[Graceful]

I introduced an assassin snail to the tank yesterday. I was worried it might eat my nerite, Zippy, so I took her out and put her in a temporary container.

Well, this morning my mom found her a foot away from her bowl, dried up. Why would she leave the bowl? She's still alive, as far as I can tell, but she might be dying. Is there anything I can do?

 

[Laki]

Nerites are little devils. They love escaping and crawling around. Fortunately, you found yours probably soon enough for her to remain healthy. They can survive for a while outside water bc they take some water with them.

She probably left the bowl because the water was not suitable or there was not enough food. Because they're relatively new to the hobby, a lot of nerites are still caught wild. She was just acting out naturally to find a good stable food source. The new water in the bowl, while treated with de-chlorinator (I assume), was lacking the things she knows she needs. If you can, put her in another established tank with a heater and algae.

My experience with nerites has taught me 2 important things: 1. Assasins WILL attack. They may not eat them but they will inject the liquifier stuff into them and 2. nerites need real algae.

Good luck!

 

[Graceful]

Nerites are little devils. They love escaping and crawling around. Fortunately, you found yours probably soon enough for her to remain healthy. They can survive for a while outside water bc they take some water with them.

She probably left the bowl because the water was not suitable or there was not enough food. Because they're relatively new to the hobby, a lot of nerites are still caught wild. She was just acting out naturally to find a good stable food source. The new water in the bowl, while treated with de-chlorinator (I assume), was lacking the things she knows she needs. If you can, put her in another established tank with a heater and algae.

My experience with nerites has taught me 2 important things: 1. Assasins WILL attack. They may not eat them but they will inject the liquifier stuff into them and 2. nerites need real algae.

Good luck!

It's quite a small bowl, it was all I could find. I put in some gravel and an algae covered ornament (well, I wouldn't say covered, but it was pretty slimy). I also put some mondo grass in. I guess that wasn't enough for her? My mom thinks she crawled onto the mondo grass and just kept crawling until she fell out of the bowl.

Should I buy algae wafers and add them to her container? Also, how often should I be changing her water? I'd say the container is about 20 oz.

 

[Laki]

For starters 20 oz is not enough water/space!! I'd say she is used to having space and before she realised it, after her walk she ended up far away from her water!! If she's got any size to her, I doubt she crawled up the mondo grass. They typically don't get too far on plant leaves because of their weight.

Nerites really need some space. Return either the nerite or the assassin since they cannot share the 10g. Assassins will eat prepared foods but everything I know/experience shows that nerites refuse to eat prepared food.

 

[Graceful]

For starters 20 oz is not enough water/space!! I'd say she is used to having space and before she realised it, after her walk she ended up far away from her water!! If she's got any size to her, I doubt she crawled up the mondo grass. They typically don't get too far on plant leaves because of their weight.

Nerites really need some space. Return either the nerite or the assassin since they cannot share the 10g. Assassins will eat prepared foods but everything I know/experience shows that nerites refuse to eat prepared food.

I just bought a 1-gal bowl to house the assassin and as many ramshorns as I can find so he can do his job. The nerite is now back in the 10-gallon and seems to be doing well!

 

[djembekah]

good to hear!

 

[Laki]

That is good to hear