My Nassarius snail just ate my brand new Fire Shrimp ALIVE!

[gbroadbridge]

I’m devastated. We were so excited we just got a brand new fire shrimp for our small nano tank. We have a pistol shrimp and my concern was if they would get along. Never even thought to ask my LFS if my snail would be a murderer!!

How did this happen?! How did he catch the dang thing?! I’m not kidding this shrimp (RIP Ruby) was in my tank for less than 3 hours and now his corpse in front and center with a snail alien style wrapped around his face. Now I’m worried about everything else in my tank! Why did this happen? Genuinely I had no idea this was even a possibility. Can someone please enlighten as to Nassarius snail compatibility with reef tank buddies? The tanks been up for about 8 months now and I’ve never seen this happen. Honestly, normally, that snail is always asleep and usually totally buried in the sand. Our pistol shrimp is fine but he has a goby buddy for protection so maybe that’s why he’s alive.

I don’t understand! I’m so sad

Nassarius snails don't eat a healthy moving animal.

They're detritus cleaners.

Your shrimp was already dead before the snail tucked in.

 

[Tamberav]

On his tail.

I think you just have a nass snail.

Do you have other snails that are alive? Because a real welk will often make short work of those.

 

[OSHA Violating Shrimp]

Sorry for your loss. My fire shrimp killed and ate every other shrimp in my tank when he moved in. I have to superglue aiptasia because peppermint shrimp don’t live a day. He steals food from my starfish so often I’ve started hand feeding my serpent star (which is actually pretty cool) and steals food from my RFA. Idk how one pom Pom crab has survived, maybe because it’s huge for a Pom. It’s not like the shrimp doesn’t get enough food (my nitrates and PO4 are proof that I feed too darn much. He also took a chunk out of my royal gramma’s tail (it was inadvertent I think, but still.) That dancing maniac is the reason I can’t have nice things. Wanna loan me your whelk?! (I’m only half joking)

Oh my god that’s true menace behavior I’m so sorry.

If it helps my pistol shrimp is a walking osha violation. He will steal a frag and is constantly rescaping the tank with reckless abandon.

 

[OSHA Violating Shrimp]

I think you just have a nass snail.

Do you have other snails that are alive? Because a real welk will often make short work of those.

We do have a turbo snail in there. I’m leaning nass but now am very much on a deep dive.

 

[NanoNana]

Oh my god that’s true menace behavior I’m so sorry.

If it helps my pistol shrimp is a walking osha violation. He will steal a frag and is constantly rescaping the tank with reckless abandon.

My pistol shrimp was an angel…until he was eaten! In all seriousness I like the stupid fire shrimp. He’s a monster sized shrimp now and between he and Kirby the conch it’s a wonder I have ANY frags glued down. Lol. Red moved a my bowties to a space in the bottom back of the tank where I can’t easily reach. They decided to grow there so okay. Maybe he just wanted a zoa garden at his front door?
I am sorry your shrimp didn’t make it. Hopefully your next will do well and be better behaved than mine.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

He looks like the second snail. 1280 x 925

For what it's worth, the second snail there is listed as Nassarius reeveanus, which has a max size of 26mm; going by your pic with the ruler above, your snail is too large to be N. reeveanus.

N. olivaceus gets up to 45mm, and would be a more appropriate size for your specimen.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

It’s a nass then. It was just a molt or the shrimp was dying. Molts look very real so don’t be surprised if the shrimp actually shows up in a few days. I am hopeful for ya.

Whelks act like snails, and tend to be on the glass or rockwork. They will move across the sand when necessary, but never submerge themselves beneath the surface of the sand.

If you look at the texture of their snouts, there is a specific pattern "tattooed" onto the flesh of the Whelk. Also, the Whelk has a protective shell on its tail that it uses to seal itself in its shell when in danger. This gives it a water tight seal.

https://www.melevsreef.com/articles/whelk-versus-nassarius#:~:text=Occasionally an observant person will,also may eat other snails.

This article is incorrect.
It was written when Nassarius snails (which are a type of whelk, by the way) were relatively new in the hobby and only a few species were being sold. Nowadays, it's extremely difficult to know what species of whelk someone is selling and quite often predatory types are mis-labled and sold as scavengers.

I recently purchased some from Saltwateraquarium.com that were pictured and labeled nassarius vibex, bur were actually olives or a very similar species. After a couple weeks of corresponding with Saltwater Aquarium, the best answer I got was "we can't control what our vendors collect" and "the website shouldn't list a species"... and yet, they still have snails listed as "LARGE Nassaurius Snail (Nassarius vibex)..." (vibex are always a smaller variety, so they're wrong on several levels!)

Unfortunately, it's really a crap shoot now with regard to "nassarius" snails.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

On his tail or shell?

ALL WHELKS/NASSARIUS SNAILS HAVE AN OPERCULUM (trap door).

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

@EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal
Need help

^^^Whelk? Yay or nay?

