New nerite snail suddenly not active?

Hi everyone! We added a new nerite snail to our 5g tank along with 5 shrimp and at first he was quite the speedy little guy cleaning up the glass quite quickly. We noticed tonight he was laying on his back in the substrate and not moving. He didn't seem to respond to us picking him up but we noticed quite a bit of the substrate in the opening where his body meets the shell. Could our substrate be an issue for him? It's a fine black gravel. My husband sniffed him and he did not stink or anything. We added him yesterday morning. The shrimp all seem to be doing totally fine. I also noticed these white spots on the tip of his shell and we can't remember if they were there or not when we added him which feels really silly now but feel like we would have noticed? I moved him to a moss ledge before I left for work tonight and will check again in the morning but just wondering if this is not al behaviour? Our other nerite is darker in colour so we just see him randomly pop up in our other tank and have not noticed if he has periods of inactivity. I have tested and ammonia, nitrites are at 0. Nitrates are 10ppm. Thanks so much!

 

I'm definitely not a snail expert but those white spots look like his shell cracked/cracking. Cuttlebone is a good option for healing shells but I will let other people pitch in since I can't give you an exact answer.

 

I'm definitely not a snail expert but those white spots look like his shell cracked/cracking. Cuttlebone is a good option for healing shells but I will let other people pitch in since I can't give you an exact answer.

Thank you! I will look into it. What could even cause something like that I wonder? There are just 5 small shrimp in the tank with him and they do not go near him, however, prior to us bringing him home he was in a tank with a bunch of other snails so idk! Thanks for your input!

 

Hi there, I joined this site to talk about nerites specifically and if I'm being honest I don't totally get how the threads work yet so I hope this is coming in to the right place at the right time.

Here's the thing about the word nerite... it's an umbrella term for the family Neritidae which has 200+ species. Even if two are sold to you as "nerites" they may not be the same thing so the darkness issue shouldn't too be of much concern unless the carapace is white.
There are a few species of nerites who can't right themselves once they've been flipped and will take a little bit to recover from that because they've been calorie starved. Unfortunately there are also plenty of nerites who are near the end of their allotted lifetime and tend to expire upside-down. It's hard to tell.
The person selling you that little guy is unlikely to be able to estimate how old it actually is because nerites have a super complex growth pattern and are entirely wild caught.

Regarding your immediate concerns, the damage on the outer swirl of the shell isn't something you can do anything about. You can't intervene to make it better. Their shells are a lot like fingernails where the damage has to grow out.
The best thing you can do is keep pristine water quality and an extra nutritious food source. In the case of water, your Ph/KH/GH matter a lot more when a snail has damage. Shoot those numbers over if you have them.
Additionally, how much algae does your tank have? Nerites are hard to supplement because they want the real thing. Hope this falls in the right place and that I can answer any further questions!

 

Hi there, I joined this site to talk about nerites specifically and if I'm being honest I don't totally get how the threads work yet so I hope this is coming in to the right place at the right time. Here's the thing about the word nerite... it's an umbrella term for the family Neritidae which has 200+ species. Even if two are sold to you as "nerites" they may not be the same thing so the darkness issue shouldn't too be of much concern unless the carapace is white. There are a few species of nerites who can't right themselves once they've been flipped and will take a little bit to recover from that because they've been calorie starved. Unfortunately there are also plenty of nerites who are near the end of their allotted lifetime and tend to expire upside-down. It's hard to tell. The person selling you that little guy is unlikely to be able to estimate how old it actually is because nerites have a super complex growth pattern and are entirely wild caught. Regarding your immediate concerns, the damage on the outer swirl of the shell isn't something you can do anything about. You can't intervene to make it better. Their shells are a lot like fingernails where the damage has to grow out. The best thing you can do is keep pristine water quality and an extra nutritious food source. In the case of water, your Ph/KH/GH matter a lot more when a snail has damage. Shoot those numbers over if you have them. Additionally, how much algae does your tank have? Nerites are hard to supplement because they want the real thing. Hope this falls in the right place and that I can answer any further questions!

