Tiger Cowrie Snail

Quick facts

Identity

Synonyms

Cypraea tigris tigris

Environment

Saltwater

Native to

Indo-Pacific, East Africa to Hawaii

Habitat

Tropical reef flats and lagoons, under rocks, in crevices, or resting on soft corals and sponges by day

Sourcing

Wild-caught

Conservation

Not Evaluated

Care

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

1.5 – 4 in (3.8 – 10 cm)

Lifespan

5 – 10 yrs

Min tank

90 gal (341 L)

Growth rate

Slow

Placement

Rock & glass

Water

Temperature

72 – 78 °F (22 – 26 °C)

pH

8.1 – 8.4

dKH

8 – 12 dKH

Salinity

1.023 – 1.025 SG

Flow

Low-Moderate

Behavior & compatibility

Social

Solitary

Aggression to own kind

Low

Active

Night

Reef safe

With caution

Invert safe

With caution

Shrimp safe

With caution

Clean-up role

Algae, Detritus, Leftover food

Population boom risk

Low

Feeding & breeding

Diet

Omnivore

Foods

Frozen, Algae, Biofilm

Breeding type

Broadcast spawner

Breeding difficulty

Not bred in captivity

Sexing

Not externally distinguishable with confidence; some sources note males tend to be smaller than females

Target feeding

Beneficial

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Care guide

Overview

A large marine gastropod prized for its glossy, egg-shaped shell mottled with brown and cream spots, usually cloaked by a black-and-gray mantle that withdraws when disturbed. By day it shelters beneath rock and coral, emerging at night to forage; adults turn increasingly carnivorous and require careful tankmate selection.

Care

This large cowrie needs a mature, well-established reef tank with plenty of live rock offering caves and overhangs to retreat into during the day. It is sensitive to copper-based medications and does not tolerate elevated nitrates, so stable water quality is essential. As it grows and moves around the tank at night, it can topple loose rockwork or unsecured corals, so aquascape should be built on the substrate rather than stacked precariously.

Feeding

Juveniles graze on algae and biofilm, but adults shift toward a mostly carnivorous diet and will scavenge leftover meaty foods as well as prey on sponges, soft corals, and anemones. Large specimens benefit from supplemental feedings of chopped fish, clam, or mussel to keep them from targeting desirable reef inhabitants. Feeding is best done at night or dusk when the snail becomes active and begins foraging.

Tank mates

Best paired with peaceful tankmates such as starfish, sea urchins, and tubeworms rather than soft corals, sponges, or anemones that it may eventually eat. Condylactis anemones in particular should be avoided as known prey items. Because of its size and blundering movement at night, it is unsuitable for tanks with delicate or top-heavy coral placements.

Breeding

In the wild, females deposit egg masses and guard them until they hatch into planktonic larvae that eventually settle and metamorphose. Captive breeding has not been achieved in the aquarium hobby, and essentially all specimens in the trade are wild-collected. There is no established method for inducing spawning or rearing larvae at home.

Health

Tiger cowries are generally hardy when kept in mature systems with good water quality, but they are notably intolerant of copper-based medications and elevated nitrate levels. Sudden exposure to poor water conditions or medicated dips intended for fish can be fatal. A damaged or retracted mantle that fails to re-extend over the shell can be a sign of stress or declining health.

Sources

1. Tiger Cowrie
2. Tiger cowrie - Cypraea tigris
3. Tiger Cowrie: Saltwater Aquarium Invertebrates – LiveAquaria
4. Caresheets - Tiger Cowrie () - Cypraea tigris - Fishkeeping

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