Has anyone had experience keeping a Triton trumpet (Charonia variegata)? This gastropod grows quite large . I've had one for 2 years. It was small, a one and a half inch long juvenile, when I collected it in the Caribbean. It is about 6 inches long now, and growing steadly. I'll probably donate it to a private aquarium for which I've collected local fish. It currently lives in a 90 gallon that it shares with an Anthias and a couple of small Gobies, so there is still plenty of room
The Charonia seems to eat only the small frozen starfish I collected for it in the summer, when they virtually carpet the bottom in local inlets where fishing boats dump the heads and entrails of their customer's catch. I've almost run through the approximately 100 common starfish I collected last summer. I've tried the equally common local sea urchins, but the Triton is not interested. It comes out of the rockwork with great speed when it smells a starfish, which it apparently can sense immediately, even though the starfish is barely thawed and out of sight.
This is a beautiful animal, far more brilliant in life than the shells often seen for sale. There is a picture of my Triton taken a year ago that you can see on my Public Profile page. I'd post it here, but I'm not very good at that sort of thing.
The Charonia seems to eat only the small frozen starfish I collected for it in the summer, when they virtually carpet the bottom in local inlets where fishing boats dump the heads and entrails of their customer's catch. I've almost run through the approximately 100 common starfish I collected last summer. I've tried the equally common local sea urchins, but the Triton is not interested. It comes out of the rockwork with great speed when it smells a starfish, which it apparently can sense immediately, even though the starfish is barely thawed and out of sight.
This is a beautiful animal, far more brilliant in life than the shells often seen for sale. There is a picture of my Triton taken a year ago that you can see on my Public Profile page. I'd post it here, but I'm not very good at that sort of thing.
