No Shell Snail?

[interex216]

I was turning on my lights for the day in my 12g nano and noticed that one of my snails was attached to the glass, WITHOUT its shell. The shell was lying underleath it on a piece of LR. I stuck my hand in and examined the shell, sure enough empty. I messed up the waterflow sticking my hand in so the "

[hr]
" snail fell to the bottom, heres a pic of him after it fell and his empty shell. It isnt dead, im watching it climb the rock right now.. do they shed there shell and grow new ones? Any input appreciated =)

 

[mr_x]

no, they never leave their shells. the shell grows with them. are you sure you are not looking at a stomatella and the shell just happened to be there by coincedence?

 

[interex216]

Im 110% sure. its a Nassarius Snail that we purchased from here some months ago. He's moving around like a snail, cleaning the LR, rolled his "skin" into the shape of the shell as its going. How to explain it.. the snails part thats suppose to be in the shell is flesh pink, in a spiral and where its "head" would poke out of the shell theres a ring slightly bigger than the width of the rest of its body where im assuming it was attached. Heres abother pic i just took of him climbing the rock.

 

[shaunalynna]

Very interesting! I have never heard of a snail leaving his shell. Keep us informed of what happens, as you have me curious now myself.

 

[interex216]

I discovered him around 3pm this afternoon and its almost midnight now, he's still alive and has his "breathing tube" out inspecting his shell less body. Moving around on the rock eating still, not sure if he's as good as dead without his shell though... i have bristleworms that'd love to take a nip at his body, but thats his only threat. Tank includes BTA, 2 false percs, xenia, GSP, 2 other snails, and a pocelian crab. ^^

 

[interex216]

Checked when i got up this morning and he's now MIA. Prob eaten in the night =( what a cruel cruel death.

 

[shaunalynna]

I had posted that I had never seen this happen before. Wouldn't you know the next day or so after I posted this I found one of my hermits the same way as your snail. Sadly he was also MIA later on that evening I found him.

 

[thefishdoctor7]

I think it could have been a moon snail because when they are out and about
their body contracts over the the top of their shell making it appear as though they don't have one. If so he may have starved because this species lives on a diet primarily composed of clams. Here's a pic

 

[pumper]

I have seen this before. It happened when I was cycling a tank with live rock. The rock came with a few snails and crabs.... At the peak of the ammonia/nitrite spike the snails and crabs left their shells and later died.... I think you might need to test your water parameters.