Ramhorn Snails and Weather Loaches

Question
QUESTION: Hello,

I hope you can help me. I have recently moved back home where my mum has been keeping my fish. Unfortunately she has replaced EVERYTHING, tank, pump and even added a air pump which I originally didn't have. Which is all fine but my leopard danios became very ill with mixture of kinked spines, anorexia and extremly lumpy. I euthianased them. When I went to the shops to get some more zebra and leopard danios the lady told me that they were meant to be in a tropical tank... which the man that sold them said the opposite.  I bought the zebras and leopards anyway because I plan on changing the tank to a tropical tank. I have perfectly healthy weather loaches and ramshorn snails which I don't want to kill by raising the temperature. Would they be ok if I did it slowly? Or would the danios be fine in a coldwater tank? What would be better for them all?

ANSWER: Rachel,

To answer your question, yes they need a tropical tank. Water temp between 60 and 70 degrees but keeping it around 72 is the most ideal for them. They do like to tease the other fish and chase them around but rarely if ever do any harm. I currently have ramshorn snails in the Betta fry tank with a temp of 82 and they are doing just fine. Weather loaches like the water to be between 50 and 77 degrees so i don't think it will be a problem if you raise the tank temp. If you keep your tank around 72 degrees it should be fine with everyone going into the tank. I find it easier when i need to raise the temp is do it slowly over a 5 day period so that no one goes into shock.
 I hope everything works out. Let me know how it goes and if you have any more question just let me know.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank You very much for your rapid response before but I'm afraid there has been a bit of a problem. I bought a thermometer to see how much my tank is currently at and naturally my tank, which is meant to be cold water, sits  between 82-77 depending on the weather. I thought I should put a heater in to keep it at like... 80 perhaps so the fish don't stress about the temperature changes. Also the 3 snails that I bought and introduced to the tank all recently died in very quick succession. The snails were all perfectly healthy and I only had them for about 3 days. Could it be due to the temperature fluctuations? And do you think that the tank needs a heater to stop the temperature changes?

Answer
Rachel,

Yes you need to have a heater in the tank. The fish you have are tropical and its never good if a tank temp fluctuates like that. As far as the snails. Were they going up the side of the tank to the water line? If snails do that, then there is a problem with the tank water. Mine are in a tank with the heater up to 82 degree due to the Betta Fry, and they are doing great. The snails don't do good in water that has Ammonia, so you might have had an increase of it in the tank. Let me know if the snails were going to the water line. If they weren't then i will have to figure out why they would have died.

Good Luck