Ring cowrie
Monetaria annulus
Also known as Gold Ring Cowrie, Cypraea annulus, Gold Ringer Cowrie
SaltwaterSnail
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 75–81°F
- 24–27°C
- pH
- 8.1–8.4
- Adult size
- 1.2 in
- 3 cm
- Minimum tank
- 20 gal
- 75 L
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Social behavior
- Social
- Swim level
- Bottom
- Diet
- Herbivore
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Breeding
- No record
- Rarity
- Common
- Reef safe
- Reef safe
- Family
- Cypraeidae
- Origin
- Indo-Pacific, grazing intertidal rock and shallow reef flats.
Overview
The ring cowrie is a peaceful, algae-grazing snail for a reef tank, and it is easy to keep.
Did you know
A living ring cowrie keeps its shell glassy smooth. It wraps soft flaps of its mantle up over the shell whenever it is left undisturbed.
Caring for the ring cowrie
Add one or a few ring cowries to a tank of 20 gal (75 L) or more, with mature rock to graze. Keep the water at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C), with a pH of 8.1 to 8.4.
The ring cowrie grazes algae over rock and glass. It eats diatoms, film algae, hair algae and some cyanobacteria.
It is peaceful and reef safe, and harmless to corals and fish. A busy grazer can still nudge loosely placed frags as it works the rock. There is no record of it breeding in aquariums.
Good to know
The ring cowrie is a small snail in the family Cypraeidae. Its glossy, egg-shaped shell carries a gold or orange ring on top. It now sits in the genus Monetaria but was long known as Cypraea annulus. Its shells served as money across parts of Africa, Asia and the Pacific for centuries, which gave it the name money cowrie.
In the wild
The ring cowrie comes from the Indo-Pacific. There it grazes over intertidal rock and shallow reef flats.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
The ring cowrie is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.
Ocellaris clownfish
Amphiprion ocellaris
Saltwater3.1 in (8 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
Percula clownfish
Amphiprion percula
Saltwater3.1 in (8 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
Harlequin shrimp
Hymenocera picta
Saltwater2 in (5 cm) · 11 gal (40 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)
Red Sea mimic blenny
Ecsenius gravieri
Saltwater3.1 in (8 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)
Helfrich's firefish
Nemateleotris helfrichi
Saltwater2.4 in (6 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)
Pederson's cleaner shrimp
Ancylomenes pedersoni
Saltwater1.2 in (3 cm) · 11 gal (40 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)
Common questions
What size tank does a ring cowrie need?
A ring cowrie needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.
What temperature and pH does a ring cowrie need?
A ring cowrie is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.
What does a ring cowrie eat?
A ring cowrie grazes on diatoms, film algae, hair algae and some cyanobacteria, working its way over rock and glass.
How big does a ring cowrie get?
An adult ring cowrie reaches about 1.2 in (3 cm).
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