Hobbies And Interests
Geography
The tiger cowrie is a common crustacean found in the Indian and Pacific oceans from Zanzibar eastward through the Philippines and to Hawaii. It lives in a variety of environments but prefers rocky and sandy bottoms where it can take advantage of its natural coloration to blend in with the background. It prefers to live in waters inhabited by soft coral species that both a food source and a resting place during the day.
Water
The tiger cowrie is a tropical species and lives in warmer waters. The mineral content of the local water will often produce shells that are predominantly black if a large amount of zinc or nickel is present. A high iron content will often produce a rust-colored shell. Cowries are sensitive to high levels of nitrates and copper in the water. Copper-based medications should not be used in home aquariums in which tiger cowries live. Cowries prefer water with a specific gravity of 1.023 to 1.025 and a pH between 8.10 and 8.40.
Temperature
This is a nocturnal member of the snail family and stays hidden among rocks or coral during the day. A native of the tropics, the tiger cowrie thrives in water temperatures between 72 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit. It does best as a member of a reef marine aquarium with a capacity of 50 gallons or more.
Food
Feed tiger cowries pieces of fish and seafood such as mussels occasionally to keep them from eating their natural prey -- sea urchins, softer coral varieties, anemones, sponges and sea stars -- that are living in the same aquarium. Juvenile cowries tend to eat algae and debris shed by other aquarium life.
Predators
The tiger cowrie's shell is a combination of black, gray, white and brown, colors that camouflage it against the rocks in which it hides. It is not aggressive and should be protected from larger fish in a home aquarium to avoid injury to its shell.