Funny snail - you're doing it wrong

[PlantDude]

Caught this snail moving around upside down the other day during a water change.

[Dluxeshrimps]

I have seen this with all my snails. im assuming that's how they travel. But mine I have seen them kinda float upside down like that. Im guess that the tension of the water helps them float across the tank.

[PlantDude]

41 minutes ago, Dluxeshrimps said:

I have seen this with all my snails. im assuming that's how they travel. But mine I have seen them kinda float upside down like that. Im guess that the tension of the water helps them float across the tank.

Yeah that's what I thought too. But my mystery snails are chuncky for that type of movement haha

[ibebian]

Have you guys ever seen a snail use some sort of mechanism, perhaps something like a mucus thread to travel vertically similar to a spider traveling across their spun web? I thought I was imagining things but have seen it a handful of times now. And the "thread" was invisible and not something like hair algae. It blew my mind!

[ShrimpP]

Here are some reason Snails will skim the water surface;

To intake atmospheric air if dissolved oxygen levels in the water are low (at least snails with lungs will. Snails with only gills, just like fish, may still stay at the water surface just because dissolved oxygen levels are a little higher near the water surface where atmospheric exchange happens).

Or, to try and escape horrible water conditions (most actually don't leave and end up dying).

Or, they are feasting on the surface scum of microorganisms that are on the water surface protein film, or any other floating food they may find (usually not seen if there is surface agitation and the snails have been getting enough food).

 

They can control their buoyancy. You can see them float up to the water surface when they want to. You can even gently bump your finger into some snails and some will decide to float or sink.

[Shrimple minded]

Could swear I see the mini-ramshorn guys can control a bubble in their shell to go for a ride on the currents..........

[ibebian]

That makes sense and have seen that too, though what I was describing wasn't a buoyancy behavior, definitely a tethered type of thing going on since it was very slow and controlled. I'll try to grab a video of it next time.

[heatherbee]

Ramshorn snails go to the surface and put a pocket of air in their shells and their bodies absorb oxygen that way from what I've read.  I see one on the surface now and then both eating and seeming to glide slowly

[fernselvis]

I ve seen these in my tanks it's funny and they move fast. [emoji23]

Elvis

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[Mr. F]

11 hours ago, ShrimpP said:

...They can control their buoyancy. You can see them float up to the water surface when they want to. You can even gently bump your finger into some snails and some will decide to float or sink.

 

10 hours ago, Shrimple minded said:

Could swear I see the mini-ramshorn guys can control a bubble in their shell to go for a ride on the currents..........

 

9 hours ago, heatherbee said:

Ramshorn snails go to the surface and put a pocket of air in their shells and their bodies absorb oxygen that way from what I've read.  I see one on the surface now and then both eating and seeming to glide slowly

These are all good explanations, but if you put them all together you get the whole picture: 

Ramshorns, and certain other mollusk species, have developed an "air bladder"-like mechanism within their shells using their foot to alter pressure. This allows them in take in air from the surface of the water, leaves, and aeration, then compress the air bubble (to sink) then decompress it (to float). This allows them to magically float mid-water with neutral buoyancy- hypothesized to be functioning to help them travel more efficiently in the water current. 

[Vpier]

18 hours ago, ibebian said:

Have you guys ever seen a snail use some sort of mechanism, perhaps something like a mucus thread to travel vertically similar to a spider traveling across their spun web? I thought I was imagining things but have seen it a handful of times now. And the "thread" was invisible and not something like hair algae. It blew my mind!

All the time in my RCS tank.

[ibebian]

All the time in my RCS tank.

Really? And not the floating mechanism also talked about here right? So it's not just me being crazy? [emoji12]

Do you know how they do that?

[Vpier]

Skimming the surface upside down,floating and the mucus thread.

[Mr. F]

9 hours ago, ibebian said:

Really? And not the floating mechanism also talked about here right? So it's not just me being crazy?

Do you know how they do that?

They do produce a lot of mucus and you could definitely be seeing that.