Weird Snail Behavior

[GouramiFanatic]

For about 3 weeks now my boss's snail has been activing very odd. It's a Mystery Snail / Blue Snail / Apple Snail, whichever you prefer to call it. It'll be cruising around the tank on the floor, glass, or plants and then suddenly it'll let go and then it'll drift up to the top of tank where it basically just bobs around. Sometimes while it's bobbing around it's almost completely out of it's shell, but not trying to grab anything. It looks very weird! My boss has one of those square feeding stations with the suction cups which she uses to keep him secure in a small space until it decides to latch on. Other wise it seems to get stuck in the filter's current.

Does anyone have any ideas as to why it's doing this? We called a couple of the lfs and one place said it could be hibernating which doesn't sound logical since it's almost completely out of it's shell while it's bobbing around and it does spend some time eating. Another lfs said something about snails in the wild letting go of something to drift where the current takes it to find another food source. Is this what it's doing? Trying to go with the current not realizing he can't go any further? It's the strangest thing!

 

[Fishyfanatic]

What you are seeing is common. Snails like to cruise around the tank and drift in the water. I call it "fish envy".

 

[tropicfishman]

the technical term is called molting, its a period where invertabrates go into a hibernation for awhile to regrow anything they may have lost, such as antennae, arms, legs, eyes, etc. or if its just going on periodidically, I think snails havea swim bladder and they have to come up for air sometimes

 

[nitrous]

ya my snails do that too. he used to go on my one rock ornament and then just slide off the edge and down into the bottom. pretty cool to watch actually until they fill with air and float

 

[OceanMaiden]

Yes Tropicfishman is right they have to regularly go to the top of the tank for air. They have a little tube like apparatus called a siphon which they extend above the water line and then you will see them doing what looks like pumping their shells with air. Going for a float is normal they like doing this. However if your snail stays floating for several days and is not eating it may be dying. My gold mystery floated continuosly before she died. Just try to see if its eating and it is still scavenging the tank as well as floating, If it is it should be fine.