Snail Graveyard

[Beverly]

Every couple of mornings, I find another dead snail in a specific spot in a well traveled throughfare under the LR in my 120g. Fish and corals are doing well in this tank and the snails appear to be active and thriving, except for this one spot. Nitrate is 10 ppm and water changes and other maintenance is done weekly.

I think something living in the rock might be killing them I have a 4" well-fed blue sided wrasse in the tank as well as a Brazilian flameback dwarf angel (Centropyge aurantonotus). Neither one has been seen harrassing the snails during the day.

This morning I found a dead bivalve I didn't know I had in that same spot. Any ideas what might be killing my snails?

[trilinearmipmap]

? Mantis

[LostMind]

hear any clicking noises?

mantis like to find/build a hole in the rock and then they stick close to their little nest. They will even bring their meals back to the nest and then leave shells on the front porch (so to speak)

[Beverly]

I've got clicking, but it's from an acro shrimp in a different tank. Haven't heard clicking in the 120g at all, unless I've not been listening closely enough A chromis and blue sided wrasse sleep in the rock near the snail graveyard. If it was a mantis, wouldn't it go for the fish first?

[andestang]

Any recent additions of LR , maybe with a hitchhiker ? Price of snails that really sucks

[Quinn]

I maintain they are all suicidal.

[wayner]

Figi Rock?, I had a monster worm living in a rock in the back of my tank, when I broke down my tank for sale, it too was like a snail greaveyard in the rear corner.

I only saw this thing once, and it was at night when I put a flashlight on the tank, it stretched across the whole tank, no word of a lie it was probably 24" long and was still embedded in the rock in the rear corner, it had 2 antannas, after doing a bit of research, it turned out to be the same worm that Steve Weast (Reef Central) had in his tank, except his was about 6 feet long maybe more can't remember, his worm was eating softies too and was living in the plumbing.

I hope you don't have this worm cause there hard to find, when I was removing my rock for sale of the tank, it was partially hanging out a large piece of figi rock in the rear corner, the person who bought the tank wanted the rock & the worm & I was more than willing to let him have it.

Watch out for the Dog!

[andestang]

Originally Posted by teevee

I maintain they are all suicidal.

Originally Posted by Wayner2

I only saw this thing once, and it was at night when I put a flashlight on the tank, it stretched across the whole tank, no word of a lie it was probably 24" long and was still embedded in the rock in the rear corner, it had 2 antannas, after doing a bit of research, it turned out to be the same worm that Steve Weast (Reef Central) had in his tank, except his was about 6 feet long maybe more can't remember, his worm was eating softies too and was living in the plumbing

[Aquattro]

I'm also going to guess a worm. Are the snails covered in slime at all? I had a 2 foot worm that would drag snails back to the same spot once or twice a week. I got really suspicious whenI found 2 in the same night. Nasty worm!!

[Beverly]

Put in some new Fiji rock about 2 months ago, problem only began about 2 weeks ago, though. Freaking scary about the worms you guys are describing

I set a trap just now with mysis as bait. A medium sized bristleworm poked its head out briefly. Must have seen the blue sided wrasse coming to inspect the rest of his supper because it disappeared real quick

Wrasses will eat bristle and other worms, right?

Anyway, the wrasse has been very persistent with the trap and has managed to move it Will let you know if I catch anything (besides the wrasse )