Mystery Snails Farting & Acting Drunk

Hello all,

I am a total newby and decided to start with a tank just for snails, because I think snails are super cute/interesting and supposedly they are pretty hardy, so hopefully they survive my newbness while I am learning.

So I've got a 5 gallon tank, the water is from the tap and on the softer side, so I have rinsed egg shells in a small mesh bag to try to help their shells. I offer algae wafers, blanched zucchinI and fish flakes.

Started off with 2 horned nerite snails each the size of a single pea. They are rather active but turn their noses up at the algae wafers, and it has been 3 days for them in the tank since I bought them at the pet store. So I am trying to grow some algae on rocks outside in a bucket of water for these picky little dorks before they starve to death.

But then yesterday I was thinking the tank looks kinda lonely with just two pea-sized snails in there, so I went back to the store to get them a couple more buddies. The store would not sell me ramshorn or trumpets because apparently some lady bought them a while back and then made a huge stink about it when they took over her aquarium. So I was like alright what else yall got.

I wound up coming home with two mystery snails, one blue and one ivory, both a bit smaller than inch. I researched them online and while they are not as hardy as trumpets, I guess they are still hardier than nerites and also not very picky eaters? So that's cool. And when I bought these two in the store, both of them were scooting along the bottom of their tanks and had nice shells. So probably healthy, right?

Well now that they are in the tank they are worrying me as much as my hunger strike nerites.

The blue one is constantly farting and releasing bubbles, then it rushes to the top to siphon some air, then goes back down, farts some more and has to go back up to the top again. Sometimes it seems it gets so exhausted of farting and siphoning that it just naps below the water line and occasionally reaches up for some air.

The ivory one doesn't seem to have a farting problem and actually rarely heads towards the surface or naps. Instead it is constantly scooting all over the bottom, but it acts totally drunk! Constantly tipping over, and then it 'barfed' this white cloud thing.

Plus I think both mystery snails have social anxiety or something. They will sometimes startle each other for 10 minutes at a time. Like they will both start out shells closed, then one will open it's shell just a little, then the other one will, then it's like they see each other and both snap shut really fast. They will do this while next to each other over and over. Then the ivory one makes a break for it and falls over, and the blue one farts.

Are snails normally this goofy? Or am I probably doing something super wrong with the tank?

 

Have you been feeding them beans and beer?

Seriously, though:

Did you dechlorinate the tap water? Have you established the nitrogen cycle (beneficial bacteria colony) in your filter system?

 

Have you been feeding them beans and beer?

Seriously, though:

Did you dechlorinate the tap water? Have you established the nitrogen cycle (beneficial bacteria colony) in your filter system?

The tank still appears to be crystal-clear clean. I bought algae wafers for the nerites until algae actually starts growing, but I'm not sure how long that is going to take. I am trying to speed it up with the outside rocks in the bucket. I read that you can grow algae that way outside and then add the rocks to the tank to speed it up and feed nerites. The tank really looks spotless and I am not sure how to make algae and bacteria grow in it, like the healthy kind. When I put in a blanched vegetable piece I have been leaving it for 24 hours then removing it. Some things I've read suggest that you have to leave it in a while before it gets mushy enough that some snails will eat it, but then you also don't want to leave it in too long or it can make the water toxic.

And no I did not do anything to the water, except add the egg shells because I read that snails need lots of calcium and that egg shells will dissolve over time.

Man this is nuts. The shop had snails listed as being for beginners and the employee insisted that it's very hard to kill snails. And articles I read said that mystery snails can survive in all sorts of environments from streams to swamps and more with varying ph and oxygen levels. So I figured if I kept the water clean and gave them good foods it would be chill. I hope I don't screw up even snails gosh.

 

There's a lot to all of this.

Chlorine or chloramines are used to disinfect drinking water and maintain a disinfectant residual in the water distribution system. So tap water is required by EPA regulations to have some chlorine or chloramine at every customer tap. This keeps us from having outbreaks of waterborne diseases.

But, chlorine is extremely toxic to fish and other aquatic animals. (Really, that's the point of it - we don't want critters growing or living in the drinking water system). So you must use a dechlorinating compound to sequester (tie up and render safe) the chlorine or chloramines that are in the tap water.

Many here recommend and use a product called "Prime" made by Seachem. Prime not only neutralizes chlorine, but also binds ammonia into a safe compound, so you can use it for any tap water, whether it has plain chlorine in it, or chloramine which is a chlorine/ammonia compound used in many water systems.

You should use something like prime whenever you add tap water to an aquarium to make the chlorine and possibly ammonia that's in the tap water safe.


