How to tell if Turbo snail is still alive.

[ZKAqua23]

Hello everyone,
I have a new 10 gallon live rock tank and one small turbo snail. Everything seemed alright for a couple weeks but I found the turbo stuck upside down in a segment of rock. I think he was only there overnight, but it hasn't moved since I righted it and put it on an algae bed. No smell or ammonia spikes, but I was wondering how you can tell if it's alive or not, as it's retracted so far in the shell I can't see it.

Thanks!

 

[Duffer]

dead unfortunately, the shell is empty...you would see black which represents the snail.

 

[ZKAqua23]

dead unfortunately, the shell is empty...you would see black which represents the snail.

Thanks for the prompt reply, so is the shell literally empty and I need to find the actual body of it or is "empty" a term and the body is still in the shell?

 

[a.t.t.r]

Smell it. If it smells take it out if it doesnt it is either still alive (it looks empty) or it has already degraded and now you have an extra shell for your hermits.

 

[Duffer]

Thanks for the prompt reply, so is the shell literally empty and I need to find the actual body of it or is "empty" a term and the body is still in the shell?

shell is empty and the body is long gone as i'm sure your other clean up crew took care of it. I usually will leave the empty shell in the tank, but like stated if it smells get it out of there

 

[ZKAqua23]

shell is empty and the body is long gone as i'm sure your other clean up crew took care of it. I usually will leave the empty shell in the tank, but like stated if it smells get it out of there

This was the first part of the CUC I sent in, so if it's dead an empty it wouldn't have been eaten so I need to know if it abandoned the shell and I should pull the rock out and look for the body to remove or if it just retracts into the shell to die

 

[Duffer]

It didn't smell but I didn't

This was the first part of the CUC I sent in, so if it's dead an empty it wouldn't have been eaten so I need to know if it abandoned the shell and I should pull the rock out and look for the body to remove or if it just retracts into the shell to die

basically you will not find the body, so just let it go...

 

[shakacuz]

This was the first part of the CUC I sent in, so if it's dead an empty it wouldn't have been eaten so I need to know if it abandoned the shell and I should pull the rock out and look for the body to remove or if it just retracts into the shell to die

leave it be. let nature take its course.

 

[ZKAqua23]

Well that's an odd response but at least I got some semblance of solid info here. I'm curious if the body was in the shell and therefore I don't need to test for ammonia or if the body was left behind and dissolves and I should do a water change and look at ammonia management for a couple days. But I get "you will not find the body let it go..."

?

 

[James M]

A snail will not cause a ammonia spike in a tank

 

[shakacuz]

Well that's an odd response but at least I got some semblance of solid info here. I'm curious if the body was in the shell and therefore I don't need to test for ammonia or if the body was left behind and dissolves and I should do a water change and look at ammonia management for a couple days. But I get "you will not find the body let it go..."

?

monitor water parameters and carry on with cycling process. do not worry too much of cause of death or if it alive or dead. you will find that many snails/crabs you purchase will randomly just die. we really never know how old these creatures are unless captive bred but even so, we do not know for sure.

 

[ZKAqua23]

A snail will not cause a ammonia spike in a tank

 

[ZKAqua23]

monitor water parameters and carry on with cycling process. do not worry too much of cause of death or if it alive or dead. you will find that many snails/crabs you purchase will randomly just die. we really never know how old these creatures are unless captive bred but even so, we do not know for sure.

Thank you for your response, its not really the snail, it's that I have one clownfish in this tank I'd like to keep healthy. So from what I'm finding the body should have shrunk and will still be in the shell, which is the answer I was after.

 

[a.t.t.r]

Dead snails degrade fast. So if this happened last night by the morning it could already pretty much be liquefied