Newbie - Cycled tank, snails dying temp to blame??

stlcard · 07/09/2012, 10:05 PM

hello all, First post here but forum reader for several months.

I have approached what i believe to be the end of cycling my tank 1 month old.

33Gal - 15 lbs live rock, 10lbs base rock. 25ish lbs live sand.
current Stats: 0 amonia, 0 nitrates, 0 nitrites,(consistent for 8 days) 1.024 salt, 8.2 pH, Half RO water, half conditioned tap water (tap is from memphis area, we have very clean water w/ no hardness or metals in tap water)

Ive done my several water changes throughout the month long cycle, usually 8-10 gal per week.

I started to add snails about 3 weeks in to help with diatoms i believe.
2 turbos, 3 margarita snails, 3 cerith, 2 astrea.

Okay, phew.... now for the question:

Could temperature swings of 3-4 degrees in mid day cause my snails to become lethargic then die? I did proper 1hr drip acclimation. I do not have a heater in the tank as it consistently stayed 78 degrees without. I do however adjust my apt thermostat to a hotter temp while im out at work, thus causing a temp raise of about 2-3 degrees mid day. could this be the cause?

-or-

I did a recent water change and just barely ran out of enough salt mix, the change dropped the salt params from 1.026 to 1.024. Is this the more likely culprit?

in the past week a few of the smaller guys and 1 turbo have slowed down and stopped (confirmed dead by smell).

TeflonTomDosh · 07/10/2012, 12:05 AM

Could temperature swings of 3-4 degrees in mid day cause my snails to become lethargic then die? - yes, inverts can be very sensitive to such BIG changes in tank params.

I did a recent water change and just barely ran out of enough salt mix, the change dropped the salt params from 1.026 to 1.024. Is this the more likely culprit? - see above question and corresponding answer

SushiGirl · 07/10/2012, 12:47 AM

Margarita snails are coldwater species, so won't live long in a reef tank anyway.

Temperature swing may have been more of an issue with the margaritas, and the fast salinity swing would definitely cause problems with snails, which is why you did that 1 hour acclimation.

pkirby · 07/10/2012, 01:54 AM

Salinity swings can be a issue, but I would definitely check for copper. Run a poly filter just in case

07/09/2012, 10:05 PM	#1
stlcard Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 317	Newbie - Cycled tank, snails dying temp to blame?? hello all, First post here but forum reader for several months. I have approached what i believe to be the end of cycling my tank 1 month old. 33Gal - 15 lbs live rock, 10lbs base rock. 25ish lbs live sand. current Stats: 0 amonia, 0 nitrates, 0 nitrites,(consistent for 8 days) 1.024 salt, 8.2 pH, Half RO water, half conditioned tap water (tap is from memphis area, we have very clean water w/ no hardness or metals in tap water) Ive done my several water changes throughout the month long cycle, usually 8-10 gal per week. I started to add snails about 3 weeks in to help with diatoms i believe. 2 turbos, 3 margarita snails, 3 cerith, 2 astrea. Okay, phew.... now for the question: Could temperature swings of 3-4 degrees in mid day cause my snails to become lethargic then die? I did proper 1hr drip acclimation. I do not have a heater in the tank as it consistently stayed 78 degrees without. I do however adjust my apt thermostat to a hotter temp while im out at work, thus causing a temp raise of about 2-3 degrees mid day. could this be the cause? -or- I did a recent water change and just barely ran out of enough salt mix, the change dropped the salt params from 1.026 to 1.024. Is this the more likely culprit? in the past week a few of the smaller guys and 1 turbo have slowed down and stopped (confirmed dead by smell).

07/10/2012, 12:47 AM	#3
SushiGirl Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Fort Worth, TX USA Posts: 8,267	Margarita snails are coldwater species, so won't live long in a reef tank anyway. Temperature swing may have been more of an issue with the margaritas, and the fast salinity swing would definitely cause problems with snails, which is why you did that 1 hour acclimation. __________________ Visit my Homepage or "My Albums" (via Profile) for hitchhiker pics. Current Tank Info: 55g softy/LPS tank & 20L reef tank

07/10/2012, 12:05 AM	#2
TeflonTomDosh Moved On Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 37	Could temperature swings of 3-4 degrees in mid day cause my snails to become lethargic then die? - yes, inverts can be very sensitive to such BIG changes in tank params. I did a recent water change and just barely ran out of enough salt mix, the change dropped the salt params from 1.026 to 1.024. Is this the more likely culprit? - see above question and corresponding answer

07/10/2012, 01:54 AM	#4
pkirby Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 408	Salinity swings can be a issue, but I would definitely check for copper. Run a poly filter just in case