red thing sticking out of my sand . . .

I can't tell you for sure what that is. I'd guess it's harmless.

 

Yeah, that's a Thorn Latirus, Opeatostoma pseudodon. The whole family (Fasciolariidae) is predatory, mostly on other molluscs. This species shows up in aquaria a lot, and mainly feeds on vermetid snails. I wouldn't be terribly surprised if it occasionally ate some other mollusc, though. Contrary to what you'll find on some of the "reefing advice" sites, they are not omnivores, and do not eat algae.

Opeatostoma pseudodon

Cheers,



Don

 

sooo i should get rid of it if i plan on having snalis as a part of my clean up crew? does this thing serve any kind of beneficial purpose in my tank?

~Will.

 

Some people don't like vermetid snails, so if your Thorn Latirus ate them, I guess they could be considered beneficial. Other than that, they aren't really part of a clean up crew, and there's some risk that they'll eat other snails. I think most of the people who keep them do so simply as decoration, since they are attractive if not really beneficial. Up to you

Cheers,



Don