Why are my ramshorn snails at the top of the tank?

[PlantedCommunityTank132]

I recently saw that my ramshorn snails were swimming at the top of the tank. Why is that so? Is there a lack of oxygen?
Also, why are there bubbles on the surface?
Thanks

 

[Flyfisha]

Hey PCT132
I have seen bubbles on the surface that do not pop after adding medication and after adding fertiliser ( root tabs) . The fact the snails are doing something different than usual would suggest a water test is in order , unless you added meds or ferts recently?

Bubbles on the surface can be a warning sign

 

[JustAFishServant]

I agree with Flyfisha although bubbles can also be a sign of excess proteins on the surface of your water; from food and detritus specifically.

As for the snails at the surface; they may be eating this layer of protein, or yes, there could be a lack of oxygen. In my experience, it's often too much detritus of nutrients sucking up oxygen.

 

[Frank the Fish guy]

Ramshorn snails gather air from the surface to fill a bubble in their shell. Then they breathe that air with lungs just like ours. This is normal snail behavior and does not necessarily mean anything is wrong in your tank. You may have just never seen them do it before. My snails surface sometimes too.

 

[PlantedCommunityTank132]

Hey PCT132
I have seen bubbles on the surface that do not pop after adding medication and after adding fertiliser ( root tabs) . The fact the snails are doing something different than usual would suggest a water test is in order , unless you added meds or ferts recently?

Bubbles on the surface can be a warning sign

Thanks for the info, I will test the water later

I agree with Flyfisha although bubbles can also be a sign of excess proteins on the surface of your water; from food and detritus specifically.

As for the snails at the surface; they may be eating this layer of protein, or yes, there could be a lack of oxygen. In my experience, it's often too much detritus of nutrients sucking up oxygen.

I feed my fish very fine flake food every two days or so. Could some of the flake food not sink, and thats what the sails are doing?

 

[JustAFishServant]

I feed my fish very fine flake food every two days or so. Could some of the flake food not sink, and thats what the sails are doing?

Absolutely. I occasionally feed powdered food to the snails and when it floats, they float

Frank the Fish guy is on point; that's also how snails breathe. If, however, you see an excessive amount of snails at the surface, it's likely a water quality issue. I sometimes have experimental tanks, and one of them, a 2.5 gallon filled with detritus, I actually put any dead leaves from houseplants into that tank. The snails usually thrive, but at one point the tank stunk terribly and the snails weren't too happy. After adding an air pump to disrupt the surface buildup, they were fine and breeding as usual

 

[PlantedCommunityTank132]

Absolutely. I occasionally feed powdered food to the snails and when it floats, they float

Frank the Fish guy is on point; that's also how snails breathe. If, however, you see an excessive amount of snails at the surface, it's likely a water quality issue. I sometimes have experimental tanks, and one of them, a 2.5 gallon filled with detritus, I actually put any dead leaves from houseplants into that tank. The snails usually thrive, but at one point the tank stunk terribly and the snails weren't too happy. After adding an air pump to disrupt the surface buildup, they were fine and breeding as usual

Cool. That relaxes me a bit. There aren't a lot of snails at the surface at once, its just some, but pretty much all the time there are 1-3

 

[ProudPapa]

Cool. That relaxes me a bit. There aren't a lot of snails at the surface at once, its just some, but pretty much all the time there are 1-3

That's not unusual in my tanks. I agree it's almost certainly nothing to worry about.

 

[Frank the Fish guy]

You probably have more snails in there than before since they multiply. So now the odds of catching them breathing air is higher.

 

[PlantedCommunityTank132]

I tested the water, and all the test results are at 0. I guess they are just eating the film or breathing. Thanks everybody for your help