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I have had my tank set up about 4-5 years now. Never added any rock since the start but have removed some over time. Two events devastated the twice. The first time major ich infestation . Cam out of nowhere . Had not added anything new or done anything to the tank just woke up one day and everyone was covered. Second event was a bad case of RTN lost quite a few corals , some that I had since day one. Again nothing had been added recently . In all this time I had noticed that my snails would die. Not a mass extinction but on or two here and there, and always on the bottom, never on the rock work ! I know snails are pretty susceptible to dying from the tank parameters being off. And since I started noticing this uring the RTN event I thought i had the culprit ... ME !!! Well after checking all the usual thing there was nothing in particular that stood out. I then looked at the other tank inhabitants and here too I really did not have much suspicion except for the occasional bristle worm I would spot. Most time they were occupying the empty snail shells but never could catch them in the act.
Now I have been adding snails all along but last week I added some new snails and instead of spreading them throughout the tank, as I have done in the past, I placed them all near the front of the glass. This way I could monitor who was doing fine and who was not. Within a day a couple of turbos were dead. It was driving me crazy. I notice two were grazing on a piece of PVC pipe i had place upright on the bottom with a piece of bubble coral on top. They had been there a couple of days and seemed fine. Last night when i got home one of them was dead. The other was still on the PVC but not moving. By the time i went to shower and returned the other turbo was on the bottom.
Upon closer inspection i noticed something moving on its shell. Looked like slime but with a purpose ! By the time i got my tongs it was got. *** !!! Looked around the area and did not see anything . Now i was ****ed. I sat in front of the tank for two hours trying to find what I had seen. Even placed a healthy snail in the same area hoping to draw out the culprit but that did not work. Whatever it was must of been full. Determined, I started moving rock and corals, tired and aggravated, I was hell bent on getting an answer. While moving things around i noticed an empty shell on its side but it was not empty. I saw what looked like the tissue of a snail without the hatch. I covered the shinny part of the bottom of the shell and continued into the shell. The opening of the shell was lined with whatever this creature was but it did not cover the opening. I quickly snatched up the shell and placed it into a specimen cup. Whatever it was it was retreating into the shell. Tired i thought i would wait till morning. I place a tight lid on the container and let it float in my Fuge.
When I got up this morning what i found in the specimen cup was about 2" long by 3/4"wide. Flat like a flounder but very agile. Lookin at it from the bottom it almost looks like the outline of a Maxima clam as you look down on it.
Now the real question ... anyone else ever encounter something like this before ... Neil
Now I have been adding snails all along but last week I added some new snails and instead of spreading them throughout the tank, as I have done in the past, I placed them all near the front of the glass. This way I could monitor who was doing fine and who was not. Within a day a couple of turbos were dead. It was driving me crazy. I notice two were grazing on a piece of PVC pipe i had place upright on the bottom with a piece of bubble coral on top. They had been there a couple of days and seemed fine. Last night when i got home one of them was dead. The other was still on the PVC but not moving. By the time i went to shower and returned the other turbo was on the bottom.
Upon closer inspection i noticed something moving on its shell. Looked like slime but with a purpose ! By the time i got my tongs it was got. *** !!! Looked around the area and did not see anything . Now i was ****ed. I sat in front of the tank for two hours trying to find what I had seen. Even placed a healthy snail in the same area hoping to draw out the culprit but that did not work. Whatever it was must of been full. Determined, I started moving rock and corals, tired and aggravated, I was hell bent on getting an answer. While moving things around i noticed an empty shell on its side but it was not empty. I saw what looked like the tissue of a snail without the hatch. I covered the shinny part of the bottom of the shell and continued into the shell. The opening of the shell was lined with whatever this creature was but it did not cover the opening. I quickly snatched up the shell and placed it into a specimen cup. Whatever it was it was retreating into the shell. Tired i thought i would wait till morning. I place a tight lid on the container and let it float in my Fuge.
When I got up this morning what i found in the specimen cup was about 2" long by 3/4"wide. Flat like a flounder but very agile. Lookin at it from the bottom it almost looks like the outline of a Maxima clam as you look down on it.
Now the real question ... anyone else ever encounter something like this before ... Neil
