crab maybe?

[zoalover34]

so my snails are stupid and they are always on their backs so i have to flip them over all the time.. well the last couple of nights in the morning i find empty snail shells.. i have found 4 in the last 2 nights.. nothing is cracked or anything on the shell just empty like there was never anything in there at all.. im guessin its a crab? do they sell traps and if not how would u recomend catching it as i don't want it! any ways if anyone has any info let me know what you think.. thanks!

 

[OCCFan023]

do you mean you think theres crabs in the shell or are the shells empty and thus suspect a crab may be the cause?

If all the snails are on their backs and some have come p missing I would think it maybe a water issue rather than a predator (from my own personal experience)

 

[Milo]

So what exactly happens to the snails once they die? do they just dissapear and leave their shells as remains or do you actually see a dead snail? If thats the case then i would think it maybe something else as there is no snail to be found, just the shell. I have been wondering the same thing because a few times i will get home from work and i will find a snail on their back and the body looks hard, i'll pick it up and place it on a rock somewhere and within a few moments they crawl away.

 

[OCCFan023]

when snails retract completly they have a hard type exterior thing I would assume for protection. If you pick a snail up and hold it to the glass they will attach to it in front of you

 

[Milo]

oh gotcha. but what about when they die? do they disinigrate or do you actually see the snail... just dead?

 

[zoalover34]

when i see them on their backs i flip them over and they are fine.. just in the morning i have found a few empty shells like something is eating them i think.. there is no remains of any snails just the shell..

 

[Milo]

this might be a stupid question, but they arnt the snails that leave the shells and go to bigger ones are they?

If yes, then i can't say what i am thinking, if no, then sorry but had to ask

 

[Igor The Cat]

nope not snails there shells grow with them, your thinking of hermit crabs

cheers

-Java

 

[Milo]

ah thats it... thanks.

 

[OCCFan023]

when a snail dies it will most likely just retract into its shell..

Are you feeding or have you seen the peppermint shrimp eat? Its unlilkely but they are carnivores and will eat meaty foods if not satisfied. Just a guess because I dont know what else in your tank would be eating snails (if something is actually eating them)

 

[Joe Fish]

Do the shells look damanged in anyway?

 

[OCCFan023]

nothing is cracked or anything on the shell just empty like there was never anything in there at all..

thats why I thought water rather than predator

 

[Joe Fish]

ah, missed that post.

 

[fish outa wata]

If your snail dies in the tank the remaining snails/hermits will consume the snail in short time. I watched last night 4 tongan nassirus's and a hermit fight over a mexi turbo snail that had perished. The snails got all over the hermit, it was kind of surpisring that the snails ran the hermit off.

 

[zoalover34]

well lastnight i was watchin and i seen a few of the shrimp get onto snail shells.. it kinda looked like they were trying to turn them over.. maybe there were just picking at what was on their shell but i doubt it. they didn't manage to get any overturned if that's what they were trying to do.. no i don't feed the shrimp they eat the fish food when i feed and i have like 15 apista that arn't being ate! that's the only reason i got the damn shrimp in the first place is to take care of that stuff.. no shells were found empty today except the ones that were allready empty.. i left em in there for a place for pods to breed.. good idea or no? if not let me know ill get em out..

 

[OCCFan023]

no keep them in (I dont know if you have hermits but they would use them or as you said pods may.. there fine)

AS for the shrimp now that you saw them actually on the shells its pretty safe to assume that they were the culprits. I know it says that peppermint can eat apista but its not a gurantee.

What type of ffood are you feeding the fish? Peppermint liky meaty foods so mysis and the like wouldnt be a bad idea every now and then, and the clowns wouldnt hate it either

 

[zoalover34]

i feed my fish 4 different frozen foods, Marine Cuisine, Omega-3 Brine Shrimp, Emerald Entree, Squid.. guess i should just feed them more so the shrimp are eating alot so they don't kill my snails and just joe's juice the apista? i don't wanna over feed tho because that's not good for my water params either.. any suggestions?

 

[Lorna]

I really don't think the snails are the culprits as I have never seen a shrimp kill and eat a snail. They tend to be more opportunistic feeders and will eat a snail that has already died. If something is killing your snails it would be a mantis (though the shell would show damage) or the hermits are shell-jacking your snails.....my bets and money is on the hermits. I have watched those little beggars kill each other for a shell eat the remains, check out the shell then discard it.....Personally if I could get rid of the hermits and even the peppermint shrimp..........I would......though I would need some other detrivores to clean up.......

 

[Milo]

Not sure if you mentioned before but what is the water quality like?

 

[zoalover34]

water is fine and i don't have any hermits in my tank lol.. i really don't think its the shrimp myself but like i said i was watchin the tank lastnight and a few different times the shrimp were on top of the snails and it looked to me like they were trying to overturn them but like i said before maybe there were "cleaning" their shell