted to keep your nitrates 20 or under, and I shoot for more like between 5 and 10. The only way you can do this is large water changes, vacuum gravel, and don't over stock or over feed your tank.

There are posts on the DIY section about nitrate filters, which basically is just EITHER a slow drip through a filter that has anaerobic bacteria, OR a water filter that grows extra plants that eat the nitrate, like timandkaren have. These help cut water changes, but take more investment and time.