Cone Snails

Here is a better representative of it going by pattern of the shell:



I have it sitting next to me in the bottle. if only I had my camera with me.

As for keeping it, if it turns out to be a poisonous one I will probably get rid of it or find someone that wants it locally.

 

Looks like on from the Sea of Cortez judging by the endemic Red Head Goby being eaten. I doubt you got that one as no one is shipping Conus out of that sea currently nor have they in years

There is a huge difference between that one and the picture you posted above it though

Please do snap a pic, that would be very helpful.

 

On my crappy digital camera it comes out blurry on macro. The markings don't come up on the camera at all. I wish I had a better camera. It honestly does look like the photo of the one w/ the goby. This wouldn't be the first time that someone got an off the wall hitchhiker that beat the odds of making it into an aquarium.

Maybe I'll set up a nano just for it and take a photo when it gets bigger. As of now, it will not be going back in my tank.

 

Given there is nothing being shipped that it could be a hitchhiker on from the Sea of Cortez, again, I highly doubt it It would have to travel from the Eastern pacific against major oceanic currents to get to a location nearly 1/3 the way around the planet to find a spot it could be collected at. Highly highly unlikely. Stuff arrives there but the current doesn't lend itself to seeding western pacific.

 

I visually check everything that enters my tank. I place it in a small 5 gallon for a few hours to see if anything crawls off then I inspect frags, corals, and rock again before being placed in my tank. I did not do this for the initial rock I placed in my tank. I don't think it is a "new" hitchhiker. 40% of my rock is about 10 years old and has been in another system for 8 of those years.

Maybe I should just ship it to you for an ID. It worth paying USPS for priority mail to id the bugger. I'll have the boss try to get a better photo of it when she gets home.

 

I'm not saying it's not a hitchhiker.

What color is the flesh? White? Pink? Brown? Tan? That will help somewhat. We did sell a ton of the pink bubble gum conus for 6 years up until 2005 or so. Those guys are totally safe. (got the PM as I was writing this, thanks )

 

The flesh on the foot is white, but the coloring of the flesh on the other side of the foot is tannish brown. It is very small so it is hard to tell exactly what you should call the color of it. i can't even see patterns on it. When it moves it seems to stick out small tentacles. They somewhat look like a kenya tree.

 

he said this one was eating a snail.

 

I forgot about that. Does that help id it.
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It's funny how we all like different things. 3Reefer Tigerlilly keeps predatory snails in her sump and target feeds them. 3Reefer Pagojoe is an expert on snails and has discovered and named several. Here's his article on Conus http://www.manandmollusc.net/conewars/conewars.html