Next, you have to consider the "nitrogen cycle" in your aquarium/filter system.

Fish (and presumably snails) generate ammonia as their main waste product. But ammonia is toxic to fish (and presumably snails). In an aquarium, the inhabitants are swimming around in a soup containing their own waste. Once the ammonia level gets high enough, it will kill them. Keep in mind that ammonia is colorless and hard to detect even at deadly levels to fish. Your tank can look crystal clear and still have deadly levels of ammonia, nitrite, chlorine, etc.

So what does one do about that in an aquarium? The answer is that you must establish a colony of bacteria that eats ammonia. Sounds odd, but this is what is usually done.

Now, that's all well and good, but the waste product from the ammonia-eating bacteria is another nitrogen compound known as Nitrite. It, too, is deadly to fish!

But fortunately, there are other species of bacteria that eat nitrite! So we also need to have those types of bacteria established in our system.

Of course, those bacteria also produce waste, and not surprisingly, it's in the form of yet another nitrogen compound.

In this case, the nitrite-eating bacteria poop out nitrates. Nitrates are also toxic to fish, but only when they get to much higher levels. So the ammonia-eaters make nitrites, and the nitrite eaters make nitrate, and then we can just do water changes every so often to reduce the nitrate levels.

OK, so these ammonia eating bacteria and nitrite eating bacteria need a place to live. They are "sticky" and adhere to various surfaces, forming what is called a "biofilm" - a layer of sticky bacteria. And they need to be exposed to the aquarium water to get at the ammonia from the fish.

So that's where an aquarium filter comes into play. It recirculates the water through it constantly, exposing the bacteria to a constant supply of their favorite food (fish waste - ammonia). And in return, they convert the fish-deadly ammonia to nitrite, and then the nitrite to nitrate, and that keeps the fish alive.

But we need a large amount of surface area for the bacteria to colonize. And it takes time for the colonies of bacteria to grow to a level that can handle the "waste load" from our fish/snails, etc.

So this is what is often referred to as "cycling" an aquarium. In reality, you're "cycling" the filter media (spongy or fibrous material that provides the surface area for the bacteria to colonize). You've got to get the bacteria established in the filter media.

Now there are other ways to make an aquarium work. Ways to use plants to remove the ammonia. Or ways to have a "passive" biofilter system that doesn't require a pump to actively circulate the water over the media. But for the most part, people use an aquarium filter.

As you add more fish (or snails), you increase the amount of ammonia production. Your bacteria colony has to grow to accommodate the new, increased ammonia production in the tank. The bacteria reproduces, but not as fast as one might wish. So you need to first get the colony started, then add new fish or snails, etc., very gradually.

You need a filter, and it needs to get its bacteria colony established.

I recommend you do the following:

Get some Seachem Prime. Add 5X the amount recommended for your aquarium size. This will immediately take care of the chlorine, chloramine, ammonia, and perhaps nitrites to help things out right away.

Also get a good filter and a bottle of Tetra Safe Start Plus. The TSS is just a bottle of bacteria, really. It will jump-start your bacteria colony in the new filter.

Install the filter and start it up right away. But wait 24 to 48 hours to add the TSS (this is recommended because you've added the Prime right away, too). After the 24-48 hours, shake up and add the whole bottle of TSS to the aquarium.

After that, the TSS is supposed to keep your aquarium inhabitants safe as it establishes the bacteria colony in your filter system.

Also get a test kit like the API master test kit. But wait two weeks before doing any water changes or adding anything like Prime, regardless of what the test kit tells you.

 

There's a lot to all of this.

Chlorine or chloramines are used to disinfect drinking water and maintain a disinfectant residual in the water distribution system. So tap water is required by EPA regulations to have some chlorine or chloramine at every customer tap. This keeps us from having outbreaks of waterborne diseases.

But, chlorine is extremely toxic to fish and other aquatic animals. (Really, that's the point of it - we don't want critters growing or living in the drinking water system). So you must use a dechlorinating compound to sequester (tie up and render safe) the chlorine or chloramines that are in the tap water.

Many here recommend and use a product called "Prime" made by Seachem. Prime not only neutralizes chlorine, but also binds ammonia into a safe compound, so you can use it for any tap water, whether it has plain chlorine in it, or chloramine which is a chlorine/ammonia compound used in many water systems.

You should use something like prime whenever you add tap water to an aquarium to make the chlorine and possibly ammonia that's in the tap water safe.


Next, you have to consider the "nitrogen cycle" in your aquarium/filter system.

