Maybe you have lazy tritons and I wrote the original letter.  I was mainly
talking about barnacles and oysters.  I cleaned hundreds of Tritons myself, and
it's a lot easier than cleaning our Horse conchs, Pleuroploca gigantea.  At
least I got an answer, thank you.  I'm not invisible after all, how about that..

Bob not Betty

mienis wrote:

> Betty, please, come over to the Middle East and teach our Tritons how to
> clean themselves.
> Especially those from the Red Sea are usually completely covered with
> foreign growth except for the immediate surroundings of the aperture. Also
> those from the Eastern Mediterranean are always covered with foreign growth.
> How can we explain this apparent different behaviour?
>
> Henk K. Mienis
>
> [log in to unmask]
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Robert & Betty Lipe" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2002 4:24 PM
> Subject: Re: Do calcareous deposits occur on live cowrie shells?
>
> > Many shells have a dormant stage from time to time, either by the cold
> water or
> > lack of food supply.  That is the time when other marine life can attach.
> I've
> > seen it from time to time, but it is not common in cowries.  Helmets and
> > Tritons can usually clean or knock anything off with their powerful radula
> > sheath.  It can reach any part of the shell. " Observations in an aquarium
> for
> > over quite a few years."  I have slides of a Charonia variegata cleaning
> > itself.
> >
> > Bob
> >
> >
> > Please visit us at our Website: http://www.theshellstore.com
> > Or at the shop at 348 Corey Ave
> > St. Pete Beach, FL, 33706
> > Phone: 727-360-0586
> > Fax: 727-360-3668
> >
> >

--
Please visit us at our Website: http://www.theshellstore.com
Or at the shop at 348 Corey Ave
St. Pete Beach, FL, 33706
Phone: 727-360-0586
Fax: 727-360-3668