I discovered last night that my snail Fred had died... but he had been sliming around perfectly happily just a few hours before. Water params are fine (Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 10, pH 7.6) and the temp has been steady at about 77 degrees since I got a heater about a week ago (when it turned cold out; before that the tank was about 75). He wasn't falling out of his shell or anything, but it looked like he was starting to be covered with a whitish fuzzy substance, and he definitely smelled of deceased snail.

Is there a snail disease that's associated with this white stuff, or is that what happens when they die? All the snails I've had die on me (3 so far) have had this, and I didn't know much about fishkeeping with the first two, so I never questioned it. Does "sudden snail death" happen often like it seems to with fishes? (I know he didn't just up and die, that something must have caused it, but I'm really wondering whether it's something I did.) His shell looked great, and he himself looked the same as he always does.

I hadn't done anything different with them since I got them; I did clean out the filter cartridge about a week ago (swish in a bucket of old water) but as I stated the params remained "cycled" so I don't think that's it.

Awwww, I'm so sorry.

Curious, how big was Fred? Snails don't have a very long lifespan, perhaps he was old?

Thats my only idea, maybe some of our more snail-smart people will have a better answer for you.

Thanks for your condolences.

He's (was) still a baby. As are his 3 surviving tankmates. They're all between a third and half of an inch across now.

So I don't think that's it.

Anyone?

I've never had a snailie die suddenly. My original wild snail lived about a year before she died.

I'm so sorry you lost Fred He was a beautiful snail Sorry,I can't offer any help...I don't know anything about snails.I'm sure someone will be along and help you figure out this sudden snail death syndrome...hang in there

it can be a chemical or heavy metal of some sort in your water that your dechlor doesnt take care of.

Our water supply here, i can keep snails with any dechlors other then stress coat or amquel(i think) Prime doesnt even work for me.

Its queit possible that there was something slightly toxic in your water that eventually built up in his system enough kill him.

You could give stress coat a try, as far is ive seen, my snails stay the healthiest in it.

Sorry about your lil guy better luck next time

Hm... that's a possibility. Is it feasible that my one biggest snail could have died while the other ones are fine? Maybe he just had a sensitivity to something?

Smack has said where my thoughts were going.Usually,it has something to do with water quality when a snail dies.Because your Params were reading good,I was also questioning metals,etc. Had you just done a water change? As for the whiteish,fuzzy,substance,I'm wondering if it's just not the snail slime that snails produce,in just a more excessive amount?

Let's see... Fred died the 26th, which was a Wednesday. Well, I do water changes on Sunday, sometimes Saturday. Is that soon enough? He seemed fine that morning but I came home to a dead snail.

salt is not good for snails, I found that when I stopped using salt that they lived longer and better, the salt does something to them anyhow, not sure what, but I like keeping my tank salted so I no longer have snails, but I loved them when I had them..

Nope... no salt. They've got the tank to themselves, so it's all snailified.

yes, totally possible that it would affect one snail and not the otheres. different tolerances, different snails