Dead Snail Advice ?????

[c0mf0rt]

Let me just start off by saying my snails seem to be pretty lethargic.... I mean even for snails..... but I'm worried becuase I found a nitrate spike in my water and eventually discovered a dead snail..... can anyone give me any advice on identifying dead or dying snails????? I don't wanna kill 'em but I don't want them risking the rest of my tank either..... the majority of my snails are golf ball size and I don't want to risk that much waste if 'ya know what I'm sayin.... any help would be appreciated....

 

[piggybank2005]

Smell it.

 

[c0mf0rt]

What just pull the snail out and smell it ??

 

[phases99]

If it has no suction or has pulled up into its shell it is most likely dead or dying. You could move into a QT for further observation. I have seen this behavior before during acclimation but never after that.

 

[SquishyFish]

First....a few questions. What kind of snail is it. What is the temp on the tank. Some snails (turbo's specifically) are very temp sensitive even after acclimation.

And the "smell it" suggestion is the easiest way to tell if its dead...there wont be any question.

 

[c0mf0rt]

Some of the snails are "redfoots" and the others I believe are turbo.... crusty outer shells with coraline on some of them...... the one in question right now is a red foot...... the temp is about 75.......

 

[Brad]

Yup, give 'em a sniff. You'll know.

If you have hermit crabs, they'll know also. Usually, they'll devour a dead snail before it has time to rot.

 

[MarineFlake]

I had purchased 4 large turbos and 4 small ones. Within a month all the large are dead and I think Im down the 2 smalls, if not just one. Found one large one laying around. He was dead. You pull him out of the tank and take him to the sink, give him a little shake, you smell that? You'll never wanna smell it again..if you can keep your dinner down. Not sure what happened to them...mystery.

 

[indy]

And yet in france, they're a delicacy They'll also appear "loose" with their trapdoors just dangling about.

 

[klam]

 

[SquishyFish]

Check out this page...its on our educational site. It has a pretty good index of the common types of snails and what thier pro's and con's are.

http://www.reef-aquarium.net/resources/invertebrates/snails/snails.html

 

[blorkiemom]

Not to swipe the thread . . . but do SW snails make miraculous recoveries like FW apple snails? I've had apple snails that floated at the top of the tank for a week without moving (and not all sealed up--foot was loose) and then one morning . . . boom! crawling around eating like nobody's business. I kept thinking they were dead, but as there was no smell or evidence of decay I just waited (good thing, too). Do turbos, etc. pull that, too?

 

[SquishyFish]

Nah...their shells are usualy to heavy to float..and they can be so fragile that they usually dont recover once they are headed down hill.