Money Cowry

[bclaus]

I recently bought some Money Cowries from my LFS and I am super excited about them, because from what I have read they are going to be great at getting my hair algae problem under control. Plus, they look pretty cool. My question is, how do I know if they Cowries I was given are actually alive? I know they are nocturnal (so I've read) and maybe I'm just being a bit impatient, but I would like to know if I've been given dead ones... Does their shell lose color when they die? Does it lose shininess? Do I just have to wait and see if these guys pop out and make an appearance?
Any thoughts or guidance is appreciated.
Thanks guys!!

 

[eastlake]

Look in your tank with a flashlight in the morning before the sun comes up and the lights come on and you should see them on the glass or rocks. You most likely won't see that wonderful shell of theirs though, what you'll likely see is a black/grey blob with similarly colored protrusions, that's the mantle. It covers the shell when they're out and about and accounts for why the shells of coweries are so shiny. I have two myself and never see them during daylight hours, but, the tell tale munch marks through the algae on the glass tell me that they're still there, also when I look for them in the morning when everything is still dark.

 

[bclaus]

Thanks for the reply.
I made note of where they were before lights out last night, and they are in the same place this morning... all 5 of them Looks like I bought some duds.

 

[eastlake]

Try to pick them up out of the water, you shouldn't have to wait long to know if they're dead or not. Dead snails are an odor I won't soon forget. Are you sure that they're money coweries? I only ask because in the past I've seen chestnut coweries offered for sale before that were labeled as money coweries, some stores will label anything what it comes in as even if its not correct. The difference between the two is not subtle aside from size, the chestnuts are mostly brown and the money have a distinct ring. The chestnuts are also a cooler water species so if it was them warmer temperatures would account for their passing. If they were indeed money coweries, were they moving around when you put them in? Were they stuck to the walls of the aquarium when you bought them? Are the other inverts, including other snails, in your tank doing fine? How long were they at the store? I'm sure they didn't have a lot to graze on between wholesaler and retailer so they also could've been to starved before you got them to make it as well.

 

[bclaus]

Hey Eastlake, yea they are the money cowries. They have the ring on top of the shell. I am certain they are dead now as it's been a couple of days and there has been no movement from any of them. I don't think the store had them for long as they were still in a floater box. They didn't stick to the bag when I started floating in my tank, and when I completed the transfer into my tank, they just sunk to the bottom. I had never seen these or heard of them before, so I thought that was just what they do. But after some research, I realize I was wrong. All other inverts are doing fine. I originally had 3 emerald crab and 6 blue legged hermits, and I have only had 1 emerald that is missing (either dead somewhere, or hiding in the rocks).
I opted to get the cowries opposed to the turbo snails because the snails never seemed to last long in my tank, even though I have plenty of algae for them to eat. But I guess I need to re-evaluate my options again.
If you have any input as to what snails would be a good substitute, I would be super appreciative. I have a 28 gallon nano tank with a bit of a hair algae problem

 

[eastlake]

I mean, you hit the nail on the head with wanting the money coweries as they are wonderful algae eaters and stay a perfect size for the tank you have, I've always had a problem finding them for sale in my area though and that's why I only have three. If you can find top crown snails (Astrea undoza) I would get maybe one for the size tank you have as they get a decent size, though not huge, and are hands down the most voracious algae eating snail I've ever encountered, I once had six scrape my 150 gallon clean then had to re-home them so they wouldn't starve. Also, talk to the shop you got them from. Maybe they'll make good on getting you some replacements or order in some more for you.