Nassarius vibex Snails in the Panhandle of Florida??

It's a cold water snail. Some have been known to eat other snails and bivalves. They are also cannibalistic and are known carriers of parasites that can affect your fish.

 

Nassarius Vibex are cold water snails? They sell them on reef cleaners for 40 cents each though?

 

I really have nothing more to add other than to read the link Barbianj gave you.

 

Hmm they are definately not obsolota snails because they have the groove and obsolta dont. So does this mean i cant or can have them in my reef tank?

 

I would take a number of macro photos of them. Top down, from the front, pic of the operculum and post them. Until then, I would put them in your sump. Mud whelks are quite dangerous.

 

+1 to this. I bought what were sold as nassarius on eBay. Found out they were whelks when I put a flame scallop in the tank and watched them eat it alive.
It was a major pain to get them all out when I decided I wanted a clam.

 

My kids caught a bunch of them last week under the bridge on the west side of Destin. They are actually Nassarius vibex, not Ilyanassa, the same ones that Dr. Shimek and others worked with, and the same ones that the fish stores sell. According to everything I can read, they are one of the safest species for your tank. Some of the large Indo-Pacific species that are so popular are much more likely to behave objectionably than these.

Cheers,



Don

 

Nassarius snails are just as voracious about finding dead and decaying food as mud whelks and the obsolatas, in case you haven't seen a tank with a significant number of Nassarius snails get fed before. The voraciousness of an organism is a bad indicator of what they eat and how aggressive they are towards other organisms, which are really the best indicators of tank suitability beyond the environmental issues mentioned before.

If Pagojoe's ID is correct (which I think it is based on the blurry pictures due to the sharp sculpting in the shell and pointedness), they're very much so good for a tank.

 

Hehe i knew i was right. I tested and put them by my clam and they didnt touch it. hmmm i love Destin!

 

They are, for sure, Nassarius vibex:

Nassarius vibex (Say, 1822) - Bruised Nassa

They aren't truly tropical, but much of their range experiences several months of the year at reef tank temperatures. Most of the bad things you are reading on this thread about them is from people confusing them with Ilyanassa obsoleta.

Cheers,



Don