More help with id

[cal7212]

Was collecting shells at the beach and somehow I aquired a little crab and what looks like a conch.. before I attempt to do amything other than put them back from whence they came what might they be and are they reef safe..I have a 5 gallon tank with a hermite, tricolor anemone and some zoas... live rock and live sand....the crab is .75 inches across and the "conch" is about 3 inches... thank you in advance

 

[kiko81]

The crab cant tell by the pic what kind it is or if reef safe. The other is a conch. The conch is reef safe. Does guys will just bury itself in the sand scavenging for food. I wouldn't mess with the crab. What area of the world did you pick this guys from?

 

[pagojoe]

Yes, don't know about the crab, but the "conch" is indeed a conch, Strombus alatus. It's the same "Fighting Conch" you'd buy from the suppliers, and should be completely safe. Kiko, that's the Florida/Gulf Coast variant, with the weaker knobs.

Cheers,



Don

 

[cal7212]

Will he work in the 5 gallon tank?

 

[Betta132]

Your tank is too small for a conch, they need a large sandbed to scavenge off of.
I wouldn't trust the crab... Probably will eat coral.
You should probably just put them back

 

[pagojoe]

It will work in a 5 gallon tank if you live close enough to the beach to put in a little of the local vegetation occasionally.


Don

 

[kiko81]

Yes, don't know about the crab, but the "conch" is indeed a conch, Strombus alatus. It's the same "Fighting Conch" you'd buy from the suppliers, and should be completely safe. Kiko, that's the Florida/Gulf Coast variant, with the weaker knobs.

Cheers,

Ahhh. Right on. Good to know. Thanks bud.


Don

 

[cal7212]

All critters have been safely returned...I dont have a problem keeping them if I can do it safely, which is why I ask those in the know.... thank you all for your input... thankfully I live close to the beach..makes the hobby pretty interesting...

 

[cal7212]

@kiko I live in tampa and found these guys in the gulf on siesta key near sarasota