cone snails?

are there any with solid pattern shells?
is it safe to be in your tank if you think you have one or is it the direct sting that carries the venom?
wouldent all your snails be dead if you did have one?
can triggers eat them?
when do they hunt?

 

I would say they aren't really safe to have. They can kill fish too, not just other snails. I'm not sure about ones in captivity but the wild ones have venom that can kill you. I guess the smaller species aren't as bad. The largest cone snails are pretty dangerous. Its not like a foxface or fangtooth blenny where the sting is more like a bee sting. But yeah, you have to close to them to get stung, and they are snails so thy don't move fast.

 

PM Pagojoe

Don is a published expert on conus snails.

 

There are quite a few with solid-colored shells. None of them are harmful unless they manage to harpoon you. Most cone snails are worm eaters, and a few eat fish. None of those would bother your snails, and none of the worm eaters are known to be harmful to humans. There are a few dozen species that will eat other snails, and some of these can be potentially dangerous to humans. The deadliest ones are the ones that eat fish. Triggers will eat the tiny juveniles, but can't or don't usually eat them after they grow a bit. Most species hunt at night, but may hunt in either the day or night in an aquarium. The fish eaters hunt almost exclusively at night, even in an aquarium. PM me if you need specific info.

Cheers,



Don