Is this a reef safe cone?

[Jimmywxzzz]

Hi everyone,

Can someone identify this cone snail for me please? Is it reef safe? Or does it eat fish?

Thanks!

 

[Dread Pirate Dave]

I'm not sure. Was it a hitchhiker? Others here may have a better idea.

 

[Jimmywxzzz]

I'm not sure. Was it a hitchhiker? Others here may have a better idea.

I have no idea, it was climbing on my overflow. Looks like some sort of cone, i don’t want it to hurt my fish or anything.

 

[kjkszpj9]

Its a Columbellidae "Dove Snail", completely harmless algae grazer. Have a bunch of them in my 2 aquariums.

 

[Jimmywxzzz]

Its a Columbellidae "Dove Snail", completely harmless algae grazer. Have a bunch of them in my 2 aquariums.

Thanks! I saw a couple came out last night on the rocks, got me worried for a sec.

 

[Dburr1014]

That looks suspicious to me I would get a second opinion.

@ISpeakForTheSeas

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

That looks suspicious to me I would get a second opinion.

@ISpeakForTheSeas

Yeah, looks like it may be the Dotted/Lettered Dove Snail, Euplica scripta - as mentioned, Dove Snails/Columbellids (including this one) are beneficial; they're similar to Nassarius snails (i.e. they eat meat, not algae), but they can reproduce in our aquaria.

 

[kjkszpj9]

Yeah, looks like it may be the Dotted/Lettered Dove Snail, Euplica scripta - as mentioned, Dove Snails/Columbellids (including this one) are beneficial; they're similar to Nassarius snails (i.e. they eat meat, not algae), but they can reproduce in our aquaria.

I feel like they are more like algae eating cause they graze on my aquarium glass and they dont dig in sand or anything that nassa snails do.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I feel like they are more like algae eating cause they graze on my aquarium glass and they dont dig in sand or anything that nassa snails do.

Interesting, and I stand corrected here - Euplica scripta is apparently primarily a sea grass-epiphytic algae-eater;* so it feeds primarily on algae that grows on sea grass; interestingly, this makes them (and a few other common Columbellids) quite different dietarily than the vast majority of their relatives.**

Cool!

*Source:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X21002727

**Source:

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