Fish (and presumably snails) generate ammonia as their main waste product. But ammonia is toxic to fish (and presumably snails). In an aquarium, the inhabitants are swimming around in a soup containing their own waste. Once the ammonia level gets high enough, it will kill them. Keep in mind that ammonia is colorless and hard to detect even at deadly levels to fish. Your tank can look crystal clear and still have deadly levels of ammonia, nitrite, chlorine, etc.

So what does one do about that in an aquarium? The answer is that you must establish a colony of bacteria that eats ammonia. Sounds odd, but this is what is usually done.

Now, that's all well and good, but the waste product from the ammonia-eating bacteria is another nitrogen compound known as Nitrite. It, too, is deadly to fish!

But fortunately, there are other species of bacteria that eat nitrite! So we also need to have those types of bacteria established in our system.

Of course, those bacteria also produce waste, and not surprisingly, it's in the form of yet another nitrogen compound.

In this case, the nitrite-eating bacteria poop out nitrates. Nitrates are also toxic to fish, but only when they get to much higher levels. So the ammonia-eaters make nitrites, and the nitrite eaters make nitrate, and then we can just do water changes every so often to reduce the nitrate levels.

OK, so these ammonia eating bacteria and nitrite eating bacteria need a place to live. They are "sticky" and adhere to various surfaces, forming what is called a "biofilm" - a layer of sticky bacteria. And they need to be exposed to the aquarium water to get at the ammonia from the fish.

So that's where an aquarium filter comes into play. It recirculates the water through it constantly, exposing the bacteria to a constant supply of their favorite food (fish waste - ammonia). And in return, they convert the fish-deadly ammonia to nitrite, and then the nitrite to nitrate, and that keeps the fish alive.

But we need a large amount of surface area for the bacteria to colonize. And it takes time for the colonies of bacteria to grow to a level that can handle the "waste load" from our fish/snails, etc.

So this is what is often referred to as "cycling" an aquarium. In reality, you're "cycling" the filter media (spongy or fibrous material that provides the surface area for the bacteria to colonize). You've got to get the bacteria established in the filter media.

Now there are other ways to make an aquarium work. Ways to use plants to remove the ammonia. Or ways to have a "passive" biofilter system that doesn't require a pump to actively circulate the water over the media. But for the most part, people use an aquarium filter.

As you add more fish (or snails), you increase the amount of ammonia production. Your bacteria colony has to grow to accommodate the new, increased ammonia production in the tank. The bacteria reproduces, but not as fast as one might wish. So you need to first get the colony started, then add new fish or snails, etc., very gradually.

You need a filter, and it needs to get its bacteria colony established.

I recommend you do the following:

Get some Seachem Prime. Add 5X the amount recommended for your aquarium size. This will immediately take care of the chlorine, chloramine, ammonia, and perhaps nitrites to help things out right away.

Also get a good filter and a bottle of Tetra Safe Start Plus. The TSS is just a bottle of bacteria, really. It will jump-start your bacteria colony in the new filter.

Install the filter, but wait 24 to 48 hours after adding the Prime, and shake up and add the whole bottle of TSS to the aquarium.

After that, the TSS is supposed to keep your aquarium inhabitants safe as it establishes the bacteria colony in your filter system.

Also get a test kit like the API master test kit. But wait two weeks before doing any water changes or adding anything like Prime, regardless of what the test kit tells you.

Wow thank you so much for explaining all of that. The info I found online previously gave me the impression that snails just needed to avoid copper and have more calcium. Well I am not sure if I can afford a filter until ext paycheck, but I will go to PetSmart and get the chlorine treatment since that is probably a very immediate concern. I will also ask for the bottle of bacteria and explain the situation. I don't plan to have any fish because I read that fish have a high "bioload" is what the article called it. I had been considering a goldfish because I thought they are like a super easy kid's pet type, but what I read said that is actually like a myth of sorts and goldfish are suuuper high maintenance in reality. But I got the impression that the snails had a low "bioload". But I guess without the fish or anything I have not been getting any bacteria started, so that TSS thing should be a big help. Thanks so much again, I was just kinda wiggin out because my snails are being neurotic and didn't know where to start.

 

Wow thank you so much for explaining all of that. The info I found online previously gave me the impression that snails just needed to avoid copper and have more calcium. Well I am not sure if I can afford a filter until ext paycheck, but I will go to PetSmart and get the chlorine treatment since that is probably a very immediate concern. I will also ask for the bottle of bacteria and explain the situation. I don't plan to have any fish because I read that fish have a high "bioload" is what the article called it. I had been considering a goldfish because I thought they are like a super easy kid's pet type, but what I read said that is actually like a myth of sorts and goldfish are suuuper high maintenance in reality. But I got the impression that the snails had a low "bioload". But I guess without the fish or anything I have not been getting any bacteria started, so that TSS thing should be a big help. Thanks so much again, I was just kinda wiggin out because my snails are being neurotic and didn't know where to start.

