Snails Dying

[SSalty]

Do you guys/gals ever notice that your snails just randomly die? From time to time I have noticed a snail shell or two that is empty or a snail that has falling from the glass and was unable to upright itself and eventually gets eaten by the CUC. I am wondering if this is normal because I have no other reason for them to die as all my params. are in check.

 

[XxKnuckleheadxX]

hermits will kill snails time to time. if you see a snail on its back reach in and turn it over..

 

[Rcpilot]

A lot of snails die from poor acclimation techniques.

ALL inverts should be acclimated for a minimum 4 or 5hrs. The rapid changes in salinity destroy their internal organs. They die from failed livers and kidneys. Poisoned from the inside out.

Not saying this is what killed yours. Sometimes they just die. You ever seen how the LFS acclimates these things. PLUNK - right outta the truck and into the tank - they don't care. It's just livestock to them. 20% loss is to be expected.

A lot of the snails/livestock we buy in this hobby are treated very poorly from the time they are caught to the time they are put into your tank. Your tank is heaven on earth - but the damage was already done before you ever even saw the snail in the LFS.

Long of the short - it just happens. No way to predict when a snail or crab will kick the bucket.

 

[Hiker4twenty]

It's all part of the process of lifecycle of the CUC in your tank. The way I see it, food for the hermits and new shells. Luckily snails are cheap so it's not too bad when you have to replace. Did you notice it's any particular type of snail? For some reason turbo's don't hold up well in my tank.

 

[sen5241b]

I haven't had any snails die in a very long time. It seems like they stopped dying after my nitrates came down. Just remember that multiple stress factors can combine to kill livestock.

 

[yote]

Seems like my tank will go throu a cycle every so often where a few snails will die.
I think maybe its just that snails just dont live that long:dunno:

 

[bigploch]

I experience the same thing Salty. You have them for months then boom, one goes, then another, then another, then it's back to the fish store. From what I can tell, hermits live longer for the same money. Don't clean the glass as well but I got a scraper for that.

 

[project5k]

hehehe yea, a scraper, thats funny...

i notice a dead one every once in a while, well, actually i've only ever found the empty shells, but i figure that there is just a certain level of atrition that is to be expected with them...

what i love is when you drop in the new ones(after proper aclimation) and then you never see them again, i put 4 nass snails in my tank a couple weeks ago, and havent seen a single one since... i think my snowflake eel ate them...

 

[SSalty]

I experience the same thing Salty. You have them for months then boom, one goes, then another, then another, then it's back to the fish store. From what I can tell, hermits live longer for the same money. Don't clean the glass as well but I got a scraper for that.

Glad to hear I am not the only one. I too notice that hermits live longer.

 

[bigploch]

I have 3 nass snails and have had them for months, I rarely see them but the all seem to come to the surface together. they are some of the heartiest livestock I bought.

 

[U4BOYZ]

My snails end up up-side-down all the time....and I used to turn them back over. I got sick of doing that constantly, and started leaving them...I figured 'survival of the fittest'....Now my hermit crabs use their empty shells as new homes. Occasionally I'll buy a couple of new snails...It seems to be working out fine for me.o0o

 

[dcantucson]

I think it's a conspiracy by the snail dealers. We have to keep them in business. :)