Magical Snail?!?

Rosko_22 · 06-17-2004, 07:46 AM

Has anyone ever seen or heard of a snail crawling upside down on the surface of the water?!? There is a snail in my friend's tank that is literally crawling on the water surface upside down like he's on the glass side. I am totally baffled by this. Snails sink in water don't they? Is this snail just a freak of nature or is this a common occurrence with snails?
Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

cich · 06-17-2004, 07:51 AM

I think I might have seen it before... The surface tension can be a lot greater than the weight of a tiny little snail in water. Also, what's your surface scum levels?

--cich

SueNH · 06-17-2004, 09:29 AM

My mystery snails do it all the time and they aren't so little. If it's a fairly pale or thin shelled type you can see an air bubble inside the shell. They have an air bladder they can fill and deflate to go up and down or hover.

kingborris · 06-17-2004, 11:06 AM

my MTS do it at night... they all congregate at the surface and just criuse about on the currents. kinda like a mollusc social

TeeItUp · 06-17-2004, 11:24 AM

My daughter definitly has some "Magical" snails in her tank. Pick them out of the tank and they magically re-apear the next day.

mandafish · 06-17-2004, 04:16 PM

My snails are frequently upside down in the tank (on the surface). They like to eat the protein scum on the top of the water.

Rosko_22 · 06-18-2004, 01:20 AM

Huh
I've never heard of that before and I've never kept snails myself. Interesting.
I think this is just a run of the mill pond snail, he/she got in with a plant.
Thanks for all the replies and info, not a magical snail after all eh?

amanda huggenkiss · 06-18-2004, 04:26 AM

(...is it a magical mystery snail?)

06-17-2004, 07:46 AM	#1
Rosko_22 Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: May 2004 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 225	Magical Snail?!? Has anyone ever seen or heard of a snail crawling upside down on the surface of the water?!? There is a snail in my friend's tank that is literally crawling on the water surface upside down like he's on the glass side. I am totally baffled by this. Snails sink in water don't they? Is this snail just a freak of nature or is this a common occurrence with snails? Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

06-17-2004, 07:51 AM	#2
cich Wannabe Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Kelowna, BC, Canada Posts: 1,062	I think I might have seen it before... The surface tension can be a lot greater than the weight of a tiny little snail in water. Also, what's your surface scum levels? --cich __________________ Plants are gone, but my 33gal and I are back after a long hiatus.

06-17-2004, 09:29 AM	#3
SueNH Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (2/100%) Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: The White Moutains of NH Posts: 347	My mystery snails do it all the time and they aren't so little. If it's a fairly pale or thin shelled type you can see an air bubble inside the shell. They have an air bladder they can fill and deflate to go up and down or hover. __________________ http://nonais.org/

06-17-2004, 11:06 AM	#4
kingborris Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: London UK Posts: 148	my MTS do it at night... they all congregate at the surface and just criuse about on the currents. kinda like a mollusc social __________________ KB :-) KB's Wild Discus Tank

06-17-2004, 11:24 AM	#5
TeeItUp Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Mount Vernon, Ohio Posts: 493	My daughter definitly has some "Magical" snails in her tank. Pick them out of the tank and they magically re-apear the next day. __________________ Eheim Pimp Club member #14 2215 Classic Eheim CO2 Diffuser

06-17-2004, 04:16 PM	#6
mandafish Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: passaic,n.j. Posts: 30	My snails are frequently upside down in the tank (on the surface). They like to eat the protein scum on the top of the water.

06-18-2004, 01:20 AM	#7
Rosko_22 Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: May 2004 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 225	Huh I've never heard of that before and I've never kept snails myself. Interesting. I think this is just a run of the mill pond snail, he/she got in with a plant. Thanks for all the replies and info, not a magical snail after all eh?

06-18-2004, 04:26 AM	#8
amanda huggenkiss Planted Tank Enthusiast (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 955	(...is it a magical mystery snail?) __________________ 29g Eheim Classic 2213, community, heavily planted, 65W CF, 2x Hagen CO2 20g Fluval 3 Plus, nothin' but shrimp & snails, 65W CF, Hagen CO2 wannacomewith.com

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