As I mentioned in my previous post, "yay", but this is largely irrelevant. I am at work and don't have time to pull up more scholarly links but this thread on HF gives additional information

Predatory whelk?

I’ve seen a few of these, always on the rock. Wondering if they’re the predatory variety or not.

humble.fish

 

[VintageReefer]

This article is incorrect.
It was written when Nassarius snails (which are a type of whelk, by the way) were relatively new in the hobby and only a few species were being sold. Nowadays, it's extremely difficult to know what species of whelk someone is selling and quite often predatory types are mis-labled and sold as scavengers.

I recently purchased some from Saltwateraquarium.com that were pictured and labeled nassarius vibex, bur were actually olives or a very similar species. After a couple weeks of corresponding with Saltwater Aquarium, the best answer I got was "we can't control what our vendors collect" and "the website shouldn't list a species"... and yet, they still have snails listed as "LARGE Nassaurius Snail (Nassarius vibex)..." (vibex are always a smaller variety, so they're wrong on several levels!)

Unfortunately, it's really a crap shoot now with regard to "nassarius" snails.

For this reason…whenever I buy nassarius I make sure they are the ones with the bright white foot. Those are safe and as far as I know there is no “bad” version of them.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

For this reason…whenever I buy nassarius I make sure they are the ones with the bright white foot. Those are safe and as far as I know there is no “bad” version of them.

Buying in person is definitely easier than ordering online...

 

[Tamberav]

ALL WHELKS/NASSARIUS SNAILS HAVE AN OPERCULUM (trap door).

I think my welks is in a different spot but crap it’s been awhile since I looked at it. I could have swore it was closer to the shell? It is definitely tattood and nocturnal and never in the sand though. Doesn’t visibly bother anything though, thankfully as it also reproduces.

 

[areefer01]

If it helps my pistol shrimp is a walking osha violation. He will steal a frag and is constantly rescaping the tank with reckless abandon.

You do not want a repeat OSHA violation. Those can get expensive not to mention the possibility of being shut down or worse

 

[OSHA Violating Shrimp]

As I mentioned in my previous post, "yay", but this is largely irrelevant. I am at work and don't have time to pull up more scholarly links but this thread on HF gives additional information

Predatory whelk?

I’ve seen a few of these, always on the rock. Wondering if they’re the predatory variety or not.

humble.fish

This is helpful thank you. I don’t believe he’s a whelk as he lives exclusively in the sand. Someone else said olive nass and from what I’ve been reading around that seems like the right answer. Jury still out bough on if he’s dangerous for the tank or not. Doesn’t seem like there consensus on predatory habits. Thinking of taking him to my local to see if they have any insight.

 

[VintageReefer]

You’ll local LFS will have less knowledge than the people who chimed in here.

My honest belief is the shrimp died and the snail found him. One possibility. Pistol shrimp could have done that and been back in the cave in seconds. New shrimp wanders too close…pistol let’s put a snap. New shrimp is stunned…wobbles around or gets blown around in current. Then dies.

Not saying that happened but it’s a possibility I could see

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Someone else said olive nass and from what I’ve been reading around that seems like the right answer. Jury still out bough on if he’s dangerous for the tank or not. Doesn’t seem like there consensus on predatory habits. Thinking of taking him to my local to see if they have any insight.

Yeah, there's an unfortunate lack of info on N. oliveaceus' diet - I've seen it referred to as a predator in scholarly articles and I've seen numerous references from hobbyists/businesses, but looking at it, I don't think I've seen any evidence yet (scholarly or otherwise) of them taking live prey (which would be consistent with the rest of the genus).

Personally, at this point, I'm hesitant to say that it killed your shrimp, but I wouldn't be surprised to find if it's more aggressive of an opportunistic carnivore than other members of the genus (if for no other reason than its size).

 

[gbroadbridge]

Thinking of taking him to my local to see if they have any insight.

Some of the folks here most times have far better knowledge than most LFS

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

. I don’t believe he’s a whelk as he lives exclusively in the sand.

I can confidently tell you it IS a whelk!

 

[addictswife]

I’m devastated. We were so excited we just got a brand new fire shrimp for our small nano tank. We have a pistol shrimp and my concern was if they would get along. Never even thought to ask my LFS if my snail would be a murderer!!

How did this happen?! How did he catch the dang thing?! I’m not kidding this shrimp (RIP Ruby) was in my tank for less than 3 hours and now his corpse in front and center with a snail alien style wrapped around his face. Now I’m worried about everything else in my tank! Why did this happen? Genuinely I had no idea this was even a possibility. Can someone please enlighten as to Nassarius snail compatibility with reef tank buddies? The tanks been up for about 8 months now and I’ve never seen this happen. Honestly, normally, that snail is always asleep and usually totally buried in the sand. Our pistol shrimp is fine but he has a goby buddy for protection so maybe that’s why he’s alive.

I don’t understand! I’m so sad

My fish store told me a pistol shrimp will kill all other shrimp.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

My fish store told me a pistol shrimp will kill all other shrimp.

Your fish store is wrong. Do you mean mantis shrimp?