Family: Ovulidae

It is probably true to say that cowries are of more value to shell collectors than to marine fishkeepers; for although they possess some attractive qualities such as the often beautiful shells, in the reef aquarium they are capable of causing considerable inconvenience. Still, they are popular with marine aquarists and I no reason to omit them from our thoughts completely.

There's no doubt about it, a well arranged coral invertebrate aquarium can be one of the most impressive and satisfying sights you are likely to witness within the fishkeeping hobby. People seem to be drawn like a magnet to its exotic beauty and a certain disbelief that something so defying adequate description could possibly be real! The romanticism and awe-inspiring beauty associated with coral reefs has been witnessed to some degree by nearly everyone, courtesy of the television or cinema. The urge to acquire a piece of coral reef 'real estate' for the lounge can be very strong indeed, leading to uncontrollable weekend spending sprees, high hopes and good intentions. Not, however, the best recipe for a successful marine aquarium I am sorry to say!