Burrowing snail

[CausticTwin]

I just bought a snail from a LFS and as soon as I acclimated it and placed it in the tank, it burrowed under the gravel. I dug it out and placed it on my LR. A few hours later I noticed it was buried again and his little tube thing was the only thing sticking out of the bed. What is going on here?

 

[Sk8r]

Well, if its a basically white snail, you have a nassarius vibex, a good undertaker and general subsurface cleaner. I think I read elsewhere today that they're actually a reef-safe member of the whelk family, which is otherwise predatory: this snail only eats dead things. You'll see him only when there's food about. He's a heavy slimer and cannot climb rock or glass very far without sliding down.

If he's a conch, it's SOP for them, but they frequently operate above, too.

 

[CausticTwin]

This snail is kind of leopard print (yellow with brown spots). He has come out of the gravel a few times, usually going up to the top of the glass and falling down just to burrow again.