Beware the TBS whelks...

[Bent]

Originally Posted by Shawn O

There's nothing wrong with mounting the heads of animals you've harvested. I know several people who hunt for food and keep the heads or antlers of most animals they kill. There is nothing wrong with also only taking the animal because it will make a good trophy. Friends of mine in Wyoming hunt 90% of the meat the eat. They keep the heads or antlers of the ones that are trophy worthy. My friend Rodney will only take a deer if it has a good rack. If it's too small he will pass on the animal and hope that antelope season is better for him. His GF will take anything that has enough meat to make it worth using up her tag on. They eat every bit of meat from the animal, regardless of type of animal, with the exception of Sage Hens. Those birds are only good for the breasts. The antlers and hide of the deer you kill are just going to rot if you don't mount them. btw, you'll never really get an appreciation for how big a moose is until you stand face to face with one mounted on the wall.

In your opinion there's nothing wrong with it, and that's Ok, but personally I don't condone or support trophy hunting. It's just not what I believe and not how I was raised. My grandad was Cherokee and he always told me if you can't use 90% of the animal then you have no business killing it. But he was from a different generation. He had to hunt to survive and he taught me all that stuff. We tanned our own hides, we made sausage out of the intestines, used the stomachs for water bottles, the fur for clothes, antlers for knife hilts. I even have a blanket I made out of bear fur.

Some people trophy hunt. I don't like it, but I'm not here to tell others how to live. I don't go to rallies, I'm not a animal activist. I have friends who trophy hunt. I like them, but not what they do. I don't have to agree with all of someone's actions or life decisions in order for me to like them. I disagree, I don't do said action, and I go on with life.

I realize that I'm in the minority for most sport hunters, and I'm cool with that.

[Hitch08]

Interesting. I'll need to check my rock, but I don't recall seeing any whelks.

[Bent]

Originally Posted by Hitch08

Interesting. I'll need to check my rock, but I don't recall seeing any whelks.

They are pretty. Too bad. They are nocturnal I think. I see a ton more when the lights go out and I look with my flash light.

They are black and white with single trunks sticking out.

[BrandonFlorida]

Originally Posted by Bent

They are pretty. Too bad. They are nocturnal I think. I see a ton more when the lights go out and I look with my flash light.

They are black and white with single trunks sticking out.

Yeah they move super slow, and I have seen many small guys in my tank. I will need to check at night to see if they are snail hunting or not.


They are pretty, thou..

[Sk8r]

Whoa, guys. Melev's example lacks scale. That bears a very strong resemblance to strombus grazer snails, which never get beyond half an inch in size, which are excellent little cleaners, and which are relatives of the fighting conch. They spin spiderlike thread, which they can use to lower themselves from one rock to another. They lay round egg-clutches, in a tough round 'purse' on the glass, with a half dozen little white eggs on the bottom of the round, and they're excellent to have in a tank.

Nearly impossible to buy from major sources, simply because if you have two you will have many within a year. LFS's will often give them to good customers.

[BrandonFlorida]

I just read on TBS site that a certain whelk can bore thru the barnacles and I do notice them chilling on the TBS live rock for extended periods of time. Maybe it is time for me to start picking them out and putting them in the sump or doing the hot water method..

Crap....

[Bent]

Originally Posted by Sk8r

Whoa, guys. Melev's example lacks scale. That bears a very strong resemblance to strombus grazer snails, which never get beyond half an inch in size, which are excellent little cleaners, and which are relatives of the fighting conch. They spin spiderlike thread, which they can use to lower themselves from one rock to another. They lay round egg-clutches, in a tough round 'purse' on the glass, with a half dozen little white eggs on the bottom of the round, and they're excellent to have in a tank.

Nearly impossible to buy from major sources, simply because if you have two you will have many within a year. LFS's will often give them to good customers.

So you are saying these whelks are OK?

[Sk8r]

Pic of strombus grazer, aka 'dove snail'. It is not a whelk. It's a mini-conch, but rather than burrow, it sticks mostly to rocks and glass, that I've ever observed. http://www.melevsreef.com/node/1508

[Bent]

Originally Posted by Sk8r

Pic of strombus grazer, aka 'dove snail'. It is not a whelk. It's a mini-conch, but rather than burrow, it sticks mostly to rocks and glass, that I've ever observed. http://www.melevsreef.com/node/1508

That looks nothing like what I'm pulling out..

[Bent]

Here's a pic of what I have.. (Center near the top of the pic.)

[BrandonFlorida]

Mine look the same as your pic bent.

[shred5]

Funny thing about most of these predators that come in on live rock a simple trap can catch them pretty easy..

[CStrickland]

This probably isn't going to lessen your confusion, but it's interesting to know.
"Stombus grazer" is sort of a confusing name. It can be either the type of tiny conch called strombus maculatus or a [likely eupics or pyrene, but collumbids are really hard to differentiate, I think it's a big diverse group] collumbid snail.

