id this snail pls

[p&d123]

hi all from a very cold northern ireland ,hopefully someone can help me to id this snail so i can get as much information as possible ,much appreciated

http://i468.photobucket.com/albums/rr47/plspls/P1102316.jpg

:rollface:

[pagojoe]

It's Mitra mitra, an Indo-Pacific worm eater that normally reaches about 150mm in length, although the record is a bit larger. They spend most of their time plowing the sand looking for prey.

http://www.gastropods.com/3/Shell_153.html

Cheers,



Don

[newbieruss]

are they reef safe? not much info on them

[p&d123]

much appreciated :) :) :)

[pagojoe]

They should be pretty much reef safe, although it might take quite a large sand bed for the animal to survive and prosper.

Cheers,


Don

[newbieruss]

these are the ones im refering to. thank you pagojoe. any other info? diet and such? why a big sand bed?

[pagojoe]

Ah, OK. Big sand bed because they are big snails, and consequently would eat a lot of worms. I don't know exactly how much sand area one would need to keep from starving, but it would probably take a large enough area that the worm population could sustain itself even with the snail feeding on them daily. I guess about the worst that could happen though is that it might eventually starve to death.

Cheers,



Don

[newbieruss]

sorry to highjack your thread p&d. but ok so what would be a better snail? for sand sifting purposes in your opinion? im sure there isnt enough worms in my sand to sustain these snails. also what is the real benefit of sand sifting? i understand why we reefers would want a refugium and its support role.

[Koshmar]

Nassarius do a fair job at stirring the sand, small and hardy as well. Fun to watch too, they do flips! I've heard ceriths also stir the sandbed. From what I've read, stirring the sand helps to clear detritus from building up in inaccessible areas, it also prevents air pockets from forming which can lead to sulfur dioxide build up. I think I got that right, might want to double check about the benefits of sand stirring.