Several dead snails -- Help

[RobG]

I will have pictures later, but here's the situation...

Several times when the lights have come on in the morning, I have found empty shells on the substrate that used to house snails (Not sure which kind, I have astrea, turbo, trocus and strombus). There's plently of algae on the glass for them to eat, so I doubted starvation. And something ate the snail out of the shell if it's empty...

This morning, when the lights popped on, I was sitting and watching. There was a small (1/4") conical (with a sharp point of the cone) snail half way inside one of my larger snails, looking like it was eating it.

I have the small snail inside a net right now (still submerged) so I can get a picture soon.

Is this a bad guy? Is he what's killing my snails, or was the snail already dead and he's just eating the remains?

I checked the hitchhiker FAQ, and the snail does not quite match the ones pictured there... I'll post a pic up in this thread sometime today once I borrow a digital camera.

Please help.

Rob

[RobG]

Sorry they don't look so good. I'm not much of a photographer and the camera doesn't have very good zoom...

[RobG]

No flash this time...

[Elmo18]

RobG,

I think it is unlikely that another snail would be eating another snail while it was alive. I'm thinking it has found algae on the shell of the dead snail.

I would be wary if you have any hermits or crabs in your tank. At the moment, I have a blue legged hermit that has apparently killed a Turbo astrea and is using it's pointed cone shell AND also a black and white hermit that has also done the same thing.

So far, I have not seen any more agreesion. Actually, last night I saw a dead red legged Scarlet Reef hermit.

Regards,
Ilham

[organicreefer]

elmo is probably right but you coul isolate that snail with a nother one and see what happens shame to kill a beneficial hitchhiker put em in the sum /small tank /fish bowl withairston whatever and find out

[RobG]

I think I'll take your advice and isolate in a small tank with another snail and see what happens. I have it isolated in a net inside the main tank right now, but you're both absolutely right; I'd hate to kill it at all, especially if it's beneficial.

I doubt it was after algae since it was inside the other snail's shell where there was definitely no algae at all. It was munching on dead snail in the very best case scenario.

I thought all snails where herbivores...

[organicreefer]

theres all kinds of snails and this is one i would definitely view with suspicion take it out of the tank most of the snails we find in our tanks are harmless but there are snails that feed on anything and just about everything ,small live fish coral polyps and clams(you should always check for snails on clams)

[mgk65]

RobG:

Many snails are not herbivores. There are many carnivorous snails and there are some that even eat fish.

We sometimes get, as hitchhikers, snails that eat polyps, other snails, worms, feather dusters and other beneficial life.

I would go by the motto - If in doubt, take it out.

mgk

[ranaman]

just looking through a invert book the shell looks like a basket or dog whelk. They can be carnivorus or scavengers and in the aquarium most are familar with those in thew genus Nassarius sold as scavengers. Lots of marine snails are predators, a LFS by me had a mixed tank of whelks and turbo snails. OH THE HUMANITY!

[RobG]

Great info, thanks. Any other opinions?

*shameless bump to the top...*