 Re: Astrea snails
Truth be told, astraea snails aren't perfect reef snails... They originate from the coasts of California, in cooler waters, and also from area's with no sandy substrate. Because of this, they have no ability to flip themselves over when they do land on their back... making them an easy target for predators. If you do notice some lying on their back, you will have to manually flip them over, or nudge them close enough to some liverock so they can flip themselves back over and scurry about their little business.
In addition to this, your hermit crabs will take fine opportunities like this to eat a good meal (your astraea snails) if they are lying on their back in the sand or in an area where they can't flip back over. I guess it doesn't pay to have a shell 5 x the size of their body. |