Thank you so much!! That is all great to hear. I have ordered some cuttlebone to hopefully help supplement calcium to his shell as the other person that responded said. I have not tested the water today but yesterday our KH was 4 drops(71.6ppm as per the chart) and our GH was 11 drops(196.9ppm). I am new to testing KH and GH and it honestly feels overwhelming at this point to try to understand - our other nerite previously resided in this tank and did okay but it sounds like they may not even be related from what you've said! pH was 7.8 however I added some more indian almond leaves so that may have came down a bit too. The tank has been cycled and established with lots of algae and live plants from our betta and other snail who moved into a 10g - it sat for nearly a month with me adding fish food in randomly to keep the cycle going and still testing it however I noticed 1 single planaria so we treated the tank with no planaria following the directions then I did several full water changes plus added carbon to the filter and ended up fulling changing the substrate too without seeing any others - I hope the no planaria didn't mess with him from that long ago? Sorry just kind of rambling and thinking out loud here. I really appreciate your input thanks so much!!
Also, I feel rude for not saying it right away but welcome!! Everyone has been really great here!

 

If the snail is not used to deal with sand substrate, they need time to get adjusted.
My Nerites seldom go onto the sand, but stay on the other surfaces the tank has to offer. It is extremely hard for Nerire snails to upright themselves on sand. With new snails, you may want to put him onto a firm surface area, opening down to help him out.

 

I‘ve kept a lot of nerites and I use sand in all my tanks but one. They don’t have a problem with sand but if they shut the operculum abruptly they can trap some sand in the edge of the ’closed door’. It’ll fall out when they open up again.

Most of the species commonly sold for aquaria can right themselves if they end up upside down but if I notice one is on its back I’ll turn it over - better safe than sorry.

Because they are usually wild caught, most of them fail to recognize anything other than fresh growing algae as food. They are brilliant algae eaters but once they clean up the algae, they often starve to death for lack of food. I grow green rocks for my algae eaters so that won’t happen.

They are not good scavengers like most of the other snails we tend to keep are so this is something that has to be kept in mind.

It’s very common for them to spend long periods of time out of the water too, though they cannot breathe air like pulmonate snails can. Nevertheless, they often spend prolonged periods just out of water, either on the glass or right on a tank rim. I’ve no idea why they do it but it never seems to do them any harm unless they happen to fall on the outside of the glass. It has not happened often to me but it happens sometimes. Hopefully they’ll be found in time - they can last quite some time with the operculum tightly closed.

 

I‘ve kept a lot of nerites and I use sand in all my tanks but one. They don’t have a problem with sand ...

Agreed, I did not state that they are not able to live on sand, but if unaccustomed to it they need some time to get adjusted , same with the food.

 

I wasn’t suggesting that you said they can’t live on sand, only sharing that mine never had a problem with it.
As for the food, I’ve tried getting a number of nerites to eat alternatives to algae without success. I know some do learn to eat other kinds of greens but none of mine were ever willing to do so and since they are not scavengers like most snails we tend to keep in aquariums, if there’s no algae, they can starve to death.

 

If the snail is not used to deal with sand substrate, they need time to get adjusted.
My Nerites seldom go onto the sand, but stay on the other surfaces the tank has to offer. It is extremely hard for Nerire snails to upright themselves on sand. With new snails, you may want to put him onto a firm surface area, opening down to help him out.

I had tried him on the moss ledge but when I got home it looks like he'd fallen off that too unfortunately. I got home and he was belly up again, I turned him over on the sand and he has very slightly raised up but not gone anywhere so not sure if that's a good sign or what. Our other nerite has no issues with any of the surfaces in the tank however maybe being smaller it's easier to get around. The first picture is when I turned him back over this am and the second is from when I woke up today! I didn't even think to take a picture when I first got home of how I found him lol night shift makes using my brain a struggle sometimes it would seem. Thanks for your response!

I‘ve kept a lot of nerites and I use sand in all my tanks but one. They don’t have a problem with sand but if they shut the operculum abruptly they can trap some sand in the edge of the ’closed door’. It’ll fall out when they open up again.

Most of the species commonly sold for aquaria can right themselves if they end up upside down but if I notice one is on its back I’ll turn it over - better safe than sorry.

Because they are usually wild caught, most of them fail to recognize anything other than fresh growing algae as food. They are brilliant algae eaters but once they clean up the algae, they often starve to death for lack of food. I grow green rocks for my algae eaters so that won’t happen.

They are not good scavengers like most of the other snails we tend to keep are so this is something that has to be kept in mind.

