Found a really pretty snail in shell at the beach, what is it and is it safe for my mixed reef?

[Cristy17]

I recently saw this snail in the beach, there were quite a few. I have never put anything alive from the wild in my tank and was wondering what kind of snail this is and is it safe for a mixed reef? If it is, would it be ok to Dip? And most important, is it legal to remove from the beach?

 

[S-t-r-e-t-c-h]

In general, I'd be very careful about adding random live snails to a reef tank. Many are predatory and without an exact id you may be putting other animals at risk.

I'm pretty sure that's a horse conch, which is predatory and will eat other snails & mollusks. They also get pretty darn huge and lose that orange coloration...

Probably a good idea to look up rules for your locality here too:
http://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/sea-shells/

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Yup^^^^
If you look at local marine and fish and game sites , they quite often have common critters listed.

 

[Cristy17]

In general, I'd be very careful about adding random live snails to a reef tank. Many are predatory and without an exact id you may be putting other animals at risk.

I'm pretty sure that's a horse conch, which is predatory and will eat other snails & mollusks. They also get pretty darn huge and lose that orange coloration...

Probably a good idea to look up rules for your locality here too:
http://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/sea-shells/

Thank you Stretch for this information. Sounds like a bad idea. Glad I asked!

 

[Cristy17]

Yup^^^^
If you look at local marine and fish and game sites , they quite often have common critters listed.

Thank you! I will look just to educate myself on these things I find at the beach.