Snails turning over.

Ever since I started keeping CuC in my tank I find snails on the bottom of my tank turned over. They are always on the same side, and never anywhere else in my tank. I have had astrea snails, margarita snails, and nerite snails all do the same. I know that with Astrea snails you have to flip them over, but my other snails I usually leave alone unless I am cleaning the tank. Most of the time they do not flip themselves back over. Is there something wrong with them, or do all snails do it? Why do I always find them in the same place? Any help would be appreciated.

 

Do you have hermit crabs?

 

no I do not. I only have snails. I have a purple dottyback, clownfish, and cobalt damsel.

 

bump.. I have lost 3 more snails all of them died in the same place. And I have had another one flip over in the same place.

 

That they are in the same place I would guess is coincidence. Are your other inverts fine? If all your inverts are looking sick then try a copper test. Also, snails will die when there is not enough for them to eat. Is there algae present? At least 2 kinds? I feed my large snails algae small bits of sheets.

 

What's you Mg level?

 

Every one of my snails that have died, have died in this spot. I see them flipped over in this area all the time and never anywhere else. I flip them back over and wait to see them move. Sometimes they turn themselves back over and other times they take off and go, but some die. I have lost about 8 snails in total. Not including all the cerith snails that have died. I have algae I can see on the rocks but never thought of supplementing algae for them.

I have not tested Mg... I didn't think it was necessary considering I didnt have corals. But I may go ahead and take some water to be tested friday.

 

The only reason I can think they die in one spot is that there is a predator nearby. Hermits are reef safe in so far as they are small. I've had large hermits kill snails. (I know you said you don't have any hermits.)

There is nothing unusual about getting a hitchhiker predator in your tank. Unwanted Mantises have wreaked havoc on people's tanks. Other types of crabs have killed livestock. Look with a red light late at night for something anything. Drop a piece of food in that one spot and wait.

 

Also, do not supplement algae sheets if there is already algae for them to eat.

 

I do not have any Hermits, and the only predators are the fish. I do not have any hitch hikers, I started this tank with dry rock and sand. The only thing I have added is snails. Although one snail had a spaghetti worm on it, and a sponge but the snail had died a few months ago and the sponge died because I had other snails that would knock it over. lol

I removed 3 dead snails today, and turned a snail over. These are Margarita Snails that I have removed, and flipped over another Nerite Snail. My Troches are doing real good, but I have dwindled down to about 2 Nerite Snails and 0 Margarita Snails. I have no idea how many cerith snails, and nassarius snails I have. I see a bunch of dead cerith snail at the bottom of my tank in the same place but I see a bunch moving in the sand in other places. I have not seen a nassarius snail in a while. I am confused about the snails. I know they are sensitive to Nitrates so I try to keep my water changes regular, every two weeks I change 10 gallons.