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Old 20-04-2003, 07:12 AM
Velvet
 
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Default Malaysian Trumpet Snails - Keeping them alive?

Wish my kuhlis would eat my pond snails. Do they only have a taste for
MTSs?

Velvet

"kush" wrote in message
...
It's the kuhli loaches. They wreak their havoc after the lights are out,
which is why you never see them at it.

I've also seen plecos eat snails. They probably start out tasting the
snails, as they do anything that doesn't move away from them, and then

just
sort of get all carried away and envelope them and suck the essence from
them.

kush

"You can't have everything - where would you put it?"

Allen Smith wrote in message
om...
As requested I have retested the pH, gH, and kH in every tank. The
test was performed twice to ensure the result was correct, and a
second person would examine the results to see they agree'd with my
color interpretation.

Here are the measurements and the recap of the inhabitants of each
tank:

72g pH 6.9 gH 8 kH 4
Inhabitants: 30 cherry barbs, 3 white clouds, 2 misc. danios, 6 kuhli
loaches, 1 pearl gourami, ~6 SAES, ~5 ottos, 1 clown pleco
Snails do not survive in this tank. As a sidenote, I should have said
I had one ramshorn snail that lived for about a month before dying,
twice as long as any MTS.
Tank is hi-tech setup with lots of light and heavily planted.
Water change frequency of 50% refill then change of 50% again 1x
weekly.

55g pH 6.6 gH 4 kH 1
Inhabitants: 1 6" oscar, 1 8" sailfin pleco
Snails usually disappear and aren't seen again, if I find them their
is just a shell left; not crushed or broken.
Water change frequency of 50% 2x weekly.

20g pH 6.8 gH 4 kH 1
Inhabitants: 1 large angelfish, 2 misc rescued tetras (flame and
rummynose I believe)
Snails thrive in this tank. Tank is lightly planted with crypts and
apon. crispus, no fertilization.
Water change frequency of 25% 1x monthly.

So... This tells me no reason why the snails are not surviving in the
other tanks. What exactly does everyone else think? Are the kuhli
loaches the real culprit, I cannot imagine it is them, but I cannot
narrow it down to anything, a gH of 8 seems high enough, does it not?
In the 55g, the oscar does not ever bother the snails, so why do they
die? The gH is 4 the same as the 20 gallon and the MTS thrive in the
20g.

I'm boggled and have been trying to solve this for over a year.

Some people may be shocked at such a low kH (myself included) but the
fish in those tanks have been living like that for 2-3 years very
happily. No sickness ever has happened, or wild pH change that I know
of. Consistent water changes deals with the low kH IMHO. But I may
start adding some sodium bicarbonate (to raise the kH to at least 3)
as a precation, if the rest of the group feels like it's a good idea.

In respond to parasites, all the fish have been quarantined properly
and treated with flagyl and fluke tabs whenever I get them. So unless
there is something that gets by that, then I don't see diseases or
parasites as a reason for them dying.

Help would be appreciated. Anyone smart or ingenious out there that
can solve this problem?

Very much appreciated,
Allen Smith