# nerite snails and water parameters



## Betta Maniac (Dec 3, 2010)

From what I've been able to discern, nerites don't do well in low pH tanks. I've blown $$$ on them over the past year and never had one live more than a few weeks (if that). Talked to the folks at my LFS that specializes in planted tanks and they said they don't bother stocking them anymore for this very reason.


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## Mamasan (Apr 6, 2011)

I've kept Zebra Nerites successfully in both goldfish and tropical tanks.

Here are the parameters I was given when purchased. 

65-85° F, KH 5-12, pH 6.5-8.0

From my understanding, acidic water and lack of calcium erode the shells and they slowly die.

Hopefully one of the experts here can elaborate! : )

Also, if you don't have enough algae for them to eat you can supplement with algae wafers.


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## kevmo911 (Sep 24, 2010)

Snail shells don't do well in water that has low GH, either. Your GH is somewhere around 4 degrees, which is pretty soft.


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## Rainer (Jan 30, 2011)

I'm 0-3 with nerites for no reason I've been able to determine. One lasted six weeks; another four weeks; less than a week with the third. They were all rather inactive in comparison to the mystery snails who constantly chug around the tank.

Parameters here are:
p.H. 7.5+
GH 150 ppm (8.3 dh)
KH 120 ppm (6.7 dh)

There's a thread with more details in this section if anyone's interested.

They're wild-caught, so I've given up on them until I can figure out what went wrong.


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

I find that my big nerites do far better than the smaller ones...


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

Just get some immortal olive nerites. They're the best option for planted tanks due to their resilience when it comes to pH and low hardness. 

The sulawesi nerites (clithion, tiger, zebra, red spot, etc) despise the conditions we would love to keep them in. The olives don't love it, but they're wayyyyy more hardy.


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