snails

[madstyle1]

just bought 3 lg turbo snails.. how long does it before they turn right side up and start moving around. they have been in the same position since i bought them from the LFS its been about 3 hrs now.

one looks dead =( hopefully its not

also are they scared of the light? are they more of night creatures?

please help.

Thanks!

 

[Sadielynn]

You will need to turn them over they are not profecient at doing so themselfs . They will graze/move about the day and night

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

No... they're not nocturnal. They should be moving around by now. How did you acclimate them to your tank water?

Also, if you see a snail upside down, it's normally a good idea to turn it over. Many can right themselves, but some can not. Turbos seem pretty good, but depending on how they are oriented, they can have a hard time righting themselves too. If they stay on their "back" too long, they'll die or become crab or nassarius snail food.

 

[fijiwigi]

So if a snail is upside down for 5days and does not have any predators in the tank to snack on him. Why would it die. wouldn't it stay alive. I know snails eat algae and such but really don't understand their digestive process exactly

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

I don't know the scientific reason, but from my understanding, believe it or not... they drown.

Now you've got me curious, so I'm going to dig into it more! But yes... even if they're upside down for less than a day, they'll die.

 

[madstyle1]

the snails are fine now up and cleaning.. although two seems to like each other and are stuck together at times.. is this bad?

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

the snails are fine now up and cleaning.. although two seems to like each other and are stuck together at times.. is this bad?

Good to hear. If they're the same type of snail it's probably OK. They'll often clean each others shells, and sometimes they get confused and get their feet stuck to each other. It's kind of amusing watching them try to get themselves out of the position, but they eventually will.

If the snails are different types, then it might not be a good thing. The big Nassarius snails seem to be able to get right into another snail's shell with no problem and have a little feast. My nassarius have knocked off several trochus this way. Opportunistic little bugger, but that's life I suppose.

 

[madstyle1]

all snails are the same.... wheww.. thanks!