# Potential Nerite Snail Problem



## ShrimpDiver (Sep 28, 2011)

So I stupidly may have bought saltwater snails on ebay by accident. Ugh. I know that some nerites can be either salt water or freshwater if these are the type is there a way to acclimate them from saltwater to fresh?


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## jbrown5217 (Nov 9, 2011)

If you bought at petco/petsmart my bet is that they are freshwater. Even if you bought at lfs I still say freshwater, especially if they were in the freshwater section.


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## ShrimpDiver (Sep 28, 2011)

No it was a bid on ebay. It just said nerite snail and I was like awesome and then shortly after I discovered that there are saltwater ones. haha


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## jbrown5217 (Nov 9, 2011)

I see, well I still bet on the fact they are freshwater. I do know that the freshwater ones need brackish water to breed (just their eggs if I am not mistaken). I would try contacting the seller he probably knows or you could taste the water they come in?


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## ShrimpDiver (Sep 28, 2011)

That was my idea as well. They will be here either tomorrow or the next day. I guess the wait it almost over.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

They are all saltwater but has been acclimated to fresh so you should be safe.


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## hanky (Jan 18, 2012)

susankat said:


> They are all saltwater but has been acclimated to fresh so you should be safe.


Susan, I'm trying to help someone on another forum with this same issue, seems they live in Maine and there state does not allow the sale of freshwater snails so they would like to get saltwater nerites and acclimate them to there freshwater tank. Any idea how they would acclimate snails?


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## ShrimpDiver (Sep 28, 2011)

Okay so the snails are here and they are unfortunately in salt water. So I can either attempt to acclimate them and potentially kill them, or donate them to petco. One way I lose them all and kill em, the other way I just lose. I don't even now if petco takes saltwater fish. Hm... I'm going to try and acclimate them I think.

And yes I would love to know how other people have done this.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

NO! By the time they go up for sale they have already been aclimated to freshwater. The eggs need saltwater to hatch and become little nerites, But in a very short time they are acclimated to freshwater before they are put up for sale. 

I have several nerites and I didn't have to acclimate any of them when I bought them.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

hanky said:


> Susan, I'm trying to help someone on another forum with this same issue, seems they live in Maine and there state does not allow the sale of freshwater snails so they would like to get saltwater nerites and acclimate them to there freshwater tank. Any idea how they would acclimate snails?


To acclimate anything its best to do a slow drip. But not all saltwater snails can be acclimated to fresh. If he wants fw nerites he would have to order them and hopefully the seller would ship to his state.


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## ShrimpDiver (Sep 28, 2011)

No Susan I can assure you the water in the bag of these snails was salt.


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## hanky (Jan 18, 2012)

susankat said:


> To acclimate anything its best to do a slow drip. But not all saltwater snails can be acclimated to fresh. If he wants fw nerites he would have to order them and hopefully the seller would ship to his state.


Thanks I will pass along your info, I wasnt sure if there was a longer safer way to acclimate than just the drip method. Its crazy that a state would ban something like that but I guess with all the irresponsible people out there that just dump there pets into the wild.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

ShrimpDiver said:


> No Susan I can assure you the water in the bag of these snails was salt.


Then they are for salt water tanks. You can try drip acclimating them to fw, but it needs to be a slow drip over a few hours. It might work but won't guarantee since not all snails can be acclimated to fresh. My advice would be to take them back and ask for fw nerites or order on line.


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