Mystery snail is popular for its unique patterns and helpful eating habit. As well as they are non aggressive animals and they can be kept in fish tanks.
If you are a new aquarist you may be interested to keep a mystery snail in your aquarium for its beauty and behavior.
But one day you are seeing your aquarium beauty and suddenly discover that your favorite mystery snail is floating. Seeing this, maybe you are thinking that your snail is dead.
Yet in some cases it can be false. For your awareness, mystery snails can float for a short period. Also they can float for some reason and it can be fixed quickly.
However, read this article here and you will find why mystery snails float and how to fix them.
Do Snails Float When They Die?
Yes, mystery snails can float when they die. They can die for various reasons like old age, illness or poor water condition etc.
Most of the time the snail species’ living time is around 1 year and if your mystery snail’s age is around one year or over one year you can experience the snail death.
However, if your mystery snail does not move for a long period, remove it from the tank water and check its health.
If it is dead it will not react when you touch its body. Also if your snail is dead you will get an irritating smell.
If you find any dead mystery snail in your fish tank, do not keep it for a long time. Remove it as soon as possible.
Because leaving the dead mystery snail body for a long time, there is a chance of rising ammonia levels. As well as it will harm your other aquarium pets.
Why Is My Mystery Snail floating?
Mystery snails can float for various reasons. If your snail is floating keeping the upside down you do not need to be tense.
However, here are some reasons which are responsible for the mystery snail floating at the top of the tank.
Old Age
Mystery snail living time is around one year. If your snail is older it can float to get food without spending too much energy.
But if you observe that your snail is spending too much time floating with an unbound body and seems abnormal it is giving some indication of poor water condition, illness or copper poisoning etc.
Poor Water Quality
As a newbie you need to be aware about your tank water otherwise it will create problems for your mystery snail.
If you do not change your water regularly and become unaware to filter the tank water it will make the water condition poor.
And if your tank water quality becomes poor your aquatic snail will float at the top of the aquarium.
Natural Behavior
Mystery snails can float as a part of their natural behavior. They can float for sleeping or as a travel method.
In aquariums, floating is a less effective travel method for mystery snails. Also they can float keeping upside down when they are sleeping.
Trapped Air
If air is trapped in mystery snail lungs they can float. Air can be trapped in their lungs in many ways such as at the time of moving around the aquarium or there is a presence of air bubbles in the tank water.
However, after the air trapping the mystery snail will start to float until they release the inside air.
Copper Poisoning
Mystery snail will start floating for copper poisoning. Although people use copper against parasites of freshwater and green dust algae.
Copper is detected as poison for mystery snails. If mystery snails are affected by copper poisoning they will float.
High Pressure Filter
Mystery snails basically love to walk up into the tank surface though they live in the bottom of the tank.
Also they do not require high pressure or a big amount of oxygen.
If the aquarium has high pressure through the filter, the mystery snail will lose its adjustment and start floating.
As well as it can be harmful for other aquatic animals.
How to Fix Mystery Snail Floating?
If you know why your mystery snail is floating you will win half of the battle. Also it will help you to take action to fix your snail. Here are some ways are,
Improve Water Condition
Mystery snail floating can be fixed if water parameters are maintained carefully. It needs water temperature between 69 to 85 F and ideal pH level is 6.5 to7.5.
Excluding this, you should maintain the proper oxygen level and ensure that the nitrite and ammonia level is correct.
Also you can use a water test kit to test your aquarium water parameter.
As well as keeping some live plants to get assistance as a filter, cuttlebone to fulfill snail calcium needs and always clean the fish leftover.
Release Trapped Air
First remove your mystery snail from aquarium water. Now take your snail in your one hand and use another one to shift your snail in up and down motion.
This process will help you to release the trapped air.
After following this process put the snail in the tank water and if it sinks into the water your task is successful.
Maintain Filter Power
Mystery snails do not need too much high pressure. If you have a powerful filter you can exchange this with a low power filter.
After the exchange, if the snail becomes active, your problem is solved.
Avoid Copper Poisoning
Aquarists purchase fertilizer as a supplement for their live plants. And it carries a little bit of copper which merges with the tank water.
If you think your snail is affected by copper poisoning you can remove it as soon as possible from the current tank to another tank and it will recover.
Following this if you don’t see any positive result you are advised to visit the aquatic veterinarian.
Feed Various Food
Mystery snails eat various types of food. If your snail gets insufficient food they will float to the top of the water to get biofilm.
If you want to stop your snail from floating , keep an air stone to prevent the forming of the film.
Also put other food sources in the tank base daily with vegetables for its diet.
How Long Does Mystery Snail Float For?
Basically, mystery snails float if air is trapped in their lungs. And after releasing the air bubble it sinks into the tank water again.
It takes several hours a day to remove the air bubble from their lungs. Also they can float for approximately two weeks without any issue.
For instance just monitor that it is taking food and moving.
Final Words
Aquarists become tense when they see that their mystery snail is floating on top of the water. Generally, it is not an alarming matter at all, but they need your attention.
Though they can float for many reasons which are explained above but sometimes they can float for no issue. Also if you have a female mystery snail it can float to lay egg.
However, you should check out why they are floating and then take action to fix it. If you follow all the steps but do not get any positive result it is best to visit a doctor to treat your mystery snail.
Hope you get enough knowledge for this question ‘why is my mystery snail is floating’ from this article.