Do you have some photos online of your setup?  I just started a large tub aquarium a few months ago to watch various snails from the Tampa Bay area.  Current inhabitants include a couple of banded tulips, 3 true tulips, 2 horse conches and 2 lightening whelks with one of them being about 12" long.  I expected the large lightening to decimate the other snails but she hasn't touched them.  The lightening seem to only eat various scallops and clams I collect.  The horse conches only seem to eat kings crown conches (when I have them), and the true tulips only eat the banded tulips.  The banded tulips will sometimes eat on various small cerths I also have in the tank, but they spend most of their time running from the larger true tulips.  I've found it interesting to see how selective their eating habits are considering how easily they could eat other things due to size differences.  To watch a bright orange horse conch envelope a victim is a colorful if not deadly event.


----- Original Message -----
From: Bob Abela <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Sunday, April 18, 2004 11:05 am
Subject: Crab vs Dog Whelk

> Hi Conchlers,
>
> Thought I'd share something I witnessed in my aquarium. Every day,
> whileI feed the fish, I drop in a little something extra for the
> snails, in
> particular for the Nassarius that live in the sand bed. They're a
> greatlittle clean-up crew but I like to reward them for their efforts.
> Whenever they smell food, they come out in a hurry. Usually they are
> rewarded with a treat but this time, for one particular Nassarius
> graniferus, such was not the case.
>
> While Roving over the sand searching for its meal, it came head-on
> withsmall, unidentified crab. The crab immediatly assumed a strike
> positionand waited. And the second the snail was within striking
> distance, it
> grabbed at the Nassarius with incredible speed, each claw taking firm
> hold of the snail's foot. It then dragged him back to his little
> hidingspot within the rocks and had himself an afternoon snack.
>
> I've lost quite a few snails from these little fella's but this
> was the
> first time I had an opportunity to witness an attack. It was
> impressive.Now I need to fish the little bugger out of the tank.
> Perhaps then I'll
> be able to identify which species it is.
>
> Cheers,
> Bob Abela
>
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