I purchased a cowrie snail from the LFS a few months ago, very cool snail if you have never had one. I noticed it was grazing on my green star polyps which I didn't really mind at first until he ate most of it and then moved on to one of my new zoanthid frags, he ate all 8 polyps. the cowrie found a new home in my sump and I learned the LFS doesn't always know exactly what there livestock is because there are a few types of cowries that are reef safe. Just wondering if anyone else has expereinced this with a cowrie snail. Also lets here stories about things LFS has told you that has ended in bad results and also what the LFS said when you told them about there bad advice.
cowrie snail munching on everything
- Thread starter FUA
- Start date
herpboyben
New member
any pics?
fusica
New member
What kind of cowrie you have?
I have the Arabica cowrie, 2 inch big for 2 months. Bought it to eat my red slime algae.
It knock coral off but never bother my gsp, xenia, mushrooms.
I saw it with my own eyes when it grazing on my GSP, it don't eat them. The gsp just closed and wont come out till later day. I also have 5 inch purple Condy, i saw it eating close to it but dont touch it. It been running around my tank for 2 months and i have a small 20 gallon long tank.
I have 3 colony of zoa, haven't seen it touch it yet, i hope the Arabica cowrie don't eat zoa.
Please show pics or tell me the description what ur cowrie look like?
Does it have polka dot motif on its top shell? or god ring on it?
Arabica cowrie look like this
Arabica Cowrie
So far i can make sure it don't eat xenia, GSP, ricordea yuma, ricordea florida, dendro, condy anemone.
Just bought a frag of acan, and 3 zoas colony. i will find out he eat it or not. Will report later. I like cowries they are beautiful move fast and work hard. But i will take him out if he touch my precious zoas.
I have the Arabica cowrie, 2 inch big for 2 months. Bought it to eat my red slime algae.
It knock coral off but never bother my gsp, xenia, mushrooms.
I saw it with my own eyes when it grazing on my GSP, it don't eat them. The gsp just closed and wont come out till later day. I also have 5 inch purple Condy, i saw it eating close to it but dont touch it. It been running around my tank for 2 months and i have a small 20 gallon long tank.
I have 3 colony of zoa, haven't seen it touch it yet, i hope the Arabica cowrie don't eat zoa.
Please show pics or tell me the description what ur cowrie look like?
Does it have polka dot motif on its top shell? or god ring on it?
Arabica cowrie look like this
Arabica Cowrie
So far i can make sure it don't eat xenia, GSP, ricordea yuma, ricordea florida, dendro, condy anemone.
Just bought a frag of acan, and 3 zoas colony. i will find out he eat it or not. Will report later. I like cowries they are beautiful move fast and work hard. But i will take him out if he touch my precious zoas.
sorry mate, i just let mine munch on algae in my sump.....i just looked up tiger cowrie in a book i have and it stated that there diet is strictly vegetarian....but I guess it couldnt hurt to try and see if it would munch on a silver side, i mean it did eat my zoa polyps......let us know what happens....
mine has been in the refugium portion of my sump since june and i don;t do anything special for it. sometimes a drop an algae wafer in the refugium for him and the snails. they are cool to watch but like i said mine grazed all but a little of my GSP and a whole patch of my new $40 zoa polyps.
