Snail ID

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havefun

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
354
Location
Dubuque, Iowa
Last Friday I purchased 5 hermits from the lfs. After I got home I realized one of them was a snail. I'm not sure what kind though. The most distinguishing feature is that he has what looks like the trunk of an elephant (smaller obviously) that he holds up while moving around. Other than that he looks like a normal snail, I've never seen something like that - but then again, I'm a newbie.

Anyone know if this is a good or bad guy?

Thanks
 
Maybe some type of conch. Maybe a nassarius. Hard to say without a pic. If it is either of these, both of these snails are good.
 
Hmm, It's not a hitchhiker. My lfs's don't keep/sell welks. I would think it would be some type of typically sold snail.
 
Can you give a more detailed description? My first thought is still a type of Whelk, perhaps one of the Nassarius species.
 
When you turn the snail over and look at the shell opening, is free side smooth and fluted outwards or curved inward and serated?

Cheers
Steve
 
I was able to find him...

I took him out and looked at him, it looks pretty smooth to me but it's kinda hard to tell. He's pretty small and he kept waving his foot all over and I'm not yet that comfortable with unkown sea creatures sucking on to me. I know it's just a snail...but that elephant trunk looking thing could be a stinger for all I know :lol:
I've also noticed that he is not that good at clinging on to the glass, he is constantly falling down. When gliding along the sand he is very fast for a snail though.

Thanks again,

Steve
 
The "common" Whelk will usually have a much smoother and larger/fluted shell opening while the more common nassarius will have a much smaller jagged opening. That's more of a loose guideline than a rule of any sorts. As Guy pointed out, the nassarius is a whelk species.

WHELK
whelk.gif


NASSARIUS
Mol.%20Nassarius%20vibex(G).jpg


Cheers
Steve
 
Hmm, from looking at those 2 images I'd have to say it is a whelk. The shell deffinately does not look like your NASSARIUS image. But like I said, his foot was flailing all over the place (I always thought snails retreated inside their shells). Guess I'll just have to keep an eye on him.

Thanks again (someday I'll have to get a camera).
 
Here are some pics. The one cleaning up the shrimp molt is a nassarius, the one on the glass is a welk. I have these in the same tank, the welk stays on the rocks and sometimes ventures to the glass. The nassarius, for the most part, stays in the substrate but does climb the glass as well. I also have some nassarius like the pic that steve posted. (like the one in the liveaquaria link) They stay in the substrate all the time til I feed the tank. They do not do well on glass. Any of these look like your snail?

http://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_1...ategory=4&category_search=63&root_parent_id=4

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=1133
 
Is it a dark colored smooth shell, but shaped like the ones above? It might be a tulip snail. Likes to eat other snails, I had one go through some of my turbo snails before i realized it. :evil:
 
The shell has ridges (bumpy).
Fluff, the shell looks like the pic of yours on the glass, but also looks like the pic in the liveaquaria link. :?
Grrr, I just need to get a camera...

Thanks for the help though, I'll post back with pics when I get a digi camera (within a few months hopefully).
 
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