Pond snail acting incredibly bizarre - what is going on??

[Rachelinwy]

Hi everyone - hope your Friday is going well.

Okay, so I don't like the pond snails that have taken over my tank, but if one of them is suffering, I'd like to alleviate it.

I have a planted tank in my office at school that also has one of my olive snails. A pond snail apparently hijacked its way in from the home tank on one of the plants. This individual is somewhat big, approaching the same size as the end of a pen.

Anyway, I swear to you, the snail has been going up and down the MIDDLE of the tank... not the sides, but right in the middle of the water column. When he/she/it gets to the top, it tops and moves its head around.... then goes back to the bottom ??? I watched it "fall", and when it landed, it moved around as well. I stepped out of the office, only to find it back at the top.

Has anyone seen behavior like this before? What is going on?

Thanks


Rachel

 

[QTOFFER]

Pretty common snail behavior from whet I've read here. They seem to enjoy riding the airbubbles and currents.

 

[Jarred Darque]

my big apples like the 'parachute' from the top to the bottom kinda funny to watch. that and I have one very large power head that goes along the front glass of the tank, they will often get right in front of it and start makin their way to it, their antennas flappin behind them, kinda like a dog with its head outside the window.

 

[SparKy697]

I like watching the pond snails hang upside down on the surface of the water. They lay their foot flat on the surface and seem to actually be able to "walk" around the surface of the tank.

Your snails activity does not sound all that strange.

 

[Purrbox]

The fact that the snail is able to do this in the middle of the water column indicates that your tank is probably lacking in sufficient water movement. Other than that, it's perfectly normal behavior.

 

[joannde]

My snails always "go for a float" as I call it. The Mystery Snails do it in the big tank and the pond snails do it in the pond snail breeding tank. I think its more of a search for food than anything else - I notice that many many pond snails do it just under the romaine lettuce leaves I put in the tank as food.
I love watching the Mystery Snails go for a float - foot, head and antenne flappin in the current - its even funnier when the floater has a hitchhiker LOL