Cowries?
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: Invertebrates
Forum Description: This is the place to ask questions about invertebrates.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=44945
Printed Date: December 12 2024 at 7:23am
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Topic: Cowries?
Posted By: Fishfinder07
Subject: Cowries?
Date Posted: November 24 2010 at 1:11pm
| Anyone have any experience with these? Do they eat hair algae? |
Replies:
Posted By: jwoo
Date Posted: November 24 2010 at 1:47pm
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I've got two. One is my in 45 and I have this giant one in my nano. Seriously this guy is like three inches across. HUGE.
Mine are voracious algae eaters. Both of mine do an awesome job on hair algae. I love the look of them and they can turn themselves over if they fall so that's a plus. Just be careful as not all cowries are reef safe. Make sure you get the type that won't munch corals. ------------- None at the moment Soon: 72 Gallon Bowfront |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: November 24 2010 at 6:21pm
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I've had them. They are awesome. I wouldn't consider them first in line to eat Hair Algae though. Are you having a recent bloom or a continual hair algae problem?
------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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Posted By: Fishfinder07
Date Posted: November 24 2010 at 8:22pm
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I've had this bloom for about the last month. Here is a link to pictures of the tank, everything is for sale but just in case it doesnt sell I would like help on getting the algae under control, thanks Mark http://s246.photobucket.com/albums/gg114/Sykes32_photo/
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Posted By: Fishfinder07
Date Posted: November 24 2010 at 9:38pm
| Anyone know where to get money cowries? |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: November 25 2010 at 6:59am
Hawaii  But I seem to remember something about them being coral predators. I'd check on that before buying. ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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Posted By: Will Spencer
Date Posted: November 25 2010 at 12:35pm
| Most Cowries are predatory. They eat corals snails and benthic critters. Some species are algae eaters though. Unfortunately I don't remember which are the good ones. |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: November 26 2010 at 12:19pm
I'm wondering if we are again falling victim to the problems of hobbyists that don't provide enough of the right environment for some specific animals - they turn to eating coral. We may also propagating the myths, myself included. Found this interesting statement below, posted on RC after someone had posted that the only Cowrie that won't eat coral is the Money Cowrie. Personally, I would only have a cowrie in a well established tank that has had at least a year to grow sponge and other algae-bacterial biofilm which appears to be their main food. "...most cowries are NOT known for eating corals. [Their relatives,] ovulids feed on one "soft coral" or another, and since they look like cowries, and the people who are considered to be reef experts (they aren't mollusc experts for sure) call them cowries, this myth gets propogated throughout the hobby over and over. It doesn't help that at least one of the authors published this as a fact, and then illustrated it by showing a pic of an ovulid, not a cowry, feeding on a leather coral. Dr. Burgess, who published a guide to collecting and identifying cowries called "The Living Cowries," noted specifically that it was a waste of time to look for cowries among live corals, because they don't feed on live corals. They are found under dead coral slabs usually with sponge growth and microscopic animals to feed on, along with various sparse algae growth. I've found this to be the case also. There are only a few small species of cowries that may be found in association with live corals, and none of them have been observed to be feeding on them, although it's possible. These include Cypraea poraria, Cypraea fimbriata, Cypraea irrorata, Cypraea minoridens, and Cypraea microdon. None of these has ever shown up on any of the reef tank forums, as far as I'm aware, and none of the suppliers sell them to hobbyists. As I've stated several times before, large starving cowries in small tanks may start tasting of things, including potentially corals, which isn't exactly the same as saying all cowries feed on corals, since none of them are known to do so." The pic below is what I believe to be a Cowrie (could be an ovulid) that Adam brought back from Hawaii many years ago. It lived in this well established 180 for at least 4 years. It's midnight gray colored mantle usually covered the entire shell making it almost invisible in the dark areas of the tank where it spent most of it's time. The mantle was like a brush with thick 1/2 inch long protrusions, giving this animal a fascinating look.  ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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Posted By: Spbeyond
Date Posted: November 26 2010 at 12:38pm
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Anyone know where I can get a money cowrie? I want some bad! ------------- 90 Gallon Reef w/4 bulb 54W t5 I buy, sell and restore pinball machines. Got one in the basement? ;) |