ID Please

[weaglereefer]

Anyone got any idea what this is? Reef safe? They bury themselves in the sand, have a tube sticking up like a nassarius snail at the front and what appears to be a filtering appendage at the back, and they cruise around under the sand. I have them in my 10g right now but would like to put them in the big tank if they won't eat up my zoas and softies.

Best pic I can get.

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[budsreef]

It looks like an Olive to me. I don't think they are reef safe, but I don't remember exactly why. Might just be because they will decimate anything living in the sand and then die.

 

[weaglereefer]

Looked those up and yup, looks just like them. Everything I found said reef safe and good at stirring up the sandbed. I only got 2 so hopefully they will just scavenge and not starve themselves to death. They sure are cool little guys.

 

[weaglereefer]

Well, maybe not, Wikipedia says it's a carnivore that captures bivalves and crustaceans and drags them below...kinda cool and creepy at the same time. Reminds me of "Tremors".

 

[budsreef]

I don't think I'd take a chance with them. I think there are some species that are venemous as well so be careful handling them.

 

[weaglereefer]

Yeah, after a little searching, I found that every place saying they were "reef safe" was selling them, while every place saying they weren't reef safe was by people that had unknowingly purchased them and lost clams or crabs. I guess I will leave them in the nano for now and feed them, then put them in the fuge when it's up and going.


Thanks for the help!

 

[kirru]

I got a couple as well from Blue Planet. Though mine were sold to me as something different. I was told they were like Olive snails but they were not bad live Olives.

 

[jesspete]

Ditto what Cory said. I have several in my 90 with no problems. I rarely see them. I was also told not to panic, they weren't "the bad ones." Coming from Tiff, I'm confident in that assessment. Bear in mind, I have no shrimp, crabs, or hermits to notice missing.

 

[kirru]

I have two shrimp, snails, hermits, and a pom pom crab, some where in the rock work.

none have been taken under

 

[weaglereefer]

JessPete;313385 wrote: Ditto what Cory said. I have several in my 90 with no problems. I rarely see them. I was also told not to panic, they weren't "the bad ones." Coming from Tiff, I'm confident in that assessment. Bear in mind, I have no shrimp, crabs, or hermits to notice missing.

Well do they look similar to the one above?

 

[kirru]

yup, I think mine is slightly darker all around. i wouldn't worry to much if I were you.

 

[jesspete]

NO! They don't! My husband asked me what the heck I was thinking. I guess I had accelerator turned on and didn't see those "appendages". No way do ours have those.

 

[jesspete]

That's freaky!

 

[kirru]

ya know, i saw that but thought maybe it was a coral growing on the shell.

Jess, what did tiff call our snails again?

 

[jesspete]

Now, if I paid attention to that sort of thing I'd be a responsible aquarist, wouldn't I?

 

[kirru]

JessPete;313448 wrote: Now, if I paid attention to that sort of thing I'd be a responsible aquarist, wouldn't I?

Then more than half the club would fail miserably I'm gonna ask the next time I am at the store.

 

[jesspete]

I know she likened them to live snails, said they were sand sifters, said they weren't the bad ones.

 

[weaglereefer]

live snails as opposed to dead ones?

I have nassarius snails that live in the sand with their little periscopes, and as soon as food hits the water it's like watching water boil as all their shells pop up. I still have these guys in the nano and am feeding them, although when I fed them, they didn't attack the food like I'd read about, they just kinda mosied over and ate it. Anybody want one or both?

 

[jesspete]

olive, sorry, not live

 

[kirru]

au01st;313463 wrote: live snails as opposed to dead ones?

I have nassarius snails that live in the sand with their little periscopes, and as soon as food hits the water it's like watching water boil as all their shells pop up. I still have these guys in the nano and am feeding them, although when I fed them, they didn't attack the food like I'd read about, they just kinda mosied over and ate it. Anybody want one or both?

I'll take them. I'm very interested in them when their little things. If you'll be at the April meeting I can get them then if you'd like.