Why do my astreas die?

[fish]

I have a mix of astreas, narcissus, cerith and trocus. I observe regular snail spawning (though of which type I have no idea) and yet my astreas seem to just give up and die? They do things like fall off rocks or the glass. I flip them and they just sit there, making no effort to move on. Is there some water parameter that affects astreas more than anything else?

Everything else in the tank is doing well - just the darn astreas...

Anybody have any ideas?

[Ricepicker]

they die cause u touch urself at night...

jk... what kind of water parameters are we talking? whats ur ammonia/nitrates etc.. is there there enough algae for them to eat?

[gophia]

Are these guys new? If so, they may be weak from the lack of food or stress from the lfs.

[swiseman]

they die cause u touch urself at night...

jk... what kind of water parameters are we talking? whats ur ammonia/nitrates etc.. is there there enough algae for them to eat?

I am still laughing.

[kjasjg]

I had a similar problem a while ago - turned out to be stray voltage in the tank from an old pump. I took the offender out back and shot it :eveilman: .

I've also heard that they are particularily sensitive to heavy metals other than copper because this would affect all of them. the phosphates is something else you could look into.

G'luck
Jer

[fish]

I don't think they are starving - unless they eat a completely different food than the other snails. Ammonia/nitrites at zero. Phosphates measure zero (Saifert). They may well be weak but I have introduced other snails recently with no problems...

[fish]

I had a similar problem a while ago - turned out to be stray voltage in the tank from an old pump. I took the offender out back and shot it :eveilman: .

I've also heard that they are particularily sensitive to heavy metals other than copper because this would affect all of them. the phosphates is something else you could look into.

G'luck
Jer

How exactly did you determine you had stray voltage from a pump.

[Ricepicker]

voltmeter would do it wouldnt it

[bebitte70]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I would take a multimeter (in ac voltage mode)put the black end of the meter and put it in the mouth of the plug(If you look at it as a face hehe) and then put the other end in the water.

Again correct me if I'm wrong.

[kjasjg]

The offending pump was in my sump and I grabbed the darn thing and felt the tingling! being that it was in my sump the voltage was (I'm not sure if this is the correct term) diluted/weaker inn the tank but significant enough to affect the snails.

I'm no electrician so I will differ to someone elses greater wisdom on how to detect the voltage. (other than see if I get a shock if I hold the darn thing - happened with a heater as well)

the phosphates tend to settle out in the nooks and crannies of the rock (they don't dissolve in the water fully) so I would stir up the water from the rocks and the sand bed a bit then test the water.

I had a pump drop of the side of the tank and blow into the bed as a result the phosphates levels went through the roof :confused-
Jer