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First of all my tank parameters are all very good, 0 ammonia,0 nitrite, and less than 10ppm nitrate, ph very near nuetural. Just to show the tank is in good shape I have a pair of angels that spawn every 14-20 days like clockwork. Well planted and maintained 45 gallon tank. My fitration system is the emperor 400, excellent system. I had a pond snail problem for a while and added 3 yoyo loaches which within 30 days had the snail problem under control. The loaches were happy, active, and very healthy, I had no problems with them at all. All the other fish in the tank, (angels, swordtails, cories, and pleco) are all healthy and active. 5 days ago I was given what I believed to be 4 apple snails. 2 golden and 2 brown. My concern was that the loaches would kill them so I put just one in my smallest tank, which had 2 loaches in it and put the other 3 in my 30 gal that has no loaches in it until I could determine whether or not the loaches would be able to kill the snails. After a day with no ill effects to the lone snail in the 12 gallon I put the 3 others into the 45 to see what would happen. The loaches would attack them but the snails would simply close up and because the yoyo's are a smaller species they were unable to harm the snail. Later that day I found one of the loaches in the 12 gallon had died but I really didn't give it much thought as we all know that fish die, just a fact of the hobby. Well today I got home from work and all 3 of the loaches in the 45 were dead. All of the other inhabitants of the tank are fine and acting normal, no changes in water parameters. The only thing that has changed or is different was the addition of the snails. Could the snails have caused the death of the loaches some way?? Do they have some sort of toxic defense that any of you know of, or maybe some other species of snail and these snails aren't apples at all. All the info I have been able to find on apple snails make no mention of this. Is there anyone out there that has seen anything like this before. I am totally stumped, not to mention in shock. I really liked the loaches and I am just dumbfounded as to what could have happened to them.
Thanks in advance for any input.
Terry

Where did the snails come from?

although snails would not display a fish disease, they could certainly carry one, that is a possibility.

where there any markings on the body?

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

As far as where they came from, I work in a large retailer that has a fish department and the snails came from there. If you are asking about markings on the fish there were none with the exception of the first one that died in the 12 gallon tank, it had a red area on it's belly that almost looked like it had burst from the inside. The other 3 showed no signs at all. Just to update, I did a water quality test this morning and all is perfect and all other inhabitants continue to be acting normally.
Thanks ,
Terry

well, from the sounds of that, i'd keep with my original thought that the snails have introduced an infection.

did you quarrantine the snails at all?

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

Oh my. I never knew snails could carry infections! Either way... did you dump in the water from the snail bag? Maybe it had something in it the loaches didn't like...

Probably a stupid move but no I did not quarentine the snails, although they are gone now. To answer second response no the water did not go into the tanks. That is one thing I never do.
Thanks,
Terry

I am just curious… when one quarantines a snail, what should one do? Do I need to add a broad spectrum antibiotic to “sanitize” the snail or do I just look for signs of illness? Well, since we are on that topic, what is the proper procedure to follow when quarantining fish?

Last edited by agaius at 08-Nov-2004 16:58

same, ya i have heard in passing that MTS can carry diseases. so if they dont show any signs of disease but can carry it how on earth do u know when its ok to take out of the quarrantine tank and put them in the main tank?

what is the procedure for quarrantining snails?