Tulip Snails Info Please!

[pufferlover]

My lfs has been unable to come up with any more large queen conch snails for my Big Porks 120 tank. Today they picked up a couple of very large so called Tulip Snails when they went to the wholesalers. These suckers are a good 6 to 7 inches long and I bought one for the 120 to go with the large Conch that has been inthere for a while. The Porks will eat any snail they can turn over or knock from the glass so I needed round shelled types that they can't get a grip on. The conch we know is a algae eater (the tank has plenty as the Porks don't eat it that is why I need a couple of large snails) but even the lfs guy isn't sure if the Tulip is (of course I know what you are thinking why doesn't he know- good question- answer he sent his son to pick out some corals and fish and the kid is not a rocket scientist if you get my drift). Anyway any clues out there if they are algae eaters (I sure hope so at this size).

 

[@knight]

they are carnivores and love to eat oysters. I found one website that used leather gloves to handle them, indicating that they have teeth, but they did not directly state that.

[ August 28, 2001: Message edited by: @knight ]
[ August 28, 2001: Message edited by: @knight ]

 

[@knight]

there was also a study i found reference to:
Jory, D.E. 1982. Predation by tulip snails (Fasciolaria tulipa) on queen conchs (Strombus gigas). M.S. Thesis. University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL. 74 p.
which indicated that that this snail likes escargo.
[ August 29, 2001: Message edited by: @knight ]

 

[pufferlover]

@knight; Thanks for info that is the sucker I got- wonderful. Now I have to figure what to throw in tank for it to eat. Hopefully it does not like full grown fish. It has been hanging on back glass where I stuck it when I out it in so Porks would not bother it and I notice they don't go near it could they know more then I did. The study you refer to cheers me up to since the other snail in the tank is a Queen Conch. Now what I have got myself into!

 

[@knight]

i did a little more research, from what i see, it preys on inverts, like mollusks, barnacles, anenomes, some corals and conch snails are a delicacy.
mean as heck, but very cool and interesting creatures!

 

[pufferlover]

Thanks again but this am it went back to store and was traded for a large conch snail which I did not see yesterday. I have another one in that tank and it does a great job but wanted one or two more since it is a large tank and none of the fish except the Rock Beauty touch the algae. This is a lesson don't buy um;ess you know what you are buying, and do your own research if the store is not sure. I gave my friendly store owner your info so he now knows what to feed the 2 he has.

 

[sencinias]

Good choice on the return of the tulip. I did some research on them and some of them can be poisonous to humans (deadly). They can inject a noro-toxin (spelling?) into you. Everything I've found so far says they are extremely dangerous and will eat inverts, corals, anemomes, etc.
There was one at our LFS that he was selling for $50.00. Are the Conch snails about the same price? I'm looking for a big snail too that will help eat the algea in my tank. Thanks

 

[pufferlover]

Actually my guy calls them conch but his invoice said Tiger Cowrie (and that is what the other 2 I bought a long time back from here looked like). They are well rounded (which keeps the Puffs from getting a grip on them) and the 3 I now have are about 4 to 5 inches long. They do a great job on brown and green algae but do not do much when lights are on. They cost around here about 15 to 18 bucks for the large ones (and are well worth it to me). So now I have 2 in the 120 and 1 in the 58 big dogface tank and am going to tell him to get me at least 3 more (2 for the 135 and i more for the Dogs tank). The look on this guys face when I showed him @Knights picture and description was priceless (I think his kid is in for it now) as I nicely asked who the heck will buy these things (he was charging 15 for the Tulips). He is a very fair seller tho he doubles his cost and that is his selling price (he has shown me his invoices many times when I want a certain fish he got in). My last store which was the best I ever bought from (and of course it closed after 7 years) used to triple their cost deduct a penny and that was their selling price 10 bucks became 29.99).

 

[@knight]

ive heard of conch snails being calles cowrie snails before. its a different breed, but closely related to the queen conch.