snails are they dead or alive

[parik]

I bought about 10 regular snails for my saltwater tank, first few days they kept on falling upside down and I would turn them around whenever I saw one upside down....Now after a week they haven't moved from their place (bottom of the tank)....Are they dead or alive???? How can I tell???

 

[snapcrackler]

The shell will be empty if you have any kind of hermits or scavengers that would have eaten them after they died. Otherwise, the foot of the snail and the door to the shell will be hanging out and the snail will not respond to touch.

What kind of snails are these, do they have a shell that looks like a "conehead" (Astraea snails)(Sometimes even called turbo snails) or is it different than that? You're going to lose a few of the conehead types occasionally because they will fall down and they cannot right themselves, and sometimes get pulled from their shell and eaten by hermits before the aquarist (you) can rescue them again.

 

[parik]

They are turbo snails....when I try to lift them....they are still stuck to the rock or anything they are sitting on.....

 

[snapcrackler]

If they are sticking, they are alive. They tend to be nocturnal sometimes too so they may sit around during the day.

Also they tend to just park sometimes for extended periods of time. Nothing to worry about IME. If they got suction they are still ticking.

 

[JG]

They will smell really bad if the are dead - and I do mean bad 8O

 

[snapcrackler]

LOL

It is good to have some dwarf hermits around to eat up dead things before they get stinky.

 

[parik]

thank you all for your response......