Is your nerite snail not moving?
Nerite snails can stop moving due to hibernation, reduced food sources, lack of nutrients, and/or poor water quality.
It can be an issue that can crop up from time to time depending on the rest of your fish tank.
With a nerite snail not moving, it’s important to find the root cause. If it’s simple hibernation, you can let them be. This will vary depending on what’s going on in the fish tank and how the other fish are responding.
The reasons can include:
- Lack of Food
- Poor Water Quality
- Increase pH in the Water
- Hibernation
If this happens with your nerite snails, it’s time to look at what’s going on at a deeper level. You can’t replace the nerite snail and assume everything will be okay!
In most cases, any replacement nerite snail for your fish tank is going to have the same trouble.
This guide is going to show what you should do with a nerite snail not moving. These tips will go a long way in alleviating your worries and making sure the fish tank accepts nerite snails moving forward.
Table of Contents
Best Food for Nerite Snails in Fish Tank (EDITOR’S CHOICE)
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Tips On How To Help Nerite Snail Not Moving
Tip #1: The Snail Might Be Hibernating
With a nerite snail not moving, you might have caught the snail in the middle of its hibernation.
Yes, snails do hibernate like other animals and it’s often an organic part of their routine. This means when the nerite snail stops moving, it may just have done this to conserve energy in the fish tank.
Of course, when this happens you are going to be worried at first. Instead, wait a few days and see whether or not there are changes in the nerite snail.
If this prolongs for a while (i.e. weeks), it might be time to take a deeper look and see what’s going on. Otherwise, there are serious benefits associated with hibernation in aquatic snails.
The benefits include:
- Increase in Energy
- Protection
- Helps Digest Nutrients
With a nerite snail not moving, it’s natural to want to scoop them up and take a peek.
However, you may end up disturbing their hibernation period, which is dangerous and not something you want to do. It will interrupt their natural cycle.
Instead, let them be and keep tabs on what they do in the coming days.
Tip #2: Change the Food Source
What type of food are you using for nerite snails in the fish tank?
A lot of fish tank owners don’t use the right type of snail food. This means the nerite snail continues to see a lack of nutrients in its diet!
To make sure this doesn’t happen, you should be looking to invest in a proper food source for your nerite snail.
It’s a good start to look at mini algae discs for your fish tank.
These are great for the nerite snails and will add value to their diet. Remember, their digestive system is going to require specific nutrients that are found in these mini algae discs.
Don’t assume other solutions are going to work because the snail will be missing out on high-value nutrients.
Tip #3: Check for Physical Damage
Let’s assume you have a nerite snail not moving in the fish tank.
In this case, you will wait for a few days assuming it’s in the middle of a hibernation phase. That’s wonderful, but what happens when things prolong for a few days or weeks?
Do you ignore the situation?
No, you have to take action and it starts with a small snail scoop. Just take the nerite snail out of the fish tank and inspect its outer shell.
In some cases, the outer shell is going to get damaged, which can make the nerite snail immobile.
In this case, you will have to separate it from the fish tank and let it heal. This can take a bit of time to do, but it’s important to act fast in these situations.
Tip #4: Change the Water
The water conditions can ruin the nerite snail’s quality of life.
You have to make sure to check the pH levels in the fish tank at all times. This is the only way to ensure your snail isn’t having a hard time leading a healthy life!
Change the water and make sure it’s done as safely as possible.
Final Thoughts
With a nerite snail not moving, you are going to wonder whether or not it is in the middle of a hibernation phase.
If it persists for a few days, it might be time to take action. In fact, it’s highly recommended to peek through the glass and check whether or not the nerite snail has a damaged shell.
This can be a sign that something is wrong and it might be time to take the nerite snail out of the fish tank as son as you can.
Here are additional articles on what to do for your fish tank – raising snails in a fish tank, good salt for a fish tank with snails, great fish tank for aquatic snails, and how to add plants to a fish tank safely.