Snail Shells Appearing

[Bernie]

I am noticing a few empty snail shells and nothing in my tank has changed. I have a small, half gallon, simple tank with gravel and macro algae, shrimp and snails. I've had it est since Feb. Does anyone have any idea what is going on? Thank you!

[Mustafa]

Obviously, some of your snails died.

[Bernie]

Well, I do realize that... but can you tell me what to do, or try, or look for? There are several, and it seems to just all of a sudden happen. Thank you for your time!

[Bernie]

I think all of my snails have now died. :'( The shrimp are fine, thankfully! I am just very upset that my snails have died though, I really don't know why. I enjoyed watching them. They even had a few babies while I had them. I'm so sad.

[Bernie]

Well 2 baby snails and one adult snail have emerged!!! I'm happy to report. I'm still sad about the others, but thankful to have these 3. Still not sure what happened to the others.

[Mustafa]

It's hard to tell the exact reason from a distance, but usually deaths occur in new tanks because the bacterial populations that help establish a biological balance (i.e. process toxic ammonia etc.) haven't fully established yet. There is nothing you can do but just wait it out. The shrimp are pretty tough, and so are the snails, but some tanks exhibit extreme conditions...even if it's short term. That's probably what happened with your tank. If you have even one snail left, it will reproduce and you'll have plenty in a few months. If the snails seem normal, then it would appear that your tank's problems are over (or almost over).

[Bernie]

Thank you very much for explaining that to me. I believe maybe 3 or 4 are left, and the shrimp are fine, I'm thankful!! I hope this doesn't happen again. Thank you again!!

[Mustafa]

You're welcome! And good luck!