No idea this could happen!

[Ron99]

No, snails can't live without their shells. What you probably saw was a stomatella snail. They are common hithchikers and most people have them in their tanks. They generally only come out in the dark although some of mine are out during the day now.

[Keri]

Originally Posted by Ron99

No, snails can't live without their shells. What you probably saw was a stomatella snail. They are common hithchikers and most people have them in their tanks. They generally only come out in the dark although some of mine are out during the day now.

yup They look just like a snail without a shell, actual shelled snails cannot leave their shells . If you look very closely you can see that they have tiny cap-like shells of their own, but they can't retreat into them. Stomatellas are good grazers of algae. I have grey, tan and black ones in my tank.

[Kronk]

Thanks Ron, Keri that explains it. The snail must have come with some live rock I bought last week.