Mysterious snail deaths and behaviour

[chemicals]

Hi all,

Currently dealing with such a frustrating phenomenon. Two months ago one of my trochus snails started flipping itself on purpose. Even if I put it right again, after 5 minutes it flipped itself upside down again. Apparently this has been reported but no real explanation/cause has been found. Theory is that the water values are off. Then suddenly all my snails disappeared and didn’t come out at night anymore. Usually when the lights go out the snails came out until suddenly they didn’t anymore. Then one week after I found two death trochus snails. Still inside the shell and smelling awfull. At this point I already mailed some water samples for ICP. These came back almost perfect. Besides that, all my values are close to perfect but dealing with some dinos and cyano. I have dealth with dinos before and the snails didn’t really seem bothered. Anyways, 2 months later still haven’t seen any other snails. There should be 6 cerith en 3 nassarius snails left somewhere in the sand bed. So, I figured that if they were death I should get them out of the sand bed, thus I went digging and found one. Miraculously he was still alive and burrowed itself instantly. This made me so confused. How can they be thriving and mating for 8 months and then suddenly go A.W.O.L.??? At this point I’m out of ideas and got another trochus to see how he would do. Put him in and he has only moved to fall of a rock and hasn’t moved in 2 days now. Still smells okay but looks death. What is going on?? I am dumbstruck. And another thing. I used to have countless collonista snails, and they too all disappeared. Same with some annoying vermetid snails. Used to see them around and crushed them monthly. But now I see none.

parameters:
Temp: 25 celsius
Ammonia/nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 5,6
Phosphate: 0.06
Alk: 7.5
Calc: 400
Mag: 1300
Iodine: 0.04
pH: 8.4

 

[TokenReefer]

Dinos killed my trochus when I was going through battling them during the early stages of my tank.. I have no reason not to suspect the dinos

 

[chemicals]

Dinos killed my trochus when I was going through battling them during the early stages of my tank.. I have no reason not to suspect the dinos

Well, that would be the most logical explanation. However, now I am dealing with large cell amphidinium which should not be toxic. And that still wouldn’t explain why my cerith/nassarius snails stay in the sand. And why the throchus starts acting weird the minute it’s in my tank.

 

[TokenReefer]

None of my cerith or nassarius perished. Only trochus and of those one is still alive. Still think dinos (whether or not another type is present)

 

[chemicals]

None of my cerith or nassarius perished. Only trochus and of those one is still alive. Still think dinos (whether or not another type is present)

Okay lets say that it is the dinos. Did all your cerith and nassarius snails also hide for 2/3 months straight? The last time I had dinos (small cell amphidinium) they still came out every night and kept on going. Same with collonial snails and vermetid.

 

[TokenReefer]

They came out at night probably but tbh I didn't track them much during that time. Afterwards all were accounted for and still are. To be fair idk which I had; no microscope at the time

 

[Solga]

Leopard polyclad flatworm ?

 

[chemicals]

Leopard polyclad flatworm ?

Not as far as I have seen, but I observe my tank a lot lately. Don’t think I wouldn’t notice that, but I’ll keep an eye out for them.

 

[CoachRichardson]

I am going through the same thing. Just upgraded tanks at Christmas. Everything was fine at first. I had 4 trochus and a conch I moved over. Conch died within a week. Trochus started turning over after a few days. Diatoms took off. I picked up 5 more trochus. These were larger. They mowed through paths that look pristine in the diatoms and now they have gone very inactive and a couple turning over too. Fish seems to be fine. Frogspawn were huge the first couple of days and now I’m afraid I’m loosing them. Torches have never opened up fully. Mushrooms are small also. Clove polyps only thing that seem to be doing well. The snails are the mystery. Parameters are good other than Alk went to 11.4 from all the new water. It’s slowly coming down. It was 10.4 today. I try to keep it around 9.5.