[Mikeman]

When you use the acclimation process of putting the snails on the side of the glass at the top so they can acclimate themselves basically, do you put them out of the water? In the water? Half and half?

[Mikeman]

^

[WannaBeAReefer]

Yikes! I just treat them the same as a fish in terms of acclimatization procedures... is that wrong?

[bongobrian]

Hmmm I've never heard of that acclimation process. It seems like it would be a bit drastic. Snails need to be acclimated slllllllllllloooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwly so just putting them in the tank, even if they are half out of the water, seems like it would harm them. The best way to acclimate snails IMO is to leave them in the bag from the store, or put them in a new container, and gradually add your tank water over a period of an hour or so. I've heard of some people even using an IV drip bag and acclimating snails for about 4 hours. This will really ensure the best survival rate. Snails are very sensitive to changes in temp and salinity so make sure you give them a nice long period of time to adjust slowly.

WannaBeAReefer- fish are the easiest reef animals to acclimate, snails are one of the most sensitive, these two should not be treated the same when being introduced to your tank.

[Bughead]

I agree completely. When I first started with salt water, I just assumed marine snails were as tough as the pests found in swamps and sewers. Although I did have some survive with little acclimation, it's best to take your time and acclimate them very slowly. Like other inverts they are very sensitive to salinity differences.

[scubadude]

The highest point of elevation you can start them at the better! slightly submerged and let them crawl their way down, but leave a good path. It has been known that acclimating your snails has a much better success rate. I leave mine in the bag changing water 3-4x within the first 30min then I put them on top of my spraybar near the down tube they find their way down within 1-2 days (most of them anyway)