Are Cowries Reef Safe?

[PACHY-FAN]

I am having an algae problem and on a whim I bought a Cowrie at my LFS. The clerk said that it will take care of the algae situation and is reef safe. He didnt sound too sure though. There were several things dealing with corals that I had to explain to him which illicits this doubt. He was very lacking in the information department.
So are Cowries reef safe? Your responses r greatly appreciated. Thanx

 

[Bchlocal]

Cowries are not reef safe. You will find many that have had no problems with them after a year or so but then one day wake up and their prized zoanthids had become dinner. While they are young they make excellent algae grazers but then after they mature it seems their palette leans towards meaty items. Some will tell you that if you keep it full with parts of silver sides or shrimp they wont turn to your corals but IMO why take the chance?

 

[Joe Pusdesris]

There are many species of Cowrie, and each is different in its eating habbits. What algae? In my experience long spine urchins are the best for most green algaes provided your tank is large enough for them.

 

[smaug1]

I have an arbian cowry . If its eating algae I aint seein the difference! I do think he snacked on some tiny zoa babys the other night and Im watching him close now. IMO,they arent worth having.

 

[donya]

It is bad to generalize with cowries. There are coral-eaters, but others can be model citizens IF well-fed, even though they are omnivores. Many cowries are NOT kept in a well-fed state (they eat a lot!), so it is therefore not surprising that many people observe them doing undesirable things. As an example, the only possible hiccup in the behavior of a Cypraea tigris I have had for 5+ years was during a month where it had to forgo its usual supplemental feedings for tank catastrophe reasons. A toadstool leather showed up with some awfully cowrie-mouth-shaped nibbles on it during that event.

This is a very good thread on cowries (scroll to pagojoe's post)
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1428882

I would strongly discourage you from getting something like a tiger cowrie (or even the smaller species) purely for algae control purposes. Once the algae dissappears, if it is even a species the cowrie is interested in, you will have to target feed it. If you don't want the cowrie for the sake of having a cowrie, look into other grazing species or, better yet, attack the algae at the nutrient level instead to eliminate the cause rather than treating the symptom.

 

[adnup]

I am having an algae problem and on a whim I bought a Cowrie at my LFS

What LFS was this? Your best bet in Tampa, IMO, is to go see John at fish and other Ichthy stuff in oldsmar. Excess nutrients will cause your algae problem. The best remedy is to get your nitrates and phosphates down. Water changes, GFO, carbon etc...