# Vampire snails? (or just demon possesed!)



## dansbdk (Mar 16, 2008)

Tonight, I witnessed a most curious thing that horrified me!
In my shimp tank I have Trumpet, & Pond snails. 
Brown, Blue, and Red Ramshorn snails. 
Also Spixi, and Apple snails. 
I noticed a Spixi looked like it was cleaning the shell of a Blue Ramshorn snail of algae until it got around to the Ramshorn's opening. 
The Ram violently withdrew as far into it's shell as it could possibly get when it sensed the Spixi outside. 
At that point the Spixi stuck it's head into the Ramshorn's shell, and started to suck the blood out of the Ramshorn! 
I could see the blood travel up into the Spixi as it drank! I couldn't believe my eyes! I had to seperate the two snails to keep the Spixi from drinking the Ramshorn to death! 
Has anyone else had an experience like this? 
Is this a freak occurance? or should Spixi's be kept in a tank by themselves?


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## cfreeman (Mar 19, 2008)

Hi, I am not a keeper of snails myself. However I have read of Spixi snails being predatory. Specifically I have seen comments from other snailkeepers about similar behavior of Spixi toward Ramshorns. It does seem like the Spixi's need to be separated.


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## dansbdk (Mar 16, 2008)

Thank you for answering!, 
I've done a search on the net for Spixi information, but found none about them being vampiric, or predatory. 
if anyone has any info links about spixis being predatory, please post them... I'm very curious to learn more about them.
I had 16 of them quarantineed(sp) in a 10 gallon tank with baby plattys but, for some reason they started dying off within a week. So I moved them to my new 39 gallon shrimp tank, and just recently added the Rams, now after 3 weeks this is happening.
I've already started rounding them up for deportation back to the quarantine (sp) tank.
Hmmm, Maybe I should get some holy water for that tank!?! 
(just kidding!)


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## jmontee (Feb 7, 2008)

Have you done any searches on the forums here? Also I know I have read something about this on aquariacentral.com.


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## cfreeman (Mar 19, 2008)

Hello,

Here is a thread from another forum where the topic is discussed. There is an observation which sounds remarkably similar to your experience. I hope this helps.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/general-planted-tank-discussion/54192-spixi-snails-preditory.html


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