Cowrie snail question

[rydr119]

I have a decent size Cowrie snail in my reef tank and I have lost a few small frags that past few days for unknown reasons. I have had a Galaxia that is all of a sudden half skeleton and the part thats left is open and looks normal. I found the Cowrie on this coral tonight after my light went off and I can't help but think maybe its eating my corals. Do they do this or are they totally vegetarian?

 

[lorawalters13]

What type of cowrie? Many are not reef safe.

 

[rydr119]

I have no idea it's brown. I think it might be a deer cowrie. I had no idea that they weren't reef safe. I asked before I bought it and I was told it was, but now I don't think it is.

 

[pagojoe]

They're not totally vegetarian, but they usually don't eat corals. Big ones often bulldoze the things in your tank, and that is the most common complaint against Tiger Cowries. I've never heard of a Deer Cowry being accused of anything objectionable. Is it a Pacific Deer Cowry or an Atlantic Deer Cowry? How large is it?

http://www.gastropods.com/8/Shell_98.html
http://www.gastropods.com/7/Shell_517.html
http://www.gastropods.com/6/Shell_46.html
http://www.gastropods.com/5/Shell_515.html

Cheers,



Don

 

[rydr119]

Well I caught it and but it into another tank I have set up for the mean time. This is a picture I just took.

 

[pagojoe]

Ah OK, that's an Arabian Cowry. It's more of a generalist feeder than most cowry species, and lives in a lot of different habitats. It is liable to taste of just about anything it encounters as it grazes around your tank, but this species is normally considered to be reef safe. It is one of the species that is likely to bulldoze your newly-attached frags, though. They've been known to live over twenty years in captivity.

I'd be surprised if you got an individual that decided it liked Galaxia, but I reckon it's not impossible...I wonder if anyone else on here has had them eat things they objected to? Arabian Cowries are one of the four most common species kept in reef tanks, surely some other people have had experiences with them? I kept several over the years, mine never bothered anything...but I never had Galaxia in my tank, either

Cheers,



Don

 

[rydr119]

Wow 20 years lol I had no idea they lived that long. Now I can't be sure if this cowrie was the culprit for my galaxia but it was half gone and I watched for anything bothering it after the lights went out and the Cowrie was on this coral and then next morning the galaxia was completely gone. So the cowrie can live in my other tank for now. Thanks for all the info.
Gina

 

[gjm258]

I have a cowrie that ate my green star polyps. I think it's a money cowrie.