It’s very common for them to spend long periods of time out of the water too, though they cannot breathe air like pulmonate snails can. Nevertheless, they often spend prolonged periods just out of water, either on the glass or right on a tank rim. I’ve no idea why they do it but it never seems to do them any harm unless they happen to fall on the outside of the glass. It has not happened often to me but it happens sometimes. Hopefully they’ll be found in time - they can last quite some time with the operculum tightly closed.

Thank you for your response! What are green rocks? Thankfully currently there is a lot of algae in the tank and on the glass so there isn't a shortage there at this point. I tried some lightly blanched broccoli this am before I went to bed and my husband removed it a couple hrs later - waiting to hear back if anything touched it either shrimp or snail but it does not look like the snail did based on where I left and found him unless he's very sneaky lol. I found when I put a shrimp pellet in none of them really seemed to want that over the algae in the tank but I wasn't sure if it was just too soon after bringing them home!

 

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Thank you for your response! What are green rocks? Thankfully currently there is a lot of algae in the tank and on the glass so there isn't a shortage there at this point. I tried some lightly blanched broccoli this am before I went to bed and my husband removed it a couple hrs later - waiting to hear back if anything touched it either shrimp or snail but it does not look like the snail did based on where I left and found him unless he's very sneaky lol. I found when I put a shrimp pellet in none of them really seemed to want that over the algae in the tank but I wasn't sure if it was just too soon after bringing them home!

I have a restaurant type bus bin full of rocks, which I keep full of water and fertilize and under lights for about 18 hours a day. Sometimes the algae that grows is an ugly one and I’ll start over in that case but if a nice dark green furry/hairy looking algae grows, that’s what I want.

I do water changes in the bin when I change tank water and you can tuck this kind of thing just about anywhere it’ll fit. I used LED light bars that rested right on the rim of the bin, only an inch or two above the water.

When a rock is nice and green, drop it in with the algae eater and remove it when it’s clean, replace with another green rock and drop the clean rock back in the rock bin. It’s pretty easy - just don’t let it evaporate too much and I like to have either an airstone or small pump running so the water will not become stagnant. Could grow it on a balcony in summer but not winter of course, too cold.

I use green rocks to feed Nerites and also Oto cats when I had some and any other algae eating species.

 

I have a restaurant type bus bin full of rocks, which I keep full of water and fertilize and under lights for about 18 hours a day. Sometimes the algae that grows is an ugly one and I’ll start over in that case but if a nice dark green furry/hairy looking algae grows, that’s what I want.

I do water changes in the bin when I change tank water and you can tuck this kind of thing just about anywhere it’ll fit. I used LED light bars that rested right on the rim of the bin, only an inch or two above the water.

When a rock is nice and green, drop it in with the algae eater and remove it when it’s clean, replace with another green rock and drop the clean rock back in the rock bin. It’s pretty easy - just don’t let it evaporate too much and I like to have either an airstone or small pump running so the water will not become stagnant. Could grow it on a balcony in summer but not winter of course, too cold.

I use green rocks to feed Nerites and also Oto cats when I had some and any other algae eating species.

That's really neat, thanks for sharing!!

 

That's really neat, thanks for sharing!!

You’re very welcome. I”m a bit obsessive about feeding pets, be they wet, scaly or furry, as closely as I can to what they’d eat if they were wild, within my limitations.

Growing green rocks was kind of a no brainer for me when I realized that some algae eaters may never learn to eat anything else.

 

Okay so I think we have figured it out. He is definitely alive but seems to not like the sand substrate? When I Google it says sand is best for snails however I put some cuttlebone in for him and put him on it.. he just goes back and forth on the bone then freezes when he gets to the edge. Does anyone have any suggestions? Do we install a boardwalk for him so he can not touch the sand lol?

 

It is quite common for snails to go into "hibernation" for several days at a time. If a snail has been inactive for several days, pick it up and sniff it. A dead snail has an unmistakable putrid odor. If the snail stinks, dispose of it in the garbage, not the toilet, If the snail smells "earthy", put it back in a spot on the substrate that you can monitor. If it does not move in a few days, check it again.

 

It is quite common for snails to go into "hibernation" for several days at a time. If a snail has been inactive for several days, pick it up and sniff it. A dead snail has an unmistakable putrid odor. If the snail stinks, dispose of it in the garbage, not the toilet, If the snail smells "earthy", put it back in a spot on the substrate that you can monitor. If it does not move in a few days, check it again.

