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Rcpilot · 09-18-2007, 04:37 PM

Read this article about snails. The biggest point of this article--to me anyway--is that they need a LONG acclimation period.

I constantly hear reefers complaining about snails that only live a few days or a few weeks. When asked if they acclimated the snails, the typical response is, "No, I just tossed them in the tank."

They are soft tissue animals. Water (saltwater) pulses in and out of their cell membranes constantly. They have blood and kidneys and a heart--everything we humans have. But the problem with their physiology is they they can't handle sudden changes in water quality or SALINITY. It causes their blood vessels to burst. Causes their kidneys to fail. Dead snail in short order.

The Grazing Snails, Part I - Turbo, Trochus, Astraea, and Kin by Ronald L. Shimek, Ph.D. - Reefkeeping.com

Here is a paragraph from the article:

Acclimation Problems, Or Why Do They Die?

The complexity of internal anatomy in snails is one major reason why some of the Trochoideans seem to die easily, or otherwise not live through their full life spans in our tanks. Although most folks probably never give it a second thought, snails have a complex internal morphology. In many ways, the internal structures that the snails possess have allowed them to be very successful. It is not, however, a particularly "rugged" morphology when subjected to some specific stresses. Snail tissues often seem to be composed of thin layers of tissue that are very filmy and diaphanous. Consequently, they often suffer significant damage during water changes or during transport from a dealer's to an aquarist's tank. The circulatory system of snails may be very complex (Figure 5), and many of its vessels and channels can rupture under stresses caused by changes in salinity. The vessels in the kidney are numerous and delicate, and may rupture if the animal is not slowly acclimated when being moved from one set of water conditions to another. If the acclimation is too fast, the animal will die in a few minutes to a few weeks. If the snails are drip acclimated, the acclimation time may need to be on the order of five to ten hours for maximal survival.

I personally have 3 Margarite snails in my reef tank. They have been in there almost 3 months. I keep my temps around 78--80F. That would normally be considered "cooking" temps for a Margarite snail. I truly believe that since I spent 5+hrs acclimating them--it gave them a better chance at survival than if I had just spent 20 minutes and then chucked them into the tank.

09-18-2007, 04:37 PM	#10 (permalink)
Rcpilot Has been struck by the ban stick Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Arvada, CO. Posts: 297 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: clean up crew for algea Read this article about snails. The biggest point of this article--to me anyway--is that they need a LONG acclimation period. I constantly hear reefers complaining about snails that only live a few days or a few weeks. When asked if they acclimated the snails, the typical response is, "No, I just tossed them in the tank." They are soft tissue animals. Water (saltwater) pulses in and out of their cell membranes constantly. They have blood and kidneys and a heart--everything we humans have. But the problem with their physiology is they they can't handle sudden changes in water quality or SALINITY. It causes their blood vessels to burst. Causes their kidneys to fail. Dead snail in short order. The Grazing Snails, Part I - Turbo, Trochus, Astraea, and Kin by Ronald L. Shimek, Ph.D. - Reefkeeping.com Here is a paragraph from the article: Acclimation Problems, Or Why Do They Die? The complexity of internal anatomy in snails is one major reason why some of the Trochoideans seem to die easily, or otherwise not live through their full life spans in our tanks. Although most folks probably never give it a second thought, snails have a complex internal morphology. In many ways, the internal structures that the snails possess have allowed them to be very successful. It is not, however, a particularly "rugged" morphology when subjected to some specific stresses. Snail tissues often seem to be composed of thin layers of tissue that are very filmy and diaphanous. Consequently, they often suffer significant damage during water changes or during transport from a dealer's to an aquarist's tank. The circulatory system of snails may be very complex (Figure 5), and many of its vessels and channels can rupture under stresses caused by changes in salinity. The vessels in the kidney are numerous and delicate, and may rupture if the animal is not slowly acclimated when being moved from one set of water conditions to another. If the acclimation is too fast, the animal will die in a few minutes to a few weeks. If the snails are drip acclimated, the acclimation time may need to be on the order of five to ten hours for maximal survival. I personally have 3 Margarite snails in my reef tank. They have been in there almost 3 months. I keep my temps around 78--80F. That would normally be considered "cooking" temps for a Margarite snail. I truly believe that since I spent 5+hrs acclimating them--it gave them a better chance at survival than if I had just spent 20 minutes and then chucked them into the tank.