Filters really aren't that expensive, especially if you order off Amazon. And as for a "super easy" fish, I'd say bettas are by far the easiest I've ever kept! But really, I'm sorry but, when I read your post I laughed so hard! Like, I reread it several times, just laughing and hoping it was nothing serious! Good luck with your snails!

 

Wow thank you so much for explaining all of that. The info I found online previously gave me the impression that snails just needed to avoid copper and have more calcium. Well I am not sure if I can afford a filter until ext paycheck, but I will go to PetSmart and get the chlorine treatment since that is probably a very immediate concern. I will also ask for the bottle of bacteria and explain the situation. I don't plan to have any fish because I read that fish have a high "bioload" is what the article called it. I had been considering a goldfish because I thought they are like a super easy kid's pet type, but what I read said that is actually like a myth of sorts and goldfish are suuuper high maintenance in reality. But I got the impression that the snails had a low "bioload". But I guess without the fish or anything I have not been getting any bacteria started, so that TSS thing should be a big help. Thanks so much again, I was just kinda wiggin out because my snails are being neurotic and didn't know where to start.

Well, I don't want to alarm you too much.

And it may well be true that in a 5 gallon tank, a few snails and some algae will not produce enough ammonia to be a problem at all. The chlorine is a real concern for sure, but I'm not sure about the bioload that the snails will create.

I suspect that a tank with some plants in it, some algae, and good light to keep the algae and plants happy may not need a powered filter if the bio load is small. So what you've got might work fine without a filter.

But, as BornThisWayBettas said, you can get a simple filter for very cheap, and that's probably all you'd need. So that's a good thing to consider. I think they've got very small Tetra Whisper internal filters at Wal Mart for pretty cheap. And they're actually quite nice in my experience!

These work pretty well, and the ones I've used really are silent. One came with a 5 gallon tank kit I bought years ago. It's still going strong:



But you may be right, and may never need a filter if the bioload is low and you get enough plants and algae growing to eat the fish waste on their own.

When I was a kid, I had a two gallon tank that had nothing (visible to the naked eye) in it but some great algae and the hydra and daphnea that came from the stagnant pond with the algae. I put it where it could get good sunlight during part of the day, and it just kept on going and going. I added nothing but water to it at all nor did I ever drain any water from it. I just topped it off occasionally. I could imagine a few snails might have done just fine in there, too!

But you'd want to feed very sparingly, too, because uneaten food will decompose and also create ammonia, etc.

So I kind of think having a little filter in the tank would be a good thing because you're adding food to the system. I'd like to see how this all comes out, actually.

It may be that your snails are acting normally! I don't have a lot of experience with them, frankly! It's a neat project in any case.

If you do go with that kind of little filter, remember that the bacteria colony will be on the filter bag. So you don't really ever want to throw it away. Just rinse it off a bit in used aquarium water (so you don't kill/remove the bacteria) every so often. I've never replaced the filter bag in that first one of those I got several years ago. If you do dispose of it, you'd have to start the nitrogen cycle all over again!

You always need to keep some established filter media in the system or you have to begin again, and the fish suffer in the mean time.

Oh, and edit to add:

Use the dechlorinator for the water out where you're growing the algae, too. Chlorine kills algae, too.

 

Lol, I'm sorry, it was just the way you worded it! But here you are with real concerns and I'm going around laughing like an idiot lol! But yeah, a cheap filter would definitely be a good idea.

 

Lol, I'm sorry, it was just the way you worded it! But here you are with real concerns and I'm going around laughing like an idiot lol! But yeah, a cheap filter would definitely be a good idea.

No worries! It's just how I cope with stress, being a bit sassy and humorous and sarcastic and such. So no worries at all hehe.

Unfortunately I am pretty sure the ivory mystery snail is a gonner. It is not suctioning on to anything and hasn't been for the past 2 hours. Just sitting at the bottom and hanging partway out of its shell. It's still responsive to vibrations but I think it is on its way out. I put it on top of the blanched zucchinI slice but it's not responding to it at all.

I will try not to let its death be totally in the vain, though. At least now I know things are wrong and I have to take action, hopefully spare the others.

A little embarrassing but I actually don't have a lot of spare money to spend on extras in life, was part of why I was looking for a super low maintenance pet, in addition to me being a newby. But if I can afford the chlorine treatment, bacteria bottle and the filter all at once I will get them when the store opens tomorrow. I just want to treat the chlorine ASAP because now that I know it's probably in the water and hurting them it feels like an emergency.

