# Lost nerite snail



## LNicho (Jan 31, 2012)

Hello, 

I've lost my nerite snail. 

I found it in the sand a few days ago after it disappeared for a week. It was still alive and it began crawling as if nothing happened. 
Now it is lost again. I looked through all of the sand, and didn't find it. 
Should I wait for it to appear? What would you recommend? 

Thank you!


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## eklikewhoa (Aug 29, 2006)

It buried itself alive?
I would say maybe it threw itself out the tank to dry in another attempt at suicide?


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

I couldn't find my nerite in my tank for ~1week as well. Thought it was stupid and got stuck in the cholla wood and starved to death :\. Got a few more nerites and the lost one came out to join it's new friends. Weird. I know nerites sometimes like to burrow a TINY bit in the sand and just stay there.

What nerite do you have? I have olive nerites that almost fully blend in with my black substrate.


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## JshineTX84 (Jun 20, 2010)

I would not worry about the nerite. i have 3 in my 55 and im lucky if one is out and visible at any given time. They are good at staying hidden.


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## wetworks (Jul 22, 2011)

I have found them attached to the splash guard for my light, which is almost 6 inches from the top of the water. And on the floor. I have two tanks on the same stand that both had 5 nerites in them; now the bottom one has 7 and the top one only has 3. I find them in my filters (HOB) all the time. They are especially mobile little animals.


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## LNicho (Jan 31, 2012)

diwu13 - I have black substrate as well. My nerite is a gold-striped zebra variety. It showed up well against the black, so I knew pretty quickly when it was gone.

wetworks - That's amazing! I'm inclined to think that the snails would stay put in the water, since they are aquatic creatures. I will check my filter tomorrow. I know the pond snails like it in there.


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## jasonpatterson (Apr 15, 2011)

Nerites are definitely amphibious snails. They are found along coastlines in the wild, and spend much of their time out of the water entirely. Mine love to climb up into my HoB outlet and sit 90% out the water with just their feet wet. Another will climb up onto the very top edge of my rimless and hang out for a few hours before returning to the water. I used to move them back into the water when I saw them, but I'm more likely to hurt them by forcing them from their perch than by leaving them be.


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## azjenny (Dec 2, 2011)

My bigger ones stay out most of the time but my small horned nerite buries himself halfway in the sand and stays there for days. Then he gets up and moves around like nothing, so I probably wouldn't worry. From what I've heard if they're dead you'd know it by smell...


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## zergling (May 16, 2007)

I have around 15, every few days or so, I'll see one exploring the outside of the tank


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## LNicho (Jan 31, 2012)

I've checked in the filter, in plants, and in all of the sand and it seems to be gone. If it's gone for another few weeks I'll call it gone for good. I may try shifting the sand again, thats the only place I think it could be. Thank you all for your helpful comments!


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## tbarabash (May 18, 2011)

I bought 3 nerites about 4 months ago and put them in my 36g bowfront, one of them died a day or two later, the others I haven't seen once since. THey used to hang upside down on the tank lid but I went lidless now I've never seen them. I've searched far and wide around the tank for jump crawlers and they aren't there so I assume they're hiding keepign themselves busy somewhere in the tank


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## LNicho (Jan 31, 2012)

I found it ! 

It was buried in the sand again, and again by the airstone. I will no longer keep nerites in a tank with sand! 
It is now in a 3 gallon with my betta. This tank has a lid and gravel, so I don't expect any more sinking or escaping. It took a while to come out of it's shell this time, but it is now active once more. Thank you for your help!


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## GDP (Mar 12, 2011)

well ...... personally I wouldnt worry about it, if it keeps doing it. Must be a reason it is doing it.


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## Luke13 (Jan 23, 2017)

Maybe you just have a really clean tank and it's digging for food?


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## MtAnimals (May 17, 2015)

I put 2 black racer nerites in a 20 gallon,with eco complete.They spend their days buried in it.there's a little GSA on the back side of the tank,and every morning I see tracks in it.I think they might just be nocturnal.


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## D.Farci (Mar 15, 2016)

Check the floor around your tank. It's very possible and likely that the snail found its way out of the tank. They can live for a while outside of water, but it's not great for them to be there long term.


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## Jeffww (Aug 6, 2010)

I would imagine 5 years wandering the house would not do it much good.


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