All my nassarius dissapeared

2006

New member
A few hours after a water change I noticed the tank level was higher than normal. When I investigated there was clear snot floating on the surface and in the prefilter. I directed the snot in the tank to the prefilter and then cleaned the prefilter. The next day one of my nassarius had climbed above the water level and some of this goop was hanging from him. At this point I just figured the snails were spawning. Today I located one empty nassarius shell and I cannot find the other three snails. All other inverts and fish are fine including trochus, nerite and cerith snails.

I have 2 perculas, 1 purple firefish, various LPS and soft corals. Possible predators include brittle stars and a 5" long bristle worm. Tonight I did see the bristle worm in the nassarius shell I found earlier today. There are also two small crabs. Their carapace is about 1/4" wide. The crabs were hitchhikers and resemble tiny emerald crabs with similar claws, flat at the tip. They each have a rock staked out on opposite sides of the tank and spend their day picking at the rocks.

No livestock has been added to the tank for at least a month and the snails had been in the tank for six months. Strange how all four snails have dissapeared at the same time.

Any ideas?
 
I found 2 in the sump, 1 empty shell and 1 is still unaccounted. I wonder why they were so eager to leave the tank.
 
Thanks for the replies everybody. They are fun to watch during feeding time for sure. Anyway I took the two snails I found in the sump and put them back in the tank, on the bottom. Within 15 minutes one of the snails had made into the overflow and back in the sump. Maybe they like it there better.
 
Unlike your other snails, Nassarius snails are carnivores, so they need to be fed regularly.

Also I would worry about your crabs...other than the filter-feeding kinds, all crabs will eventually eat anything they can get their claws around :)

-R
 
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