Cowrie - Firend or Foe?

[karburn]

I inherited a cowry snail some months ago from someone who was getting out of the hobby. I'd always thought that they were a benign alga eater, but I wonder. Although I've never seen it actually chew on any corals, it regularly crawls across them - and the Caulastreafurcata does NOT like getting stomped on.

It's a fascinating animal, but I'm just concerned about it's long term compatibility, as it grows larger. Any thought or links to information sources are appreciated.

Thanks as always,

KEVIN

 

[Anthony Calfo]

Hmmm... we need a species ID here, bud.

Some cowries are fiercely carnivorous... others are wonderfully dedicted herbivores. Plenty fall in between (opportunistic feeders).

In general, they are a terrible creature for reef tanks... even the "safe" ones tend to grow large and clumsy.

Lets ID first though.

Start with a 'Net search of the genus Cypraea

Best regards,

Anthony

 

[karburn]

and the winner is: Cypraea dispersia. The search turned up a great web site dedicated to Cypraea ID. The closest match was this one. Going purely on memory, I recall that the tank that this specimen came from was littered with (ulp!) snail shells. Recently occupied ones? :eek2: Perhaps the safest thing to do is remove it to a small tank of it's own or find someone that would like to have a Cypraea.

It's a novelty, but I can't afford any damage because of it.

Thanks,

K

 

[Anthony Calfo]

Glad to hear of the ID, my friend... indeed... play it safe and remit the cowrie to another aquarium/friend/club member that would enjoy a hearty scavenger. They really are beautiful. Just not reef-appropriate.

For the benefit of others that read this post in the future, would you please post a link to that great Cowrie website you found?

Thanks kindly,

Anthony

 

[karburn]

WEb link to Cowrie ID

WEb link to Cowrie ID

This is the site I used for the preliminary ID. Be careful, because you may have to adjust your browser settings to navigate:

http://www.cypraea.net/



Also, there is another site for a shell dealer: http://www.cowries.info that might have some new species.

 

[Anthony Calfo]

Thanks for the link, Kev...

Note to all... the actual hyperlink above has the prefix "http:" repeated in it and will not lead to the correct page (no worries Kev... glitch )

The website listed is correct though if you type it in as listed:

http://www.cypraea.net

Best regards to all,

Anthony