Snails very unhappy

ScubaSteve · #1 08-12-2010, 08:13 PM

Nitrates: 0ppm (just tested)
Temp range: 78 to 80F, but is pretty much constant at 79F

My cerith, top and trochus are the ones having the greatest issues. Margarita's are kind as they always are: stupid and getting stuck upsided down.

All of this started after I moved and went into a larger (40G) tank. When I had all of this in a 20G with a high bio-load and no skimmer, it was EXTREMELY stable and had zero issues. I go to a newer, bigger tank (which in theory is supposed to be more stable) and BAM! all this crap starts happening. It's weird man...

NanoHuman · #2 08-12-2010, 08:48 PM

What is your pH? It could be depressed and the snails are showing more outward signs of displeasure than the other aquatic life.

ScubaSteve · #3 08-12-2010, 09:03 PM

For a while my pH was on the low side (about7.8 to 7.9) but I've been working on bumping it back up. I haven't checked it in the past day or so, but it's probably around 8ish.

MitchM · #4 08-12-2010, 09:26 PM

You mentioned that you made a change from a 20g to a 40g.
You could have triggered a mini-cycle.
It sounds like a lot of animals did not immediately like the change.
How frequently did you track your parameters and how did you go about making the change?

Mitch

ScubaSteve · #5 08-12-2010, 09:41 PM

There was a very small cycle in the first week or so but all params have been spot on since. I was tracking params every day the gradually to every other day, now I'm doing it every few days (except right now while I'm trying to figure out what the heck is going on).

When I made the change I switched to a new substrate; because of this switch I was careful to feed sparingly for about 4 weeks until the denitrifying bacteria could catch up. Other than that the change was as per any other move I have done (which is a lot) and that is: very slow and methodical. Brought close to 15 of the 20 gollons of water over to the new tank during the move. The new tank had been sitting for about 5 days with saltwater and the new substrate at temperature before I did the move. Everything was acclimated very slowly over about 6 hours. I went to bed at about 5am.

The only thing that I have done different than any other move/tank switch is go to a used 40G square tank.

MitchM · #6 08-12-2010, 09:45 PM

Any chance you had some H2S released from the old live rock if it was previously sitting in a sandbed?

ScubaSteve · #7 08-12-2010, 10:04 PM

Possibly, though I wouldn't expect that is the culprit. That would have been something that would have showed itself pretty quick after the move and when I recently move stuff around I didn't move rock around, only the frags and colonies. If there was a continual source, then it's a possibly but it's pushing close to two months since the move with at least 8 sizable water changes.