Gastropods

[Aquatic Hamster]

I am very lucking to be living on the Florida gulf. I am also very lucky to have my backyard as an intercoastal waterway with mangrove areas. I see univalves cruzing the area like Fasciolaria lilium hunteria (banded tulip), Melongena corona (crown conch), Family Fasciolariidae (horse conch) and Busycon sinistrum (lighting welk). I'm sure if I dug in the mud a little I could find various augers as well.

On the gulf beach side of the island (two blocks away) I have found Busycon sinistrum (lighting welk) and Strombus alatus (florida fighting conch).

Two completely different enviornments only two blocks apart. And I find them both very interesting.

My question is can these univalves survive in an aquarium assuming the aquarium enviornment is being built specificly for them? Where could I learn more to build an aquatic enviornment for them? Does anybody have any suggestions or experiences on building a system (or 2) for such creatures?

 

[Snail Guy]

Hey Aquatic Hamster,

Welcome to Reef Central!

Most aquarists consider the above species, excepting the herbivorous Strombus, to be pests within reef systems ("not reef safe"). They are prey upon their "beneficial" snails, worms, etc.

Truth is, most marine snails are very easy to keep. I even have a couple of very simple 2-gallon setups which always have a few small snails. With these, I perform routine 100% water changes, using natural seawater. Other than that, it's just a matter of providing for proper diet and environment.

There is also a lot of discussion about snails being sensitive to salinity and temperature. And, for the most part, I agree. Both are very simple to keep in check.

That said, many snails can live a very long time. Do a little research for the species you want to keep and give it a go!

I also recommend that you look up you contact the shell club in your area. The St. Petersburg Shell Club. I'm sure you'll find the members are great bunch.
Keep us posted!

Cheers,
Bob