Naisserius Snails on the surface of the sand.

[Wayne P.]

I've got a couple of Naisserius snails that are hanging out on top of the sand bed. I had 4, i know one died and he was exhibiting similar behavior before his demise. Is there maybe not enough food below grade for them? Tank is 5 months old, I introduced these guys and a 3 turbos as my cleanup crew about 3 weeks ago. 1st snail died within a week. Pics attached.

 

[LBReefer]

How big is your tank? What's your bio load? Any wrasses?

 

[Mariette]

If you're concerned about lack of food, feed them. Mine go mental for a nice thick glob of reef roids. Or raw shrimp. Or even squishy pellets and flakes

 

[Wayne P.]

How big is your tank? What's your bio load? Any wrasses?

13.5 g AIO, media basket w/cheato, carbon, chemipure and Fluval bio max stones. 2 Springeri damsels and a clown for fish. Tank has gotten pretty clean, my turbos are on glass or back wall.

 

[Wayne P.]

If you're concerned about lack of food, feed them. Mine go mental for a nice thick glob of reef roids. Or raw shrimp. Or even squishy pellets and flakes

I'll give that a shot

 

[reefiniteasy]

I have 6 in my BioCube and they are always traversing the sand. Nothing to worry about. I say coincidence that he was on the sand bed and then died. Here is the description from reefcleaners.org

“Excellent scavenger and sand stirrer. These snails will come out whenever they smell food, or when you are feeding the fish. In a bare bottom tank like the ones we keep them in here, they tend to hang out at the base of rock work or near the back of the tank where there is less light, and will emerge from there to scavenge when leftover food is available. These snails do not eat algae; they eat detritus and leftover fish food. By reducing the amount of decaying waste in the aquarium you will help maintain your nitrate levels, and clean some of the debris that is building up in your substrate.

These snails are particularly useful in tanks with messy eaters, such as predatory fish and seahorses. They grow to about a half of an inch tall, and 3/5 of an inch in length. Your feeding regimen and fish load should be the reference point of how many Nassarius snails you add to your tank.”

It could have been that you had more than what the tank can support