Snail ID?

[Boca Kris]

I've had this snail for about 2 or 3 years, just wondering if it was good or bad? I've had some dissappearing zoos and polyps over the years, never could figure out what caused it. I was able to isolate this little guy so I wanted to make sure he was ok before put him back in. Otherwise, I'm taking him to the inlet and setting him free!

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[Anemonebuff]

Whelk. No good.

http://www.melevsreef.com/id/whelk.html

 

[Boca Kris]

Wow! I never knew!
Do they eat anything like zoos or other softies?

 

[noahm]

typically just mollusks IME. I have a handful in my 125 and never had them eat zoas. maybe a crab hiding somewhere. Even one of my mithrax was caught yanking the skirts off of zoas.

 

[Boca Kris]

is that the hairy kind? Cause I have one of those two...he has black tipped claws and I have NO idea how to get him out, he's very shy!! Maybe he ate my zoos and some other green polyp things?

 

[ludnix]

That sounds like a gorilla crab which are notorious pests. You could try propping a glass jar up against a rock with some bait at the bottom. Ideally the crab will go for the bait and be unable to climb out of the smooth glass jar's walls.

 

[Boca Kris]

At night, so the fish wont swim in there and grab it? Does it really work?

 

[greenbean36191]

Just FWIW, no animals from your tank should ever go back to the inlet. That's how we get invasive species. If you don't want it, give it away or kill it.

 

[espocrespo]

its weird looking but it shell blends in with the rocks lol, cuz of the coraline

 

[Anemonebuff]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15263754#post15263754 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Boca Kris
Wow! I never knew!
Do they eat anything like zoos or other softies?

Usually not, however, they can feed on other things when their regular diet is exhausted.

 

[Boca Kris]

So my new zoos that my wife surprised me with should be safe with the crab?

 

[YoungReefer06]

Like greenbean said, NEVER, let anything from your tank go into the wild. It can have horrible consequences.

 

[luther1200]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15264287#post15264287 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Boca Kris
At night, so the fish wont swim in there and grab it? Does it really work?

I tried it to get my trouble crab out and it worked in 10 minutes, no exageration. My 6-line did get a few bites off of the piece of shrimp I put in there, but he left once the crab got close. But at night would probably work better. I would just try to watch itat first so he doesn't slip out. I doubt he could but you never know. The crab in my tank was almost 3", so he might have been able to get out of the jar I used. I didn't realize how big he was.

 

[luther1200]

Looking at that picture closer I am not sure its a Whelk. I thought it was at first, but then I noticed its "tail". I thought on Whelks the foot didn't extend past the shell like a Nassarius?

 

[greenbean36191]

Yes, it is a whelk. Nassarius is simply a genus of whelks in a particular family made up mostly of scavengers. This snail is not in that family, and is a predator.

 

[brad burditt]

well its a start three dollar snail or twenty dollar rock with zoo's i had the same problem but i had a different snail so i put him in the sump

 

[luther1200]

Yes, you are right. Thanks for the info.

 

[redfishsc]

Re: Snail ID?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15263589#post15263589 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Boca Kris
IOtherwise, I'm taking him to the inlet and setting him free!

:thumbdown

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15265410#post15265410 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by greenbean36191
Just FWIW, no animals from your tank should ever go back to the inlet. That's how we get invasive species. If you don't want it, give it away or kill it.

:thumbsup:

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15277381#post15277381 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by YoungReefer06
Like greenbean said, NEVER, let anything from your tank go into the wild. It can have horrible consequences.

:thumbsup:








I know it's tempting to toss him in the inlet. Personally I'd just freeze him and let the hermits eat him and take his shell.