Hmmm, this is interesting. It doesn't make sense...unless we are missing some sort of pertinent information (that you may or may not realize lol). The hermits eat algae mainly, and should start killing snails if they are starving to death. As well, it should take longer than a week for the hermits to starve to death. If copper was the culprit it should kill the snails too, and probably be quicker than a week. My guess is that you may never know what killed them.
I agree that you should try to return 6-8 snails. While the tank is new you will not need very many critters to clean up. As you stock your tank, you will probably need to slowly add a few more critters here and there. A Fighting/Strawberry/Orange Lip Conch (sand sifting bivalve) would be a good candidate for your tank in 4-6 months when the sandbed has matured.
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~ Mindy
SPS fanatic.
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