I was so sad today to move a shell, and discover not one, but two dead caovus in there. I noticed that i hadn't seen my beautiful male in awhile, so i was moving the shell around trying to swoosh some water in there, and that was when i found the terrible sight. I thought he and another fish were spawning about a month ago, he was guarding the shell agressively, but i never foresuer saw a female inside. I moved the shell into a breeding tank because my husband thought he had seen another fish inside, but when i put it in the breeding tank, he never came out once but he was alive because i did see him moving inside the shell. Concerned for his health and the stress i might have been causing i moved him back to his home tank (shell and all) after only a few days. That was about a week ago, and in that whole time, I never saw him. Today I finally found him and another fish in there. My conditions were all fine, and I do regular water changes. The temp is consistantly around 76, and I alwayse follow the same practice, in regards to declorination. I had a really healthy tank, but i'm really baffeled about these two deaths. It was a really big conch (i think) shell, the kind that has lots of sprials inside, and i'm wondering if the exchange of O2 might have been too poor in a shell that deep. I got rid of the shell, not wanting anyone else in the tank to fall victim. 
I attached a pic of the two fish that i found dead, and the shell that killed them.......so sad......
I attached a pic of the two fish that i found dead, and the shell that killed them.......so sad......
