Maybe this is Normal?

Turbofilledsalt

Reefing newb
I bought a few snails to put in my aquarium which is now 1.5 weeks cycled with live sand and base rock. The algae was building up and I planned on having snails to clean my tank so I got some basic small snails (4) from a local shop, they were not moving very fast (if at all), so i got some (2) bigger Turbo snails. The problem is, I bought them 3 days ago, and all the snails seem to do is hang out at the waterline. 0 nitrate/nitrite/ammonia. 1.022 hardness, temp held at 78 F, is this normal?
 
How did you acclimate the snails to your tank? Snails need longer acclimation time than fish (at least an hour). If you did not acclimate them correctly, or long enough, that could be what's making them act strange.
 
I set the bag on top for half an hour, cut a hole in it and then let the snail crawl out on its' own. If i messed this up, how long until they get better and is there anything I can do to ease the effects?
 
Yes, there's a better way to acclimate inverts. Snails need to be acclimated over at least an hour. Float the bag for 15 to 20 minutes or so, to get the temperature of the tank and bag the same. Then you'll have to make sure the salinity and pH are the same also. You do this by slowly adding small amounts of tank water to the bag (like 1/4 cup every 10 minutes or so). Remove water from the bag as it gets fuller, but don't put that water back into your tank (you don't know what's in it). This will gradually get the animals used to your tank water. After about an hour of doing this, you can remove the snail from the bag by hand, and put it in the tank.

Alternatively, you can take a piece of rubber tubing, start a siphon, tie a loose knot in it, and slowly let it drip tank water into the bag (one drop every few seconds).

Snails rarely survive without correct acclimation.
 
Biff is right Turbo.

Don't put that water in your tank.....
My old LFS said their water was FINE!!! Yeah Sure.
Tested the water and TA-DA....copper!!

Read this and I recommend the drip application method.

Good Luck!
 
I've been using drip method, and it's so much easier and hassle free....I start the drip, and I can do whatever else for the next hour or so (I check on it every now and then). I do the temp acclimitization last, since the drip does nothing to match the tank's temp. Then I scoop them out with my hands and let them loose. I've only lost 1 turbo so far.
 
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