nassirius snail question

[roseselene]

Hi! We have 2 nassirius (sp?) snails in our 55 gallon tank with a sand bed of 4-5 inches. I'm curious....they spend quite a bit of time under the sand, and sometimes I lose sight of that little "snout" that they send up above the sand. So I began to wonder if they move around underneath the sand competely buried...or do they only move when they are up on top of the sand? Not, that it really matters, I'm just curious.
Thanks!!

 

[WannaBeReefer]

Good question, I often wondered myself.

 

[mark78]

flashlight at 1am might answer that

 

[roseselene]

how would a flashlight help me tell if they can move around under the sand?

 

[Anonymous]

My nassirius snails pop out after dark. They tend to search for food on the top of the sand. Then when they are done, they dig themselves in. 'Also notice when I put some food in the tank they pop back out. They have a pretty good sense for food, I might add!
~wings~

 

[mark78]

If they move under the sand the space they take up has to displace somewhere, I'd think you would see sand moving above them as they move. You may also catch one coming or going through the sand.

 

[roseselene]

Yes! I've noticed that they have a keen sense for food...I find them to be very interesting creatures...if only I saw them more often.
as far as watching them at 1 am....i am afraid that i am never up at that time. My 17 month old goes to sleep at 10:30ish and that's all i can take...i'm off to bed at that time too.

 

[SpicyBalls]

they probably can move under the sand but to my observations, they move fairly quickly above the sand.. they usually come out at night
_________________
Mercedes Limousine W126

 

[Anonymous]

I love how mine will pop out of the sand when I drop meaty food into the tank. Like night of the living dead

 

[ricky1414]

FWIW, mine rarely move under the sand, they just sit there till feeding time.