whelk/nass question

[C0rp]

I bought some nassarius snails from my LFS for my tank. Put them in the tank, they buried themselves in the sand right away, and come out on occasion to explore the tank (rocks/glass). Ive read a lot of posts on here that some people never see their nassarius snails...so I started snooping around on line...

The nassarius snails I have, have a shell that looks similar to the "whelk" pic that Melev has on his site. So I investigated further. My snails are swift at moving across the sand, Melev says that whelks are pretty slow. K, good. Melev also says that whelks dont bury themselves in the sand? Is that true? Mine are buried in the sand most the time. Mine have dark trunks.

I also poked around with one of mine by flipping him over and keeping him on his back (which he didnt like very much!). He never retracted into his shell and Melev says that a whelk will suck itself in its shell and look like a water tight seal if in danger. The aperture of the shell on mine appears somewhat rounded shaped...as opposed to a longer/sharper shell opening. Do all these clues indicate I have nassarius snails as opposed to whelks? My snails act just like nassarius snails but look just like whelks! I can submit a pic maybe tomorrow if this info is not enough. Thanks!

[Indymann99]

I think you answered your own question. If it doesn't walk like a Welk or talk like a welk it's not a welk.

[greenbean36191]

To be quite blunt, Melev's guide is basically useless. First of all, Nassarius is a genus of whelk, so it makes no sense to try to distinguish between them and whelks. Second, whelks are an extremely diverse group with several hundred, if not thousands of species, so there is no single set of characters that define what a whelk looks and acts like.

Without a few clear picture, there's no chance of being able to tell what kind of snails you have.

[C0rp]

Well, they hid in the sand all day, but finally came out...here they are:

(my tank is 1 month old!)

Please tell me they are nassarius!

[C0rp]

ttt

[Frogmanx82]

Looks like nassarius to me. I don't know why you've gotten so worked up over this. You got what you bought.

[C0rp]

Originally Posted by Frogmanx82

Looks like nassarius to me. I don't know why you've gotten so worked up over this. You got what you bought.

Because I intend to stock clams that's why. Whelks will kill clams. I bought these after being told they were nassarius and if they are whelk that is problem.

[SushiGirl]

Originally Posted by greenbean36191

First of all, Nassarius is a genus of whelk, so it makes no sense to try to distinguish between them and whelks.

Might want to re-read the above quote.

[C0rp]

I understand the classification of living beings. This post was never about nitpicking scientific classification...I just want to know if these snails are going to eat my clams/snails. Are they the "reef safe snails we all want in our tank (commonly referred to as nassarius)", or the "snails who are going to eat my clams/snails (commonly referred to as whelk)"? Still waiting for someone who knows the answer.

[pagojoe]

Yes, it's Nassarius glans. It's one of the species that lives in clean white sand in the slightly-subtidal to scuba depth zones of the Indo-Pacific.

As Mike points out, Nassarius are essentially "whelks", although most of them aren't as likely to kill their own prey as those from some other buccinid genera. However, there are still a few species of Nassarius that are suspect when it comes to killing clams, like some of their non-Nassarius relatives. This isn't one of them, and shouldn't pose a problem.

Melev's site attempts to show the difference between some of the common Nassarius species and some of the most common predatory hitchhikers which may look similar (Cantharus, Pollia, Gemophos, and similar genera). He doesn't, and of course can't, illustrate all the possible good vs. bad possibilities.

Cheers,



Don

[Frogmanx82]

You've got no worries, get your clam.

[C0rp]

Originally Posted by pagojoe

Yes, it's Nassarius glans. It's one of the species that lives in clean white sand in the slightly-subtidal to scuba depth zones of the Indo-Pacific.

As Mike points out, Nassarius are essentially "whelks", although most of them aren't as likely to kill their own prey as those from some other buccinid genera. However, there are still a few species of Nassarius that are suspect when it comes to killing clams, like some of their non-Nassarius relatives. This isn't one of them, and shouldn't pose a problem.

Melev's site attempts to show the difference between some of the common Nassarius species and some of the most common predatory hitchhikers which may look similar (Cantharus, Pollia, Gemophos, and similar genera). He doesn't, and of course can't, illustrate all the possible good vs. bad possibilities.

Cheers,



Don

Thank you, Don! That is the info I have been waiting for. My mind will be at ease several months from now when I add my first clam!