All Cerith Snails Dead!!!

[rob safron]

While feeding my reef yesterday I notice that not one cerith snail came out. They always emerge to eat every time I fed the fish for years. Closer look I could not see any antenna’s which was odd and saw a couple empty shells around. Then I tested the tank, I run an ULNS, nitrates always 1 or less and phosphates 0.01. My nitrates were at 40, the day before I tested and they were at the usual 1 or less. All my other livestock looks fine and all other snail types are OK. Can’t figure out what either killed just these snails overnight driving nutrients up or what drove nutrients up killing just these snails. I had been batteling lower pH, as low as 7.70 at night but nothing else remarkable. Weird.

 

[CC13]

While feeding my reef yesterday I notice that not one cerith snail came out. They always emerge to eat every time I fed the fish for years. Closer look I could not see any antenna’s which was odd and saw a couple empty shells around. Then I tested the tank, I run an ULNS, nitrates always 1 or less and phosphates 0.01. My nitrates were at 40, the day before I tested and they were at the usual 1 or less. All my other livestock looks fine and all other snail types are OK. Can’t figure out what either killed just these snails overnight driving nutrients up or what drove nutrients up killing just these snails. I had been batteling lower pH, as low as 7.70 at night but nothing else remarkable. Weird.

How long have you had the tank running?

Any crabs in the tank?

 

[rob safron]

20 years, redid to all SPS about 4 years ago

 

[rob safron]

Yes some blue leg hermits and an emerald. Goood point but all gone in one night

 

[Idoc]

I think you meant Nassarius snails? Those are the ones that hide under the sand and pop out during feeding time.

Are you sure you definitely saw them all the day before? Possibly something killed them off earlier and they decomposed and that's what caused the nitrate spike?

 

[rob safron]

Not positive but within the week for sure. Still nothing has changed over the last month or more. Even if something ate all of them in days, could that cause that spike. Again, not sure there is an answer, just very odd. I can dump food in all day long without a jump in nutrients.

 

[CC13]

Not positive but within the week for sure. Still nothing has changed over the last month or more. Even if something ate all of them in days, could that cause that spike. Again, not sure there is an answer, just very odd. I can dump food in all day long without a jump in nutrients.

Maybe one of the snails died, one of the crabs ate it as a result, it liked what it tasted and now goes after them? Escargot tastes far better I'm assuming than fish excrement.

 

[rob safron]

Possible. I think If it were a chemical thing some of my other snails would be missing.

 

[CC13]

Possible. I think If it were a chemical thing some of my other snails would be missing.

I mean chemical usually means all snails or inverts, all corals or all fish. Just one type of snail I would assume is something that is just targeting that one species.

Maybe buy 5-6 more, drop them in the tank and watch at night with a red flashlight and try to see if you can see any crabs chasing them or eating them?

 

[rob safron]

I mean chemical usually means all snails or inverts, all corals or all fish. Just one type of snail I would assume is something that is just targeting that one species.

Maybe buy 5-6 more, drop them in the tank and watch at night with a red flashlight and try to see if you can see any crabs chasing them or eating them?

 

[rob safron]

Sounds like a plan

 

[CC13]

Sounds like a plan

Keep us posted if you catch the criminal.