Dead snail? Poop? Other?

Dweezilz · Feb 18, 2023

I'm a bit embarrassed to post this but I'm stumped. This is the second time in two weeks that I've found a little clear blob with pinkish inside the front and tan inside the back end. I first assumed an odd looking poop but I have not seen this before in 6 months and now there's another!

FurrierTransform · Feb 18, 2023

Looks like a larval something-or-other. How large is it? Does it do anything? What other life do you have in your tank? You've got me stumped, but that's nothing new.

Dweezilz · Feb 18, 2023

Neither of them appear to move at all. It's maybe 1/4". Last week I scooped the first one out and it was squishy and gross and not alive. I have a Tiger Conch, 2 engineer Gobies, Watchman Goby, 2 Clowns, Tiger Pistol Shrimp, Royal Gramma, and a few Nassaris snails and Nerite Snails. Nothing else has been in the tank. I saw the pistol strimp throw a Nasssrius snail shell out of his cave and then the Goby picked it up and put it back inside. ha! Could that be the snail?? I wouldn't think so.

Dweezilz · Feb 19, 2023

3 more of them today and yesterday's have turned dark. Very odd.

ISpeakForTheSeas · Feb 19, 2023

Dweezilz said:
3 more of them today and yesterday's have turned dark. Very odd.

Can you get some pics of them under white light? The pic posted is kind of blue (and more pics can sometimes offer clarity for ID's).

Dweezilz · Feb 21, 2023

So far no new ones for photos. There's been 4 total. When I plucked them out of they were for sure not alive and basically disintegrated to yucky slimy mush. I'm leaning toward maybe poop from the Conche even though he's been MIA for 3 weeks in the sand somewhere. I can't think of anything else at this point.

Bucs20fan · Feb 21, 2023

Are you missing an anemone of any kind?

Dweezilz · Feb 21, 2023

Bucs20fan said:
Are you missing an anemone of any kind?

No anemones. Just the 6 fish, 6 snails (was 10 but 2 disappeared and Clowns killed 2), shrimp and hermit crab. Conch is MIA for the last few weeks and the Hermit actually has been MIA this week too. Nothing else in the tank before. Up and running since August. I wonder if what I saw could have been the dead snails that finally stirred up??

FurrierTransform · Feb 21, 2023

Searching on the internet for images of "conch poop," or related, does not return much useful information. But it's that sort of transparent membrane that isn't very poop-like, that is tricky.

jpxp90 · Feb 22, 2023

I had these same things in my tank! I thought it was my wrasses poo for a while. But I also have a conch that I’m suspecting. Not sure what it is, but I’m following

Dweezilz · Feb 22, 2023

Interestingly enough, I found another one today in the tank and then on a different forum I found a photo that looks similar from an Engineer Goby poop, which I do have two of!! The person thought her Engineer Goby was sick because it wasn't growing and she showed the poop photo which, minus the white sick part, looks very similar to some degree. Here's my new one and the photo she posted. I'm going to chalk it up either Conch poop or Engineer Goby poop. Since the conch has been unseen for 3 weeks I'm not sure it's him and not the Engineer Gobies. Funny that there's so much to know in this hobby that even possible poop throws us off!! haha!