Snails & Shelled Animals

Snails & Shelled Animals

Snails & Shelled Animals are Invertebrates belonging to the Phylum Mollusca and Class Gastropoda. Most Snails & Shelled Animals are Herbivores but some Marine ones are Omnivores. Fresh Marine brings to you an immense collection of Snails & Shelled Animals to grace your aquarium. However prior to moving on the specific species, lets go through some common features of Snails & Shelled Animals. Lets take a look.

Compatibility. Most Snails & Shelled Animals are non-poisonous and non-aggressive, while also being Reef Compatible. Do not keep them with aggressive feeders such as, Crabs, Rock Lobsters, Starfish, Wobbegong Sharks, Octopus, Fish, Snails, and Stingrays.

Habit & Habitat. Snails & Shelled Animals are Nocturnal in habit. They are solitarily found near Rocky Reefs, Grass Beads, and Sandy Bottoms around the coastal areas of Indo-Pacific Region.

Morphology. Snails & Shelled Animals are very Hardy. The Anterior end of their body is called Head, while the large, posterior one is called Foot, used for forming the vacuum hold on the substrate. The body is surrounded by a large and fleshy Mantle, which secretes Calcareous Shell.

Ideal Marine Aquarium Environment. Snails & Shelled Animals require a specific gravity of 1.023-1.025, a pH value of around 8.10-8.40, and temperature at around 72-78 degrees Fahrenheit, in the tank. Stable pH & temperature levels, and minimal or zero Copper and Nitrates are desirable in the aquarium to avert any lethal shocks to the Snail & Shelled Animals in there. Keep ample Live Rocks, Caves, Corals, and Sand for these beings to hide and graze upon.

Aquarium Feeding. Snails & Shelled Animals are Algae Eaters and hence keep the aquarium free from unwanted Algal growth. Most Snails & Shelled Animals are Omnivores and Scavengers in feeding habit. They are known for eating away the meaty bits of Brine Shrimp, Mysis Shrimp, Fish, & Scallop, and Scavenge on Detritus and Fish Waste. In the search of food, Snails & Shelled Animals also plough the sand, thereby aerating it.

Care. Snails & Shelled Animals are moderately easy to maintain.

Some of the Snails & Shelled Animals available with Fresh Marine are listed below:

Family – Haliotidae.

Abalone (Haliotis species). Also known as Wild Abalone and Ezo-Abalone, these Unisexual Snails & Shelled Animals are Univalve Mollusk. They grow up to a maximum of 3”. Some species of Abalone live in Cold Water, while the others inhabit Warm Tropical Waters.

Family - Astraeinae.

Astraea Snail (Astrea species). Also known as Conehead Algae Eater, Astraea Conehead Snail, Star Snail, Turbo Snail, Turbo Grazer Snail, Turban Snail, Top Shell Snail, and Astraea Star Snail, these Snails & Shelled Animals grow up to a maximum of 6”. These Pyramid shaped beings come in Olive, Green, Purple, Brown, and Tan colors.

Family – Buccinidae

Bumble Bee Snail Tiny (Pusiostoma mendicaria). Growing up to a maximum of 1”, these Snails & Shelled Animals are black in color with yellow bands, similar to that of Bumble Bee.

Family – Pteriidae

Cerith Snail (Cerithidae genus). Growing up to a maximum of 1”, these Snails & Shelled Animals occur in Tan, Green, White, & Black colors. They have Pointed Shell with Spirals and Projections on it.

Family – Cypraeidae. The members of this family are Egg Shaped.

Knobby Black Cowrie (Cypraea talpa). Also known as Cowrie Eggshell and Map Cowry, these Snails & Shelled Animals grow up to a maximum of 1” and occur in Brown, Cream, & Black colors.

Tiger Cowrie (Cypraea tigris). Growing up to 4”-6”, these Snails & Shelled Animals occur in Black, Brown, Gray, & White colors. These are Carnivores and feed on Algae, Anemones, Starfish, and Sea Urchins.

Family – Trochacea

Margarita Snail (Margarites pupillus). Also known as Pearl Snail, Stomatella Limpet Snail, Little Margarita, & Pearly Topped Snail, these Turban shaped Snails & Shelled Animals, grow up to a maximum of 1”-2”. They are mostly Grey and Brown in color.

Family – Nassariidae. The members are Oval Shaped.

Nassarius Snail (Nassarius species). Growing up to a 0.5”, these Snails & Shelled Animals occur in Cream, Grey, Tan, and White colors.

Tonga Fighting Conch (Nassarius species). Also known as Tongan Fighting Conch and Nassarius Snail, these Snails & Shelled Animals grow up to 5” and occur in Cream, Brown, Gray, and White colors.

Tonga Nassarius Snails (Nassarius species). Also known as Pacific Nassarius Snail, these Snails & Shelled Animals grow up to 1” and are Cream and White in color.

Family – Mytiloidae

Nerite Snail (Nerita species). Also known as Zebra Nerita, Green Nerita, and Olive Nerita, these Snails & Shelled Animals grow up to 1”. Females are bigger in size than the males. Diurnal in habit, these beings have a Circular, Spotted & Striped Shell and occur in Black, Brown, & Green Colors.

Family – Trochidae. The members of this Family are Turban Shaped.

Red Foot Algae Snail (Norrisia norrisi). Also known as Norris Top Snail, Red Foot Moon Snail, and Smooth Brown Turban, these Snails & Shelled Animals grow up to a maximum size of 3”. They have Red colored foot and light Brown colored Shell.

Trochus Snail (Banded) (Trochus species). Also known as Turban Shell, Turban Snail, and Top Shell, these Snails & Shelled Animals grow up to 1”, and occur in Brown, Light, and Maroon colors.

Family – Turbinidae

Turbo Snail Mexican (Turbo fluctuosa). Also known as Turbo Grazer, Turban Snail, Top Shell, and Trochus Snail, these Turban Shaped Snails & Shelled Animals grow up to 4” and occur in Brown color.

Family - Strombidae

Queen Conch (Strombus gigas). Also known as Caribbean Queen Conch, Lambi, Pink Conch, Caracol Rosado, Cobo, Caracol reina, Caracol de pala, Caracol Rosa, Botuto and Guarura, their size ranges from 6”-1’. They can move small rocks in the tanks.

Family – Serendipeidae

Zebra Turbo Snail (Zebra Turbo). Also known as Turbo Grazer and Zebra Striped Turbo Snail, these Turban Shaped Snails & Shelled Animals grow up to 6” and occur in Yellow, White, and Black colors.

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