Reasons for fast snail die off??

[disccollector]

Just wondering how long snails usually live because every time I get a clean up crew of snails a majority of them die off for whatever reason.
My latest batch of mexican black turbo snails were doing great for the first few days eating everything in site and then I started seeing their shells on the sand bed one my one turned upright.
My water quality is very good and stable so I don't think that's it and there's still plenty of algae so I don't think starvation is the problem.
From time to time I notice my blue hermits being aggressive with the snails and all I can think is that they are feasting on them at night. The turbos can't seem to upright themselves if they fall so perhaps that's the problem?
So my question is...is it most likely my blue hermits or is it just that snails just die and have short lifespans? Is there a particular water quality issue that I might not be paying attention to outside of the usual pH, SG,Temp, NO3,PO4,NO4?

 

[bigarn]

If the snail shells are empty...It's the blue hermits.

 

[coxy101]

My bet: If snails fall over, they can't upright themselves, so they fall prey to your blue hermits.
I had hermits in my first tank. But when I restarted the hobby, I learned my lesson and I don't have any hermits in my tank. They killed all of my snails.
My recommendation: get rid of the hermits. They don't do much in terms of "clean up" and snails are a better investment.
Hope that helps...

 

[bot587]

hermits are great cleanup crew members first off! Secondly, snails do not live long periods of time 6months - 1 year for turbos. Much longer for mexican turbos. You should only put 1 mexican per tank (in my experience).

 

[disccollector]

Thanks to everyone for their help
I was thinking about getting rid of my blue hermits because I've actually seen them bullying snails and have separated them before. They're neat to watch but not worth it at the expense of these snails.
Bot587, why can you only keep one mexican turbo in a tank? If that's the case I'm in big trouble because I have about 20 in my tank

 

[streetdoc]

I took all of mune out of the reef and put some in the fuge and the rest in the 55 QT. They were feasting on my snails and red legs. Hated to just get rid of them all together.

 

[coxy101]

Relax Mr. Bot!
I'm speaking merely from my experience with hermits. They really just cleaned up particles of food, but didn't touch algae. I find that my cleanup crew of astrea turbo snails (12), nassarius snails (6), fighting conch (1), and emerald crab (1) keeps my tank sparkling clean! And none of them fight...
More than what I could say when I saw my past hermits yank my snails right out of their shell (even though I stocked my tank with larger empty shells for them)!
So, disccollector, like always, each aquariast has their own preference and do what you wish. Just telling you my experience...

 

[cazmento]

there is a bigger type of turbo snails, i think they are called zebra turbos. i have two in my 75 gallon, and the hermits leave them alone, even though they devoured my mexican turbo population