Snail and Polyp ID

[andsoitgoes]

Hi all - I've just found a snail I saw way way back, I think these guys are bad?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v435/npapageorge/2007-02-27-WeirdIDs003.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v435/npapageorge/2007-02-27-WeirdIDs002.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v435/npapageorge/2007-02-27-WeirdIDs001.jpg

and this - Is it not a collostrial hydroid? I paid a fair price, and it's pretty - but guh, if it's "bad"???

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v435/npapageorge/2007-02-27-WeirdIDs006.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v435/npapageorge/2007-02-27-WeirdIDs005.jpg

[vanreefer]

I'd say those are yellow Zoo's

and the first pic is maybe a chiton??

[Der_Iron_Chef]

Looks like yellow polyps to me, too. The first pic looks like some kind of cowrie.

[KrazyKuch]

The First one is a Money Cowrie Snail...Usually they only come out at night...and they are very good algea Munchers!!!

[BCOrchidGuy]

I'm guessing that all cowries aren't coral eaters? Yellow polyps would be my guess on the second pic, I was thinking some kind of moon snail or cowrie for the first.

Doug

[andsoitgoes]

Okay - The weird snail thing (which I now know as a Money Cowrie snail, thanks ;)) is back in the tank - I was VERY confused and in awe by its mantle, and how it would envelop the outer shell. I remember having the shells as a kid, and always thought the "teeth" were super cool. It's nice to have one, and I'm VERY happy they're not evil :)

The concern I had with the polyps was the similarity to the Colonial Hydroids from the xtal reef site, and the fact that they didn't play nicely with my colt (which all the other polyps I have in my tank do just fine) concerned me...

Good to know :)

Thanks all for the super quick responses!!

[Delphinus]

Hydroids are much smaller than yellow polyps. Although they look similar there's really quite a difference of scale. The hydroids look like litte palm trees (longer stalk) and then the "pom pom" is only a couple millimetres in diameter.

Not all cowries are benign. I have one that resembles a tiger cowry (but isn't) and is a soft coral muncher. But money cowries (yours is definitely a money cowrie) are benign. They come in as hitch-hikers occasionally but you can also actually buy them from time to time as clean up crew. :)