Naughty Nerites

[kush]

I recently bought fifteen leopard nerite snails and put them in a few different tanks around the house to see how they'd do but I think they're homesick and are trying to do an Incredible Journey sort of thing and find their way back to California.

The first morning after I got them, my daughter wanted to know why there was a snail climbing her guinea pigs' water bottle. I went down to the basement and passed one on the stairs. Four of them were on top of the light hood and I can't figure out how they could have done that without falling off. And so on. Fortunately, I have light coloured carpets.

I could cement short chains to their shells and limit them to the immediate vicinity of the aquariums but I'm hoping that they're just not acclimated to freshwater yet and will settle down soon. I've had hundreds of olive nerites over the years who have shown no inclination to wander.

[Sirtanksalot]

I would drop down the water level quite a bit till they acclimate to your tanks.There might not be enough algae for them to eat in your tanks and they are search for food,so add some weighted slices of squash or strips of dried algae that is used for making sushi.A glass top on the tanks also helps with only very small spaces around to have some air exchange.

[erinmcc]

I've found that snails are more sensitive to poor water parameters. Do some water changes and see if the behaviour subsides?

[kush]

I've found that snails are more sensitive to poor water parameters. Do some water changes and see if the behaviour subsides?
Poor water parameters?!?! Now you've gone and hurt my feelings!

Most of them are in a planted discus tank and I change between a third and half of the water in that particular tank every day.

[Underwhelmed]

I read somewhere that the other species of nerites (tracked, zebra ) tend to escape on a regular basis compared to olive nerites. I don't remember where I read it, it was back when everyone started posting them, so it's been a few months.

I decided to stick with the olives because of this.

[mgamer20o0]

"leopard nerite" or tiger nerites are known to do this. olives will go over the water tank but i never had any leave the tank like the tigers do. its best to seal the tank. in my tiger nerite QT i have lids and also taped the back to keep them from escaping.