Since conchs really use their eyes a lot, they are further out the antennae for better looking around. The collumbids are less visual so their eyes (if they have them at all, idk they must have eyes right?) are not out on the feeler thingees.

But at this point the non-strombus collumbids might be the *real* strombus since the lady who was selling the snails everybody really liked a lot had her collumbids mislabeled as strombus grazers.

It's whatever, just semantics. But if you are trying to id it might help you understand some of the names people use. Also, I read about this a while ago and just did a quick search to refresh my memory so take it with a grain of salt, like a bit of trivia. plus I made up my own spelling for all those Latin words lol ain't nobody got time for that

[Bent]

Originally Posted by CStrickland

This probably isn't going to lessen your confusion, but it's interesting to know.
"Stombus grazer" is sort of a confusing name. It can be either the type of tiny conch called strombus maculatus or a [likely eupics or pyrene, but collumbids are really hard to differentiate, I think it's a big diverse group] collumbid snail.

Since conchs really use their eyes a lot, they are further out the antennae for better looking around. The collumbids are less visual so their eyes (if they have them at all, idk they must have eyes right?) are not out on the feeler thingees.

But at this point the non-strombus collumbids might be the *real* strombus since the lady who was selling the snails everybody really liked a lot had her collumbids mislabeled as strombus grazers.

It's whatever, just semantics. But if you are trying to id it might help you understand some of the names people use. Also, I read about this a while ago and just did a quick search to refresh my memory so take it with a grain of salt, like a bit of trivia. plus I made up my own spelling for all those Latin words lol ain't nobody got time for that

[Sk8r]

Yours do look a little different, Bent, look as if they're larger, with a kind of snakeskin pattern. And darker in body. THere are SO many species...you might fly this past LeslieH in inverts and see if you can get an ID.

[CStrickland]

Yeah. Basically it's not a strombus unless it's a strombus, but maybe it doesn't have to be a strombus to be a strombus.

Also, we can gif!?!! Suhweet

[toothybugs]

Ah crap. I thought those were nass snails - no wonder they were lined up inside my cleaner clams...

TIME TO RESCUE THE MAXIMAS!!!

[Hitch08]

Originally Posted by CStrickland

Yeah. Basically it's not a strombus unless it's a strombus, but maybe it doesn't have to be a strombus to be a strombus.

Also, we can gif!?!! Suhweet

That made me snort laugh!

[cambo123]

Oh I had no idea! I though they were a type of nass snail as well. I will remove.

[Bent]

Originally Posted by Sk8r

Yours do look a little different, Bent, look as if they're larger, with a kind of snakeskin pattern. And darker in body. THere are SO many species...you might fly this past LeslieH in inverts and see if you can get an ID.

The one I threw in my sump was probably 1.5". It's by far the biggest.

[Sk8r]

Mmm...that ain't no strombus grazer! they never top the size of your little fingernail.

[saf1]

You can do some searches if you haven't already on Strombus grazers. They do look similar and breed in captivity. I think the question comes down to is what they eat vs. what you are keeping (or planning in the future to keep) and can they co-exist.

I don't have them but I do have a metric ton of Strombus grazers. I placed a order from IPSF 2 years ago or so. Part of the reef tune up kit. Anyway, I started with 6 and now have many many of them as they bred in our tanks with ease. Not uncommon to see their egg capsules on the glass. They are smart too because some fish will eat so now they use the power heads... So every 3 - 4 weeks I'll notice the egg sack is no more and a week or so later a tiny dot/snail will show up.

Anyway - mine are typically 1/2" max adult but usually smaller. Glass mostly, diatoms and algae grazing although I can't tell you the specific type.

[mav3rick478]

Originally Posted by CStrickland

This might help: http://melevsreef.com/node/1716

That article and the other article on what a Whelk contradicts some of the key behaviors of the 2 whelks I have, that of course were sold to me as Nassarius. I say they are now Whelks because of the shell on the tail. Mine burrow in the sand and actually only stay in the sand unless I'm feeding or if something dies. I had a hermit crab and turbo snail die and they ate both of them. They've never attacked any of my turbo snails. They do glide across the sand when they smell food. They are only climb the rocks if they smell food and if they eventually figure out its on the rocks, which does take some time.

[CStrickland]

Originally Posted by mav3rick478

That article and the other article on what a Whelk contradicts some of the key behaviors of the 2 whelks I have, that of course were sold to me as Nassarius.

that kinda sounds like a nassarius distortus [or however you spell it]. sometimes they are sold as "super tongan nassarius" I thiiiink they have a trapdoor. supposed to be pretty good guys, but i havent got any

[Bent]

So here's some more pics of these up close and personal.

So far I'm on number 56 and the night is young.




I did also happen to discover a pretty good sized gorilla crab in all this looking too. Tried to grab him but he ran. So I need to figure out a trap for him.