STRANGE Snail Behaviour! - Aquarium Advice

MarkW19 · 11-13-2007, 04:57 PM

I've just finished doing a waterchange, and noticed one of my Turbo snails on the very top of the rock, sort of standing up proud...didn't know what it was at first! It was like this for a while, so I thought I'd give it a hand and gently push it back down to "normal" position.

Now, it's just staying where it is, and sort of spitting this greeny stuff out of its "nostril" or "mouth" or whatever, it's been doing it for ages, and doesn't appear to be eating anything!

What gives?!

Kurt_Nelson · 11-13-2007, 06:30 PM

Think you've just witnessed the first stage of snail reproduction... casting its seed, if you will. That's what I've always assumed it was - and it always seems like whenever I see my trochus doing it, about 2-3 months later I have a TON of tiny little trochus snails.

MarkW19 · 11-13-2007, 07:12 PM

Oh! lol...with no shells?

He seems ok now anyway, he's moved down the tank again. Crazy!

TheChad · 11-13-2007, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkW19

Oh! lol...with no shells?

He seems ok now anyway, he's moved down the tank again. Crazy!

Snails make their own shells out of Calcium, That is also how their shells grow as they grow.

-TheChad

MarkW19 · 11-13-2007, 08:19 PM

Cool!

Kurt_Nelson · 11-13-2007, 11:32 PM

Yup... tiny little snails with even tinier little shells. Some of my first batch of "babies" are now as big as their parents were when they first came into my tank. And it's only a year+ old.

[edit: What I found interesting is the same thing you noticed - the snails seem to find the most pronounced rock area with the highest flow to let it all go. Makes sense, but it makes you wonder if they have this little flow map of our tanks in their heads (?) so they know where to go when the time is right. Cool stuff indeed.]

MarkW19 · 11-14-2007, 05:52 AM

Hehe, I thought mine was going crazy to be honest!

What's interesting is, this particular snail was out of the water (on top of the rock) during the waterchange. I figured he'd crawl back into the water if he didn't like it.

Then, as soon as I refilled the water, he "stood" up proud and let it all go

I thought he was almost dead or something for being left out of the water, not reproducing!

11-13-2007, 04:57 PM	#1
MarkW19 Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: UK Posts: 1,671	STRANGE Snail Behaviour! I've just finished doing a waterchange, and noticed one of my Turbo snails on the very top of the rock, sort of standing up proud...didn't know what it was at first! It was like this for a while, so I thought I'd give it a hand and gently push it back down to "normal" position. Now, it's just staying where it is, and sort of spitting this greeny stuff out of its "nostril" or "mouth" or whatever, it's been doing it for ages, and doesn't appear to be eating anything! What gives?!

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11-13-2007, 06:30 PM	#2
Kurt_Nelson Aquarium Advice Addict Community Mentor Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: WA Posts: 2,426 Images: 28	Think you've just witnessed the first stage of snail reproduction... casting its seed, if you will. That's what I've always assumed it was - and it always seems like whenever I see my trochus doing it, about 2-3 months later I have a TON of tiny little trochus snails.

11-13-2007, 07:12 PM	#3
MarkW19 Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: UK Posts: 1,671	Oh! lol...with no shells? He seems ok now anyway, he's moved down the tank again. Crazy!

11-13-2007, 08:19 PM	#5
MarkW19 Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: UK Posts: 1,671	Cool!

11-13-2007, 11:32 PM	#6
Kurt_Nelson Aquarium Advice Addict Community Mentor Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: WA Posts: 2,426 Images: 28	Yup... tiny little snails with even tinier little shells. Some of my first batch of "babies" are now as big as their parents were when they first came into my tank. And it's only a year+ old. [edit: What I found interesting is the same thing you noticed - the snails seem to find the most pronounced rock area with the highest flow to let it all go. Makes sense, but it makes you wonder if they have this little flow map of our tanks in their heads (?) so they know where to go when the time is right. Cool stuff indeed.]

11-14-2007, 05:52 AM	#7
MarkW19 Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: UK Posts: 1,671	Hehe, I thought mine was going crazy to be honest! What's interesting is, this particular snail was out of the water (on top of the rock) during the waterchange. I figured he'd crawl back into the water if he didn't like it. Then, as soon as I refilled the water, he "stood" up proud and let it all go I thought he was almost dead or something for being left out of the water, not reproducing!