Dear all, this is a message from Doug Brennen off the molluscs.net forum. Can anyone help him? If so, e-mail him at [log in to unmask] >Hi Folks! I'm near the end of a project with my kids and am hoping for some >advice from those with experience in keeping live cypraea in an aquarium. > >A friend gave us the aquarium, complete with an air pump... step one complete. > >We hit the reef yesterday afternoon, found dozens of shells, but only kept the >F+++/Gems... 11 maculifera, 5 caputserpentis, 5 moneta, 2 erosa, 1 helvola and >1 tigris... not bad for a 2 hour dive). We also got 3 puzzle pieces of loose rock >with some live coral growing on it and 5 gallons of sea water... step two >complete. > >Put the coral in the aquarium, arranged them in a post and lintel style (with the >thin-wide-flat piece over the two 4 inch tall log-shaped pieces to form a 'cave', >added the water, put the shells in and turned on the pump... step 3 complete. > >The shells are active, moving about with their mantles exposed, some seem >nearly invisible against the coral. Neat to watch! The goal is to keep them alive for >as long as possible and we are really hoping some are females and will lay eggs >that hatch. > >Now the questions... what can we feed them?, how often do we need to feed >them?, how often do we need to change the water?, is 24 shells too many for a 5 >gallon tank? should we put sand in the bottom (over the 1/4 inch pebbles)? and >any other tips or advice? TIA >