What is eating my turbo snails?

[c_ray00]

All I have is a pair of clown fish and a cleanup crew. Will serpent star fish or arrow crabs eat these ?
Is it a mantis, I haven't heard any noises or seen one at night?

 

[bang guy]

Questions:
1 - Could the snails just be dying on their own?
2 - Are the shells damaged in any way?
3 - How long have you had the snails?
4 - What are your water parameters? PH, Salinity, Temp, etc.

 

[kissiefish]

Do you have any hermit crabs in your clean up crew. Over the weekend I noticed one of my hermits actually throwing out the snail the he had just killed to take his nice shell for his new home. So that might be doing it.
~Kissiefish~

 

[michaeltx]

and how did you acclimate them into your tank? they are susiptable to osmotic shock as starfish are.
Mike
Kissiefish==== kimkissyfish??

 

[kissiefish]

Nope not Kimkissyfish, just plain old kissiefish....

 

[michaeltx]

1 - Could the snails just be dying on their own? I don't think so, They are less than a few months old.
2 - Are the shells damaged in any way?
A few of the shells seem to have holes in them on closer examination. A few of the shells look to be severly damaged. like they have been borrowed into.
3 - How long have you had the snails?
less an 3 months
4 - What are your water parameters? PH, Salinity, Temp, etc.
All water levels are fine. Salinity is at 1.022 from advice from LFS and temp is at 79 degrees.
If it is a mantis, any suggestions on how to get rid of it?
this is from c_ray0
you could do a search on mantis there are many methods some work and some dont for people. if it is a mantis look at the tank at night through a red lens to see if you can see anything in the tank that might be doing it.
Mike

 

[michaeltx]

thats kewl hadn't seen her around for a while and saw yours.
O well LOL
Mike

 

[bang guy]

Sounds more like damage from a Buccinid Whelk like a Bumblebee Snail or other predatory snail.

 

[bang guy]

Do you have any snails that look like these?

 

[ajwaters]

I do... I didn't really think there were snails i had to worry about. I have had a few empty snail shells laying around that were about a year old. and i know I have seen 1 or maybe two snails like that in my tank from my TB live rock.

 

[bdhough]

Interesting. My bumble bee doesn't do anything to anyone just scavanges for food. I have see him eat meat but never eat another snail.

 

[qwiksilver360]

hey bangguy a nassarius isn't a prdatory snail is it ? cause i have some in my tank and they look a lot like the one it that pic

 

[bang guy]

Originally posted by qwiksilver360
hey bangguy a nassarius isn't a prdatory snail is it ?
Nope. Fortunately they can only eat carrion.