I've come back to start a new game after not playing for a long time. I just bought a snail and it is nowhere to be found... any thoughts? It's always been very easy to find before.

The snail is not always easy to find. It's small and easily blends in with the tank. Since there is one snail in each tank, try switching tanks and checking there. The snail can be anywhere from the glass on the sides of the tank to the gravel on the bottom.

thanks - found it.