Nerite snail is a peaceful aquarium snail. Nerites move around slowly in the tank without causing any trouble. However, on some occasions, you might notice that your nerite snail has stopped moving rather than slowly moving around.
Horned Nerite Snail Not Moving At All ? The major reason why your nerite snail might stop moving is if it is acclimating. If it is new to the environment, it needs time to acclimate. Another reason it might stop moving is if it is asleep.
Nerites that are new to an environment usually need time to adjust and get used to the new environment. Even those that appeared to have moved on with life in the new tank can still show acclimating behaviors after a week or two.
General Behaviors of Nerite Snails
Nerite snails generally have peaceful behavior. Even though they are not very active, they rarely cause any trouble in the tank. Their most noticeable action in an aquarium is eating away algae, which are actions you would like.
Nerites don’t usually concern themselves with the presence of other fish in the tank. Sometimes, Nerite snails fall over during movement. This fall is because of the flexibility of their foot muscle.
Therefore, seeing them fall over is nothing to worry about. They will flip themselves over and continue with their regular movement. You can, however, help them flip back if you feel like doing so.
Just like most other living things, nerite snails also have a sleeping cycle. The only difference is that they don’t use the regular 24 hours cycle for their sleep. Their sleep usually happens every 48-76 hours.
They can go to sleep for over 13-16 hours. This sleep usually prepares them for another 30 to 35 hours of activity.
You might not find them moving around during this period. You would most likely find them without any movement at all during this period. Paying attention to the behavioral changes of nerite snails will play a significant role in caring for them.
Ideal Tank Conditions and Habitat for Nerite Snails
If you intend to keep nerite snails in your tank, you can do it easily. Keeping nerite snails in your fish tank is not challenging. All you have to do is to ensure that the tank conditions are favorable for them.
Also, you should decide if you only want to keep the snails or breed them. This decision will largely affect the tank conditions you would prepare for the fish. Marine habitat usually favors their reproduction while freshwater does not.
For marine habitats, you should keep the water temperature between 72-78 degrees Fahrenheit. They often prefer a high pH, usually within the range of 8.1 to 8.4. They also thrive better in a tank with a salinity level within 1.020 and 1.028sg.
Keeping nerite snails in marine habitats would require you to provide them with some hiding place. You can make use of live rocks, suitable plants, and other decorations for this. These spots will provide comfort for your snails and help them take advantage of the algae in the tank.
Avoid using fine sand and other sandy substrates in nerite tanks. These substrates are not suitable because nerites have four highly sensitive tentacles. Keeping them in tanks with these substrates can cause them to make scratches with the sensitive tentacles.
Nerites can also cope with freshwater habitats. You can maintain the same temperature with the marine habitat. And of course, the level of salinity will not be the same.
The freshwater, however, needs to be free from nitrates, ammonia, and other toxic compounds. The number of snails to add per gallon depends on your choice. Ideally, it is usually one snail per gallon of water.
Caring for Nerite Snails
Caring for nerite snails is quite easy and straightforward. This ease is why most people often use the snail species as a good start for aquarium startup.
However, if you don’t properly take care of your nerite snails, you can subject them to severe health problems. One of the significant implications of lack of proper care on nerites is the stunted growth of their shell.
Most times, lack of proper care can result in the stunted growth of the snail shell. The two main causes of this stunted shell growth are low temperature and poor feeding.
Also, over-feeding can pose a significant problem for nerite snails. One of the significant problems with over-feeding is the loss of color.
Over-feeding the snail can cause them to grow at an exponential rate. This rate might be too much for the nerites to accommodate. Consequently, it forces the nutrient to go to the shell.
The resultant effect of this condition is the rapid and uncontrollable growth of the shell. The color of the shell will most likely not be able to cope with the growth rate. Thus, it will result in discoloration of the shell.
Nerite snails also need calcium to keep their shell strong. Therefore, you should ensure that you include a substantial amount of calcium in the snail’s diet. Lack of calcium can cause the shell to crack due to weakness.
If you notice any form of weakness in your nerite snails’ shell, you can consider adding suitable supplements such as calcium sulfate to their diet.
You should also look out for the presence of parasites in the aquarium. Also, you should be aware that copper is toxic to nerite snails and most other invertebrates. Therefore, it is essential to keep it away from their tank.
Conclusion
Nerites are peaceful, accommodating, and slow-moving aquarium snails. They are often desirable in aquariums because they assist in getting rid of algae in the tank by feeding on them. Nevertheless, it is essential to pay attention to the welfare of your snail.
If you notice that they are not moving at all, it might mean they are asleep. However, if it persists for more than 15 hours, you should consider evaluating the water parameters. They might be having a hard time trying to acclimate to their new environment.
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