Tropical Fish Forums

[keithkyli]

Hi, I used to have 3 red ramshorn snails each about 1cm big in my tank, when it was pebble-bottom. After we changed the substrate to sand (grain size 1-3mm), the snails died out one by one within a few days.

These old snails have left some eggs in a bottle, and two of the babies managed to grow to about 4mm size. Today, I put one of them into the tank to try its response, and it opts to stay at the waterline after spending about 2 hours on the plants/substrate.

I wonder what went wrong.
- My fish are all OK after changing the substrate. Frankly, I don't have a test kit, but I guess the most common sand would only make the water harder and more alkaline, not more acidic which would harm the snails, right? And the old ones didn't die of shell damage. I still have one empty shell in the tank.
- Or are my angels picking at the snails too much? But the big ones survived in the old setting, they only died out after the substrate was changed.
- Or is it because the sand is too difficult for the snails to walk on and they are exhausted?
- There are more than enough algae to keep 5-8 snails well-fed.

Thanks for any comment. I guess I can get some pH testers within this week, I need them anyway.
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Diamond Hill, Hong Kong

[keithkyli]

Update:
I bought a solution-form test kit today, my tap water is pH 7.0 and the tank water seems to be pH 7.5 or 8.0.

The exact value is unknown. I can only tell that the tank water is a bit more alkaline than the tap water. All my fish (zebra danios, angels, Endlers, peppered Corys) are fine. The snail still stays at the waterline (it had moved horizontally).
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Diamond Hill, Hong Kong

[nikelodeon79]

I have an unbelievable amount of ramshorn snails in my aquarium, and I have sand substrate. I cannot get rid of the nasty little pests.
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Dumpster Tank
Nano Fish
Mbuna