i was just wondering if a dead snail could start ammonia. i have a snail in my 10 gal nano tank and people said it will die cause i just started cyclying it.i bought the snail to help cycle my tank and now people said i will die. thats no use. so anyway even if it dies can i use it to start ammonia?

Just about any organic material (formerly alive) will give off ammonia in an aquarium as it decays. I would be concerned about other toxins the dead snail may produce as it decays. Perhaps some of the other members that are a bit more knowledgeable will sign in and let you know for sure.

Yes...it will, but it isn't dead now right????
And no it will not hurt your tank if it dies during the cycle process....

thanks for the info that was really helpful and no it is not dead.but can the poop of the snail be harmful?

Nope....that will help in the cycle!

A snail is almost as much of a poop machine as a goldfish. It's poop is only as harmful as a goldfish's is.

It is important to try to siphon it out but it is not as harmful as a rotting snail would be.

And yes, it does help the cycle some. (but don't stop cleaning your tank or anything!)

I would add that one snail without live rock or without algae in a new tank won't have much to eat.... there won't be that much poop!!! I have about 380 snails in my reef system....I do very little worrying about the poop... If your system is fully established it won't be a problem...but in this new system...the cycle -ammonia- will kill the snail... and if that doesn't the lack of food will....

Also, after you start seeing the ammonia rise you can remove the dead snail...as your cycle has begun!!! If you have cured live rock you will have a shorter cycle and the possibility of the snail surviving is greatly improved!!! Then just leave it alone!!!

thanks!i had the snail for a day already and i only see a little bit of poop.and the snail is still alive.and how do you see ammonia?(if u can see it)

You can't see it...you need to get an ammonia test kit....you need to test the water...you also need a nitrite test kit and a nitrate test kit....

You will need to also get a PH, and an Alk test kit for a fish only tank....

i already have everything for the test kits.including everything you said

Hmmmmmmm....From your statement about seeing ammonia I was under the impression that you may not know how to tell if you have ammonia....and that you didn't have a test kit for it...

What are your test results so far???

I have had Turbo snails come on live rock shipments and survive a tank cycle. It is possible that it will survive, depending on your filtration and nutrient export.

Dave

I would agree it is possible...some turbo's are very sturdy...but if the ammonia or nitrites reach a high level and hold for some time it is doubtful.....in what may be considered a minor cycle where neither ammonia or the trites climb to excessive levels the snail has better chances of survival...

Yes, of course - "possible" does not mean "likely". This was in a 120gal with 220 lbs of partially-cured live rock, and 2 AquaC EV180 skimmers running wide open. Never saw ammonia above 2, took about 26 days to go to zero. In my experience, high nitrates and low pH are more of a killer of snails - they get lethargic won't more around or eat much. In fact, I find this to be a superb visual indicator that a tank has gone WAY too long without a water change or an alk supplement. Obviously, I personally try to never get to this stage.
But I do find invert activity or lack thereof, to be a great first-cut visual indicator of the health of a tank.

Dave

You are 100% right on with that statement!!!!