Tropical Fish Forum

Tropical Fish Keeping => Invertebrates - Shrimps and Snails => Topic started by: ledbelly on August 15, 2018, 11:06:34 PM

Title: Baby rabbit snail eating live guppy
Post by: ledbelly on August 15, 2018, 11:06:34 PM
Not sure where to post this one as its a bit of weird one!

I got 6 new guppies for the tank this week. Today I woke up and found a baby rabiit snail anchored down on one of the guppies tail and had completley eaten it!  There was at best 10 percent of the tail left. His body was full of colour and looked normal.

I separated them and the guppy swaw away, but died a few hours after. He was fine the night before but obviously something happended.

We have had the odd sick fish before but never had snails predate them whilst they were still alive. Even with poorly fish they still have a bit of live when others poke around and escape for solace. This was a tiny rabbit snail doing the bad stuff!

Anyone else had this experience?
Title: Re: Baby rabbit snail eating live guppy
Post by: Hampalong on August 16, 2018, 05:41:18 AM
Snails are opportunists. If a fish is lying on the bottom and a snail can wander onto its tail it will. The bigger question is why was the guppy dying...?
Title: Re: Baby rabbit snail eating live guppy
Post by: TopCookie on August 16, 2018, 10:53:36 AM
That's a weird one, for sure... 
Title: Re: Baby rabbit snail eating live guppy
Post by: fcmf on August 17, 2018, 06:24:05 PM
I searched on google for "snails eating live fish" and an interesting thread pops up from elsewhere - seems as though it can happen.

In terms of the guppy's colouring looking normal, I've discovered this year that that isn't necessarily a good indicator of health or otherwise - I've had two fatalities this year (x-ray tetras) and each one retained their fin colouring when dead (one having died overnight, the other likely several days beforehand).