illegal alien eating my pets. I need a trap.

[kyreefville]

I’ve lost over 50% of snails. 15 astrea down to 7 thinking they were just falling to their death, so I bought 5 trochus and already down to 2-3.

So Im thinking there is an alien that’s has hitch hiked into my tank and eating my pets. So any good trap ideas so I can catch and release or remove?

Besides it just sounds like fun!

 

[taricha]

got brown algae in your tank? consider toxic algae as a possibility.
also hermits sold as clean up crew are often just snail killers.

 

[kyreefville]

Looks like 3 votes for my crabs are eating my snails.

Well that’s not as much fun as building a trap and catching an unwanted hitchhiker.

 

[BristleWormHater]

Looks like 3 votes for my crabs are eating my snails.

Well that’s not as much fun as building a trap and catching an unwanted hitchhiker.

What kind of crabs do you have?
Hermits won't kill snails for no reason, they want the shell. If none of those dead snail shells are being used it probably wasn't the hermits. Hermits also usually don't kill snails if they have an adequate amount of empty shells. I like to swap out shells my Hermits don't show interest in as well, this gives them plenty of options and I haven't had any snail murders.

 

[kyreefville]

Blue legged hermits. plenty of snail shells. And thus far no hermits in astrea shells. I feed daily so should be plenty of scrap food plus algae.

 

[BristleWormHater]

Blue legged hermits. plenty of snail shells. And thus far no hermits in astrea shells. I feed daily so should be plenty of scrap food plus algae.

I wouldn't blame the hermits then. The algae in your tank could be toxic to your snails ex. Bryopsis and dinos. Could you post pics of it?

 

[kyreefville]

Some green hair algae, mostly green algae on rock, little bit of red algae on bottom was a short period of red film algae on glass. Overall not a lot of algae. Not sudden loss I put 10 in then within a couple weeks most I could count was 7. Put 5 in and again down to 7 or 8. Put 5 trochus in most I could count 2 weeks later was 3 trochus. Did see 1 tiny baby snail on glass unknown variety grain of sand size.

 

[BristleWormHater]

Do you think you could get closer pics of just the algae, also has any bag water from the lfs been but in this tank and have any medications been uses? The reason I ask is because both of those can/do contain copper which is toxic to inverts.

 

[kyreefville]

Never seen fish store put anything in water and snails are kept in same system as fish and inverts more of a hobbyist store. Only medication used was rally pro but the slow disappearance started before the rally pro. I did not use rally inch. So medication is not likely culprit.

 

[kyreefville]

 

[Reefering1]

Are you sure the snails aren't just falling over and dying because they're stuck upside down?

 

[kyreefville]

Only thing close to brown is on bottom

 

[kyreefville]

Are you sure the snails aren't just falling over and dying because they're stuck upside down?

Oh very good possibility I would never find them I have picked up 2 that landed where I could see them.

 

[polyppal]

if the other inverts seem healthy, its likely the snails are dying of starvation

trochus get stuck upside down sometimes, they arent great at righting themselves. could leave them open to attack from hermits

 

[kyreefville]

I felt like there was green algae everywhere

 

[BristleWormHater]

Oh very good possibility I would never find them I have picked up 2 that landed where I could see them.

Yes. Also people say trochus can right themselves and that's true to an extent, but mine still struggled if they fell in certain ways .

 

[polyppal]

Maybe theyd rather die than eat a salad

I find sometimes snail/crab populations just have to work themselves out. some will die but eventually it hits a point where the tank conditions sustain everything.

 

[Reefering1]

Yes. Also people say trochus can right themselves and that's true to an extent, but mine still struggled if they fell in certain ways .

When they're dead, upside down, I assume they fell and couldn't get up.

 

[polyppal]

Yes. Also people say trochus can right themselves and that's true to an extent, but mine still struggled if they fell in certain ways .

I pretty much exclusively went to cerith/nassarius snails because i was tired of turning over other snails when theyd fall off the rockwork

 

[Fungusamongus]

You said you found a baby snail? Was it possibly a Pyramid snail? They can attack your other snails.