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Is it okay to2007-11-24 23:11:36

hi .. i just went to the local beach today and gathered some sea snails ( i'm not sure what the real term is ) .. well they are preety small .. and i also collect some shells to put it in my 60 litres quarium tank ( salt water ) which already had 2 nemo in it ,,,

i was just wondering if it is okay to do this ... im more concern about the snails ... i put in around 20 of them ... they are still living and is crawling around my tank at the moment ,,,

any comments would be appreciated ... thank you

Answers:

The snails might be okay, but I have to agree that it's a risk anytime you put something you "find" into an established tank without a quarantine period first. You don't always know what parasites or bacteria they may have, either attached to their shell or body, inside their digestive tract, or in water held withing their shell. These might affect your fish, any inverts you already have in your tank, and possibly even you.

Also consider that some snails have specific diets, and you may not provide what they need to eat. If they die in the tank, they may foul your water. Some snail-like animals (whelks, conchs) might grow larger than you'll be able to keep in your tank. Some species eat eggs, so even if your clowns every spawn, you may never get fry.

Even though the ocean may be a cheap source of some different animals for your tank, they may not be the best types to add - depending on where this beach was, the animals may require cooler water than most saltwater tanks, and some might also need periods where they're out of water, or in areas with less flow (tidepools) which is hard to duplicate in a home tank. But what they may cost you in tank losses or medication if they are carrying a disease or parasite, or if they die and foul the water, maybe killing some of your other animals, wouldn't be worth the risk. Even if you're lucky this time, you might not be again. I would at least advise a second tank where you could keep them for around 2 months to make sure that they're able to survive, and that any parasites they might be carrying that would transfer to fish would have a chance to die first.

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Fish are very sensitive.

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I would keep a careful eye on your fish, any form of wild creature you introduce to your tank carries the risk of spreading disease.