What kind of snail is this?!

It's rarely due to a LFS. Theirs are usually fine. It's the Ebay sellers and Craigs List sellers where you get the mud whelks from.

 

That was an interesting article, but for me id have to see more than one wright up on this before i would make an opinion weather there good or bad. but then i would not have my leg cut off with out talking to several different doctors first.;D

 

Mike (the author) is a marine biologist with a PHD. Not only is the article factual, I know of people who bought them and they took out their other snails. I also know of people who bought them but their tanks were so overfed that the mud whelks didn't need to go after their snails but they didn't last long because our reef tanks are kept so much warmer than where these are collected.

I've had customers come in with a bagful of them saying they don't want them anymore because they are attacking things. After I finished teasing them for not buying all their snails from me, I informed them that they were going in the mantis tanks as food.

Don (pagojoe) above seems to know just a little about molluscs and gastropods. LOL Let me put it to you this way......he's corrected me several times on my ID of an odd snail or two. I don't know how he knows them so well, but he does and he's a valuable member of 3Reef as a result.

 

I did not mean nothing bad with what i posted, but i have know even the head surgeon of a hospital to really blow a diagnosis and there supposed to be educated to. me if it was my problem i would research it more and not take one answer as gods law is all i was saying.

and with that being said if i heart someones feelings i am sorry that was not the intention..

 

I can't speak for either Don nor Mike. I've seen people buy these and really regret it later. You certainly didn't hurt my feelings.

I will just say this for myself. If you buy these, you're making a mistake in my opinion. I've said it. It's not being said as a 3Reef moderator, it's being said hobbyist to hobbyist.

 

so at this point i will add them to my tank since i dont have any other snails to worry about. my question is will they eat each other though if there is not enough "meat"?

i may add a different snail or two and see if they get eaten. if so then ill just wait until they die off, or try to remove them if it takes to long.

 

LOL Nah, you won't offend me by questioning me, or Mike. But...that article I linked isn't just one guy's opinion, it's a compilation and summary of a lot scientific research, and Mike even included all the references. The article is factual, not really opinion. Homegrown, I see you're located at the main source of these snails, are you one of the Craigslist or eBay sellers of Ilyanassa?

Cheers,



Don

 

Not to drag this topic up, but what risks if any do the nassarius commonly sold as Tongan or jumbo/XL pose? They look to be a different species and while large are quite attractive.

 

The large ones sold as "Tongan" or "Jumbo" are usually either Nassarius arcularius or Nassarius coronatus. These are the ones most often accused of killing healthy animals.

Cheers,



Don

 

:thumbs_up