Thank you!! He seems active provided he isn't on the sand substrate lol. He is currently floating in a bag in the tank and once again zooming around but when he goes back in the tank he stops. Such a bizarre little guy lol. He doesn't stink and comes out when he isn't near the substrate only for some reason!

 

RayClem is absolutely correct. Nerites are absolute stinkers and like to scare you into thinking they are dead. I don't know how many times I've checked one because it hadn't moved for days. Trust me, if it's dead, you'll know by the smell!

 

RayClem is absolutely correct. Nerites are absolute stinkers and like to scare you into thinking they are dead. I don't know how many times I've checked one because it hadn't moved for days. Trust me, if it's dead, you'll know by the smell!

I've been smelling him daily lol. He's back in his bag apartment for the night again as we just added new shrimp and they were climbing on him and he refused to come out again. He seems happier living alone lol not sure if we maybe should just re-home him or try him in another tank. I just don't want him to become fish food!

 

Thank you so much!! That is all great to hear. I have ordered some cuttlebone to hopefully help supplement calcium to his shell as the other person that responded said. I have not tested the water today but yesterday our KH was 4 drops(71.6ppm as per the chart) and our GH was 11 drops(196.9ppm). I am new to testing KH and GH and it honestly feels overwhelming at this point to try to understand - our other nerite previously resided in this tank and did okay but it sounds like they may not even be related from what you've said! pH was 7.8 however I added some more indian almond leaves so that may have came down a bit too. The tank has been cycled and established with lots of algae and live plants from our betta and other snail who moved into a 10g - it sat for nearly a month with me adding fish food in randomly to keep the cycle going and still testing it however I noticed 1 single planaria so we treated the tank with no planaria following the directions then I did several full water changes plus added carbon to the filter and ended up fulling changing the substrate too without seeing any others - I hope the no planaria didn't mess with him from that long ago? Sorry just kind of rambling and thinking out loud here. I really appreciate your input thanks so much!!
Also, I feel rude for not saying it right away but welcome!! Everyone has been really great here!

Ugh the famous Indian almond leaf, hate them lol I thought my nerites might enjoy some dark water in the "off season" I give them between semesters but they're too drastic a change for so little a leaf haha

I'm sorry I didnt get back to you sooner, I forget that I have this account, so I hope this finds him well? If you're talking about the stuff made by Biomax, it is very dangerous for snails, Nerites are mentioned specifically, but it sounds like you cleaned it well enough so that shouldn't be the issue. I mean, never say never but I'd be surprised so don't feel bad about that. GH/KH/pH are a big gulp of science DM me and I can give you a run down. I've been meaning to make a pamphlet or something about the relationship between the three for snail owners and that would make me sit down and do it.

Edit: One more thing to add, Nerites can sleep up to 30 hours, it's possible that he had a big meal after starving in his last home and then slept it off.

 

Hi everyone! We added a new nerite snail to our 5g tank along with 5 shrimp and at first he was quite the speedy little guy cleaning up the glass quite quickly. We noticed tonight he was laying on his back in the substrate and not moving. He didn't seem to respond to us picking him up but we noticed quite a bit of the substrate in the opening where his body meets the shell. Could our substrate be an issue for him? It's a fine black gravel. My husband sniffed him and he did not stink or anything. We added him yesterday morning. The shrimp all seem to be doing totally fine. I also noticed these white spots on the tip of his shell and we can't remember if they were there or not when we added him which feels really silly now but feel like we would have noticed? I moved him to a moss ledge before I left for work tonight and will check again in the morning but just wondering if this is not al behaviour? Our other nerite is darker in colour so we just see him randomly pop up in our other tank and have not noticed if he has periods of inactivity. I have tested and ammonia, nitrites are at 0. Nitrates are 10ppm. Thanks so much!

I have the same issue with my nerite snail—super active the first few days and pretty much dormant since then. He is much smaller though if that makes a difference. I can't speak to a lot of this, but from what I can tell, they're REALLY active the first couple days while they clean the glass and explore, and then they go dormant for a bit because they've eaten so much. With mine, he kinda perks up every few days but hasn't been nearly as active ever since. I wouldn't worry too much about it if he's moving even an inch over per few days. Take this with a grain of salt though, cause I'm relatively new here.