What are these snails doing in a big clump?

[ZzyzxRiver]

I’m not sure if these are my dwarf planaxis or my dwarf cerith, but my suspicion is they are getting it on. Are they? I see them do this (not always at the waterline) periodically.

 

[Ron Reefman]

I collect several types of snails when I go snorkeling in the Florida Keys. When I get them home they go in a holding tank for a few days to make sure they are OK. I see them do this quite often. I assumed they were consuming algae off each others shells?

 

[BryanM]

Mine do the same thing, I haven't the foggiest idea why.

 

[Lavey29]

Safety in numbers

 

[1112-425XL]

Union meeting

 

[Lavey29]

Union meeting

Preemptively before the strike? Looks like a work slow down in progress.

 

[ZzyzxRiver]

Preemptively before the strike? Looks like a work slow down in progress.

Protesting cramped living conditions? I put 25 each of the dwarf planaxis and dwarf cerith in the tank and the other night I counted 80 on the glass. Guess I’d better upgrade to a 100g!

 

[Lavey29]

Protesting cramped living conditions? I put 25 each of the dwarf planaxis and dwarf cerith in the tank and the other night I counted 80 on the glass. Guess I’d better upgrade to a 100g!

I've got 100s of baby snails roaming the bottom. Mother nature will take care of balancing the population out. Some of my big OG snails have been with me 4 years now too.

 

[BristleWormHater]

Could be mating or protection related.

 

[ZzyzxRiver]

I've got 100s of baby snails roaming the bottom. Mother nature will take care of balancing the population out. Some of my big OG snails have been with me 4 years now too.

One thing I’m wondering is what happens over the generations. My sand is white, eventually it will also be dotted through with black shells? Do they decompose or release calcium back into the water at all?

 

[BristleWormHater]

One thing I’m wondering is what happens over the generations. My sand is white, eventually it will also be dotted through with black shells? Do they decompose or release calcium back into the water at all?

Water, especially salt water is a universal solvent, meaning it slowly dissolves everything in it. So the shells of dead snails will release small ammounts of calcium into the water.

 

[Lavey29]

One thing I’m wondering is what happens over the generations. My sand is white, eventually it will also be dotted through with black shells? Do they decompose or release calcium back into the water at all?

The. Bigger shells I leave for hermits. I pick out smaller ones if they are easy to get. Everything else just gets buried when I turkey blast the sand weekly.