need a little help on this one

[steve r]

has anyone ever experienced nassarius snails killing crabs? about two weeks ago i found my emerald crab dead with a nasssarius wraped around him. at first i thought the snail killed him, but then i realized it was probably just trying to clean up a dead crab. i got a new sally light foot about two weeks ago. about an hour ago the crab was fine, i looked at the tank 10 minutes ago and it was dead with a nassarius wrapped around it in the exact same fashion. the odd thing is that i have seen both the emerald and the sally light foot go out of thier way to go after the nassarius snails. i think they might be fighting and the snail gets wrapped up around the crab and suffocates it.

any thoughts?
steve r

 

[phases99]

Nassarius do not have the weapons to kill a crab. They are most likely being killed by something else and the nassarius are having a snack.

 

[seaham358]

agree...... any chance it just molted? check the LR good they hide for a day or so after a molt.

 

[steve r]

not a molt. it just looked funny. the snail both times was wrapped directly around the mouth of the crab. from its belly to its back. it looks like it could suffocate it. just a strange coincidence. nothing else is showing up dead. all the hermits are accounted for.

thanks for the input
steve r