Turbo snails not so "Turbo"

[Rob74]

Hi,

I bought three large turbo snails yesterday for my 40 gal. that has been up and running for over a month. Water parameters are great and have remained stable. I acclimated the snails and added them to my tank. One has been moderately active on the liverock, one has been just attached to the rock and one has hardly moved an inch. This morning they all seem to be just stuck in one spot. Do these guys take time to get going? I thought they would be chowing down on all the "good stuff" my tank has produced during its cycle. I was carefull not to add any livestock until the water had been stable for a week. I have two small clowns that are doing excellent. Any ideas? Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

You say the params are "great".. - Whats "great"? - Whats your temp running?

Are they moving around when the lights are out?

 

[Rob74]

Water - 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrate, 0 Nitrite Temp 76 Spec. Grav. 1.024

The snails don't move around much more with the lights off than on. Thanks

 

[trido]

Sometimes my turbos just "hole up" for a day or so. They will actually burrow into the sand and stop. Maybe your temp is a little low. When I first started reefing a whole six months ago I also ran my temp at 76F. A temp from my old FW days. Most old pros will tell you that 78 is a better minimum. I have mine at 80F steady and all creatures are happy. Most indo-pacific reefs actually sit at 80-84F year round. Most reefers run cooler temps to accomodate the carribean corals,parasites dont tend to thrive as well, and there is a little forgiveness when summer temps catch you off guard. I would worry yet anyway.

 

[Anonymous]

I've had turbos just stay put for a while, not sure why.

 

[MartinJ]

Hi
I have 12 Turbos - at first they ate the Diatoms like mad for a couple of days - so much so I thought they'd run out of food.
Now they are not doing much - a couple fell of the rocks and even though I have replaced them they haven't re-attached they just sit there loose to the touch.
Anyone know how I can tell if they are dead, no more, deceased, ex-turbo, shuffled off this mortal coil, gone to the great reef in the sky or are they resting?
Obviously I don't want to leave them in the tank if they aren't going to recover.

NH3 0, NO2 <0.1, NO3 <10, pH 8.2, Temp 78.

 

[Anonymous]

NO3 <10

How much less?

 

[MartinJ]

My Fastest Nitrate kit is only graduated in increments of 10ppm and the color is lighter than the 10ppm color so I can't really give a more accurate figure.

 

[Anonymous]

Can your LFS do a more reliable test or can you get one done some other way? - If you unknowingly have high nitrates that could be part of it..

 

[MartinJ]

I'll try to get a better test kit - what level should I get under - I thought <10ppm nitrate wasn't too bad?

 

[waymack97]

i put a large turbo in my nano to clean some stuff up quickly and he stayed in the same place for two days. then on the 3rd day he went to town. give it a couple of days and see what happens.
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[Anonymous]

I'll try to get a better test kit - what level should I get under - I thought <10ppm nitrate wasn't too bad?

Less than 10ppm isn't too bad, but anything more than 0 isn't ideal.

Near 10 and you'll probably see a reaction from them. (Like being lethargic, falling and not holding onto glass, rock etc..)

Test the water and if its fine, give them a few days and see.. - If the test looks odd - or high, find out why (if you don't already know) and resolve that then give them a few days.

I give my snails a final acclimation by placing them on the glass at the waters surface. (Doesn't work out too hot with the shier guys like ceriths though.) - That lets them dip in and out of the water as they like.