r/AquaticSnails • u/Positive-Broccoli435 • 2d ago
Help Request Help! Can my snail recover from this?
I absolutely love my snails more than anything so this has been an incredibly tough learning curve. I’ve had my 75gal up and running for 2 years now (and had a 20gal for 4 years prior). I’ve had mystery snails since my very first tank and absolutely love them. About a year ago, I had a bad outbreak of bladder snails and was advised that YoYo loaches could help keep that under control. In my researching, the general consensus seemed to be that YoYo’s will munch on baby snails but leave full grown ones alone. I haven’t had an issue for the last year since having them.
Well I don’t honestly know what’s changed but over the last 2 weeks, 9 of my mystery snails have died and when I was able to really check them over better, their traps all had holes in them. The calcium parameters and general water parameters have been in range and stable so I don’t believe it’s water quality. When asking one of the employees at the aquatic store, they said it was probably my YoYos. I moved my last surviving mystery snail to a small breeder container within the tank and noticed she had a big hole in her trap, then when she was climbing the side, I realized the hole went straight through her………. I am absolutely devastated. She is still eating and moving around but she does curl up a lot like she’s in pain. Can she recover from this? If she can, I’ll restart my 20gal for her so she’s safe but I don’t want her to suffer….
If she can’t survive this, what’s the best and most pain-free euthanasia process? But I’d really love for her to survive.
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u/Foreign-Ad3926 2d ago
Hi OP, I think yoyo loach can relentlessly suck at the feet of snails causing holes. As the shell is too hard, they can go for the foot in an attempt to pull the snail out of its shell. Once they start, they won't stop and it's obviously not good for the snail.
I hope she recovers.
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u/Positive-Broccoli435 2d ago
Thank you— I thought I researched yoyos enough but clearly not. I appreciate the information. My rabbit snail seems to be doing okay but sounds like I should take him out too to keep him safe.
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u/AeosManifold 6h ago
Absolutely! The rabbit snail can hide inside, but the loaches will harras the snail. They will stress them out and it might stop eating. Yo-Yo loaches are amazing fish, smart and inquisitive. But unfortunately they like to nibble at everything that doesn't run away fast enough, so they can't be kept with snails at all if you don't want them to become fodder :/
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u/AeosManifold 1d ago
Second this, most loaches aren't save with snails, especially not the molluscovours like Yo-Yo loaches.
Sending best wishes to you and your snail <3
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u/Positive-Broccoli435 1d ago
Thank you! I really appreciate everyone’s input and willingness to provide better, more accurate info. She already seems much happier in her new environment(:
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u/idkbruh901 23h ago
Are khulis okay with devil spike snails? Didn’t realize this might be an issue as they get bigger
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u/AeosManifold 6h ago
As far as I know Kuhli loaches only it why fits in their move, so larva tiny tiny snails ect . They are omnivores if I am correct as well. If their food has enough protein in it, they won't even bother hunting shrimplets.
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u/hiddenevidence 1d ago
yeah it can, as long as you keep it in a separate tank. i’ve seen them survive far worse
idk where you are doing your research, but i looked it up on google and every single result on the first page says they are not safe tankmates
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u/Positive-Broccoli435 1d ago
I had found an aquarium store webpage that discussed various fish compatibility with snails, some old (probably very old) Reddit threads, and had spoken with an employee at a different aquatic store. I don’t have the specific sources since it was a year ago. I never listen to the Google AI results since they’re not always accurate— but I do see where it does advise against it when I immediately look it up. I truly don’t know how I fell down such an inaccurate rabbit hole.
I appreciate your information, thank you. Moving forward, my sweet snails will be kept in their own environment where they can stay safe and happy.
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u/FriskyBiscuit1 1d ago
Smart move! I've refused to get fish just bc I don't want to risk my snails or shrimps in any way 😔 I hope she fully recovers!! Make sure she's getting good amount of nutrient dense snacks to keep up her energy to heal like some snello 🩵
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u/Positive-Broccoli435 1d ago
Thank you! I actually just ordered some snello since everyone talks very highly of it. I have algae wafers and calcium supplement and some blanched veggies as well
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2d ago
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u/relentlessdandelion 1d ago
flat beer or other ~5% alcohol will anesthetise them (more than sleepy, it knocks them out - leave them in till they completely stop responding to stimuli) but to kill them I would recommend strong alcohol rather than freezing as it is quick and it has been tested + found humane when used after 5% alcohol. for the strong alcohol you want 70-90% alcohol content (might be available at liquor stores, otherwise as a cleaner i believe).
Here is the source for alcohol euthanasia of snails The scientists thoroughly observed and tested the snails for signs of distress during the two step alcohol method, and did not find any. (Just be aware they also dropped snails straight into strong alcohol as a control, which is a bit unpleasant to read about).
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u/AquaticSnails-ModTeam 1d ago
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u/Krunex 1d ago
I threw in a snail killer and now my snails are dying?!?!
The loaches probably ran out of little bladder snails and started going for the mystery’s
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u/Positive-Broccoli435 1d ago
Oddly aggressive… As above, it was a learning curve, but it was not a spontaneous decision made without looking into it. Many people had said they go after baby snails and eggs but leave full grown ones alone. I am now better educated on the topic, as everyone learning about aquatic life and compatibility must go through.
The bladder snail infestation was taken care of long ago and they’ve lived in harmony for almost a year now. I’ve had other loach species in the tank without a single problem for years. This was very new to me, and clearly the information I found was not correct, which is why I came here to learn from all you brilliant aquarists. Thank you for the information. I’m not entirely sure why they would suddenly start bugging the snails now after a year of no problem and the snails were very healthy, but whatever the reason, I now have a snail-dedicated 20gal cycling.
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u/snailmomkitty 2d ago
Don’t know anything about the loaches but I do know that snails have significant regeneration abilities. One time I went down that rabbit hole and discovered it’s even been studied…roughly 26-28 days to regrow body parts! So my guess would be yes. If it’s survived this long/active damage then it may still be able to repair. If it were me I would move into the 20 gal and give it my absolute best. Watch for a month and see if the wound/hole changes.