With the exception of one group, whelks are not animals that are, or should be, welcome in a normal reef aquarium. The exceptional whelks that do well in reef aquaria, and which are good neighbors to all animals in the reef tank, are the nassariids. These animals, mostly in the genus Nassarius, but also including a few other small genera, are typical whelks in all regards except their diets. They are specialized to eat only carrion. In reef tanks, they eat excess meaty food before it can rot, and they eat recently deceased or dying organisms. Probably as a result of their specialization upon carrion, which in nature is found on the surface of sediments, nassariids typically have a proportionally shorter proboscis than other whelks. They can't reach deep into spaces to eat worms, nor can they drill holes through clam shells. They can, however, and do clean up excessive meaty foods very efficiently.