At least the nerites are still energetic, although I have no idea how since they haven't eat anything in 3 days. The one with only one spike is pushing the other zucchinI slice around the bottom of the tank as I type this lol. Reminds me of the crayfish I caught and kept as a little kid, would move and throw things constantly.

 

Yeah, I'm sorry if I came across as being a little heartless. Don't give up hope on that ivory snail! And I totally get it about not having a lot of money to spend on pets, that's kinda how I used to be. I've got more money now, so now I have a bigger (20 gallon) tank and planning on getting more fish for it next week. Good luck with your snails!

 

In my experience hanging half in and half out of their shell is due to high nitrites or ammonia. Their bodies swell when they get nitrite poisoning and they can't suck all the way in. Mystery snails actually have a fairly high bioload compared to other snails. You need to do a water change ASAP with prime or another conditioner and get a test kit to test your water. Mystery snails are very sensitive to water quality. If you can get your water healthier for them your ivory might pull through but if you don't get a filter or something to get your tank cycled all of your snails will probably not make it.

 

You can get a cheap sponge filter from amazon for something like 5$.
Oh, even though your snail may look dead when he does this he isn't really unless you pull him out and he smells horrible, don't give up until you get that smell because they can recover.

 

In my experience hanging half in and half out of their shell is due to high nitrites or ammonia. Their bodies swell when they get nitrite poisoning and they can't suck all the way in. Mystery snails actually have a fairly high bioload compared to other snails. You need to do a water change ASAP with prime or another conditioner and get a test kit to test your water. Mystery snails are very sensitive to water quality. If you can get your water healthier for them your ivory might pull through but if you don't get a filter or something to get your tank cycled all of your snails will probably not make it.

Okay I did a water change. The two nerites seems okay and are scooting around. The blue mystery seems lethargic but okay, it looked like it was trying to eat the algae off the ivory's shell right before I water changed. I have moved the ivory mystery to an emergency 1 gallon and used bottled water from the store to fill it. I don't know if that was good or bad but maybe it won't have chlorine? I don't know. I put her in her own container because she seems really sick I don't know. She is still responsive to touch/vibrations but a bunch of slime with brown specks was coming out of her and her antennae are drooping. It looked like she had actually barfed or something.

 

Oh she is coming out and scooting and moving her antennae! Very slowly but better than before. I am running to the convenience store right now to buy more of this bottled water for the main tank.

 

Oh she is coming out and scooting and moving her antennae! Very slowly but better than before. I am running to the convenience store right now to buy more of this bottled water for the main tank.

Awesome, maybe she'll make it!

 

If you use bottled water you'll need to spend more money to add minerals back in, snails need the calcium etc that's found in tap water and not usually in bottled water. You be better off getting a cheap filter and some prime and using tap water, otherwise the bottled water and added minerals will get expensive quickly.

They do produce extra slime when the water is hurting them, though if it had specks in it is probably just poop, it looks kinda slimy and speckled.

 

Alrighty goods news and bad news. So last night I bought just enough bottled water to set them all up in emergency containers hopefully without chlorine. I just took it out of my grocery funds which is not a big deal because I don't need bottled water every single day, I just like it.

Bad news is one confirmed casualty, the ivory snail did not make it. Totally unresponsive to touch and looks bloated out of the shell this morning. I haven't thrown her away yet, though, going to wait for the terrible smell to confirm because I can't handle the idea of a living snail dying in the outside compost pile.

Good news is that I was able to afford all 3 items, they were not as expensive as I assumed they would be. I installed the filter, added the chlorine treatment (API brand) and the safe start (Tetra brand). My remaining three snails are still alive and still in quarantine containers.

Would it be safe to add them back soon?

 

Yes. Put them back right away. Tetra Safe Start is meant to be used with the fish in the aquarium.

You can use it for a "fishless cycle", but that entails adding ammonia to take the place of the normal fish waste.

The manufacturer really expects you to add it, then your fish right away.

It is supposed to keep your fish safe while it does its job.

Hopefully all will go according to plan now.

 

Yes, put them all back in including the ivory, he could still recover. Don't give up on him until he smells REALLY bad that's the only way to know for sure. I was really worried 2 of mine weren't going to make it and they're perfectly fine now.

 

You can always take a sample of your tank water to the petstores and they will test it for free. I f they tell you there is a problem with it and what it is , then just come back here and we will help you figure it out. We are not trying to sell you something that you may not need. Welcome to the forum Alison

 

How are your snails doing today?