Encyclopaedia
Money Cowrie Snail
Cypraea moneta
Money Cowrie Snail: a small marine snail from the Cypraeidae family, famous for its smooth golden shell and excellent algae-eating behavior.
- Family
- Cypraeidae
- Origin
- Indo-Pacifico
- Origin
- Cosmopolitan or introducedTropical oceans and reefs
- Tank use
- Used in 0 tanks
Share
22 °C - 28 °C
8.1 - 8.4
Marine
Squadra di pulizia (CUC)
Alta
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Widely distributed throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific, commonly inhabiting shallow reef flats and tide pools.
Taxonomy: Classified within the Cypraeidae family. Shell is dome-shaped, smooth, and highly polished. The mantle covers the shell when active.
Social Behavior: Peaceful, slow-moving, and nocturnal. It hides in rock crevices during the day and emerges at night to graze on algae.
Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Shell color is typically golden-yellow or pale cream, smooth and glossy. No visible external sexual dimorphism.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Tank Setup: Suitable for nano-reefs of at least 8 gallons. Requires stable rockwork with film algae and diatoms to support grazing.
Diet and Feeding: Herbivorous. Excellent consumer of film algae, cyanobacteria, and diatoms from glass and rocks. It does not eat macroalgae.
Water Quality: Demands standard marine conditions: pH 8.1-8.4, temperature 22-28°C, salinity 1.023-1.025, and stable calcium levels.
Compatibility and Tankmates: 100% reef safe and peaceful. Do not house with mollusk-eating predators like puffers, large wrasses, or hermit crabs.
Aquarium Breeding: May lay egg capsules on rocks. The female guards them, but rearing the planktonic veliger larvae is highly difficult.
Risks and Diseases: Starvation in tanks that are kept too clean without algae. Highly sensitive to copper treatments and salinity shock.
Invertebrate profile
- Type
- Gasteropode marino
- Diet
- Erbivoro (attivo pulitore di alghe)
- Ecological role
- Squadra di pulizia (CUC)
- Minimum group
- 1
- Adult size
- 3 cm
- GH
- n/a
- KH
- n/a
- TDS
- n/a
- Copper
- Alta
- Shock sensitivity
- Media
- Calcium and minerals
- Richiede calcio e durezza carbonatica stabili per il corretto sviluppo della conchiglia.
- Molting
- Non muta. La conchiglia cresce continuamente secernendo carbonato di calcio.
- Reproduction
- La riproduzione in acquario è rara ma possibile, con uova deposte in capsule gelatinose sulle rocce.
- Compatibility & tankmates
- Totalmente pacifico. Non disturba pesci, coralli o altri invertebrati.
Ecological Estimates & Biological Models
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
Related species
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