Orange spotted nessarius

[JKDMan]

I just got this orange spotted nessarius snail at my LFS, after which i was talking to a buddy who reefs too. He mentioned that some snails eat sleeping fish....Since i just got a juvi queen angel i obviously dont want this to occur.
Are the orange spotted nessarius safe to be around the juvinile fish or should i move him to the fuge.
Thanks

 

[Calappidae]

Is he confusing them with cone snails? I believe they're just detrius scavengers.

Whelks are another type of gastropod that are predatory which look nearly exactly like nassarius. Just be sure he isn't a whelk (provide some pictures firstly so we can ID him) and he'll not harm a fly.

 

[Betta132]

Nassarius (Nasserious - I dunno how you spell it) are harmless scavengers, however there are similar-looking snails (whelks) that can eat clams. Cone snails are the fish-eaters...
A picture would be good, yes. I've never heard of them being orange-spotted, all the ones I've seen weren't really patterned at all.

 

[JKDMan]

front and back

 

[Mael]

Looks like mine, except mine are a grey/white pattern on the shell instead of orange. very peaceful snails if it is indeed a regular nassarius

 

[Betta132]

Looks like just a patterned nassarius, yes. Very pretty.
If you ever find him sitting on top of a dead fish and eating it, don't worry, it was dead when he got there. These guys are just really fast to smell dead things, that may be why some people think they killed the fish. These snails are kind of like vultures, they don't kill things... They can't, they just have a straw for a mouth.

 

[Calappidae]

I'd like to hear Don's thoughts on this..

I've seen those snails described as whelk like in the past.. I personally ain't 100% sure.


Cone snails are the fish eaters and people killers. Glad there are very few cases of them as hitchhikers and nobody will collect/sell one.

 

[JKDMan]

My concern is that it is a whelk and not a nassarius.
I read that whelks will have a bony plate on their tails so they can completly close their shells. IDK how reliable this info is. ive seen snails with the plate on their tails too? More info is needed.
I have put him in my fuge until i can get a solid ID of it.
Cheers

 

[Betta132]

Nassarius also have that plate, don't worry.
From what I've seen, whelks have a slimmer 'foot', whereas nassarius have a really wide foot. As long as you don't have any clams, I don't think you have a problem.

 

[pagojoe]

Yeah, it's not a Nassarius, it's a Babylonia species. Until a few years ago they were lumped with the true whelks, but they now have their own family, Babyloniidae. They usually scavenge, but have been known to kill living animals. If your juvi angel were hiding, and just sat there while the snail crawled on it, it might be able to kill it. Seems unlikely that this would happen, but I'm not sure how a hiding angel might behave?

Cheers,


Don

 

[JKDMan]

maybe ill just keep him in my fuge then

 

[Calappidae]

maybe ill just keep him in my fuge then

Good idea, shifts the sand and can't hurt nothing down there.

 

[fishy.22]

That is one cool snail. Too bad it's a threat.
Thanks for sharing.