Conch Id

[edmon]

ID on this conch? Maybe too small to tell but I found it yesterday and lost it shortly after.

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

Kinda looks like a dove snail

 

[edmon]

Kinda looks like a dove snail

Are dove snails native to the gulf? I forgot to mention it came out of my Tampa Bay Saltwater live rock.

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

Are dove snails native to the gulf? I forgot to mention it came out of my Tampa Bay Saltwater live rock.

That could change things, @ISpeakForTheSeas?

 

[DaJMasta]

From the color and the location, I would assume florida fighting conch, but I'm not used to seeing them climb around on rocks - mine can climb up the glass a bit but really spend all their time in the sand bed. Could be that juveniles are more in the rocks, but I can't say for sure.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Are dove snails native to the gulf? I forgot to mention it came out of my Tampa Bay Saltwater live rock.

That could change things, @ISpeakForTheSeas?

There are a number of dove snails (taxonomic family Columbellidae) native to Florida and the surrounding areas, but I don't think this is a dove snail - OP, could you pull the snail out in a container of tank water and get some pics of it under white light (preferably against a black background)?

I'm thinking this snail looks suspiciously predatory, but clearer pics would help with saying for sure.

Edit: To add - Florida Fighting Conch is a solid guess at this point too; again, more pics would be helpful.

 

[edmon]

There are a number of dove snails (taxonomic family Columbellidae) native to Florida and the surrounding areas, but I don't think this is a dove snail - OP, could you pull the snail out in a container of tank water and get some pics of it under white light (preferably against a black background)?

I'm thinking this snail looks suspiciously predatory, but clearer pics would help with saying for sure.

Edit: To add - Florida Fighting Conch is a solid guess at this point too; again, more pics would be helpful.

I lost sight of it and it disappeared. It’s so tiny it will be difficult to spot again, but if I find it I’ll post some pictures.

 

[edmon]

There are a number of dove snails (taxonomic family Columbellidae) native to Florida and the surrounding areas, but I don't think this is a dove snail - OP, could you pull the snail out in a container of tank water and get some pics of it under white light (preferably against a black background)?

I'm thinking this snail looks suspiciously predatory, but clearer pics would help with saying for sure.

Edit: To add - Florida Fighting Conch is a solid guess at this point too; again, more pics would be helpful.

Found it, here it is.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Found it, here it is.

Yeah, that looks like a Murex/Muricid snail of some kind to me - typically predatory to bivalves (clams, mussels, oysters, etc.) and other snails.

Probably not a keeper for you display, but could be a cool sump snail.

 

[DaJMasta]

You would expect to see one of those mean looking spikes instead of a door on a conch, and the opening on the bottom is a slit (so the eyes/trunk can peer out the pointy end) rather than a hole, so yeah, probably not a conch.

 

[edmon]

Yeah, that looks like a Murex/Muricid snail of some kind to me - typically predatory to bivalves (clams, mussels, oysters, etc.) and other snails.

Probably not a keeper for you display, but could be a cool sump snail.

Thanks, and do you think it’ll be okay to release this guy into the ocean, as it came from my Tampa Bay Saltwater live rock and I live in the Tampa area?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Thanks, and do you think it’ll be okay to release this guy into the ocean, as it came from my Tampa Bay Saltwater live rock and I live in the Tampa area?

It's strongly discouraged to release any critter that has been in captivity into the wild again to try and prevent the spread of non-native diseases, bacteria, etc. - personally, I wouldn't put it back; I'd sump it, offer it to other reefers/an LFS, etc.

 

[edmon]

It's strongly discouraged to release any critter that has been in captivity into the wild again to try and prevent the spread of non-native diseases, bacteria, etc. - personally, I wouldn't put it back; I'd sump it, offer it to other reefers/an LFS, etc.

I’ll do that, thanks!