Check out my pretty pink snail! ID please

[Mathfreak71]

I really have no idea where this snail came from. I had an online order for cerith snails come when I had to leave town on an emergency and my brother-in-law put them in the tank for me. When I got back in town I noticed this pretty fella. I assumed it was a red-footed moon snail and I posted a thread on the new to hobby forum. But I have been told that is a wrong ID and I should post here to get a positive ID.

Thanks in advance. I hope he is ok to have in the tank. He is a nice looking snail.

 

[pagojoe]

It's a pretty snail, but it's probably predatory. I don't know if I've ever seen a fasciolariid that was so heavily encrusted, but I think that's what it's going to be, judging by the red animal. There's normally enough natural shell area visible around the aperture that the snail can be identified at least to the genus level, but yours is an exception to this rule. It's probably a Peristernia species, anyway.

Cheers,



Don

 

[Mathfreak71]

when you say predatory, what is its prey? snails, other inverts, fish? So your recommendation is to remove the snail?

 

[Elysia]

Math,

Don is the expert I hoped would see your snail, and his answer is what I worried it might be (I believe.) Although the shell is quite encrusted, the snail is likely a tulip conch or some related snail, and they prey on other snails. Depending on the species, they can also grow very large. I'm not certain how often a snail of that size would need to feed, but someone may be interested in serving its needs. If not, someone may be interested in using the snail as food for another captive critter (if death is certain, might as well feed another.)

 

[Mathfreak71]

well, unfortunately it sounds like I have a snail murder in my tank. So what next? Just remove him and let him die or does anyone know anyone who might want him.

So I will keep a look out for him and remove him the next time I get a chance. :-(

 

[gem_nut85]

almost all red or orange bodied snails eat other nails, i had a horse conch and he ate all my good snails so i threw him outside in the middle of winter as punishment, just wrap him in a plastic bag and toss.

 

[pagojoe]

Some of the snails in this family may feed on worms, and others on vermetid snails, neither of which is very objectionable to most aquarists, but most of them feed on other snails, as Gem and Elysia mentioned. Fasciolariids are the family of the Tulips and Horse Conchs, although there are a bunch of smaller snails in the family. The reason I think this one is a Peristernia is because it's fairly small and has the correct general shape. If it were still in the "growing" stage (i.e., a juvenile and not an adult) there would be a lot more of the natural shell visible on the aperture side. As the snails reach adulthood, the shell growth slows wayyy down or stops, and that is the only way a shell can become so heavily encrusted, even adjacent to the aperture. If you don't mind the possibility that he might eat some of your other snails, you can just leave him in the tank. If he becomes too much of a problem you can always remove him later.

Cheers,




Don

 

[ctenophors rule]

put him in a small tank(bowl with a bubbler w/ frequent water changes if you like)

put some algae, some snails, some worms, some coral, etc. until you figure out what it eats.

then sell it if you dont want it.

 

[pagojoe]

...or, you could just take him out of the tank, take a sharp, thin-bladed knife and carve away the encrustations, and we'd be able to ID him to the species level. Then we'd know what he eats