Macroalgae Farms
Orange Spotted Miter Snail
Key Features:
Estimated delivery between June 16 and June 18.
About this item
Orange Spotted Miter Snail
The Orange Spotted Miter Snail (Mitra mitra) is one of the most striking and functional specialist snails available in the saltwater hobby — a large, powerful Indo-Pacific predator with a collector-grade shell of vivid orange spots on a clean white background and a relentless appetite for bristleworms, pest worms, and detritus that most cleanup crew members simply will not touch. If your FOWLR or fish-only system has a bristleworm problem, the Orange Spotted Miter is one of the most effective natural solutions you can add.
Active primarily at night, the Orange Spotted Miter spends its days buried in the sandbed — aerating and turning the substrate as it moves — and emerges after dark to hunt. Its long white proboscis extends far ahead of the shell as it tracks prey through the sand, giving it an almost alien appearance when fully active. The shell itself is a genuine showpiece — elongated, smooth, and boldly patterned in the orange-on-white coloration that makes Mitra mitra one of the most sought-after collector shells in the world. Owning a live specimen is genuinely rare and a privilege that most hobbyists never get the opportunity to experience.
Rarely seen as live specimens in the aquarium trade, the Orange Spotted Miter is best suited to FOWLR, fish-only, or specialist systems where its pest-hunting abilities (especially bristleworms, other pest worms) are most valuable and its tankmate requirements can be best managed.
Available Options
Orange Spotted Miter Snail — Single (2–3")
- One healthy Orange Spotted Miter Snail (Mitra mitra), 2–3" in shell length
- Active and healthy — ready to begin hunting and sand aerating immediately upon introduction
- A rare opportunity to own one of the most exotic live snail specimens in the hobby
Care Information
| 🌡️ Temperature 75–82°F — stable temps essential |
🧂 Salinity 1.022–1.026 — drip acclimate carefully |
| 🐠 Temperament Predatory — specialist hunter, not reef safe |
⚙️ Care Level Easy to Moderate — best in established systems |
| 🍽️ Diet Carnivore — bristleworms, pest worms, detritus, carrion |
🏠 Tank Size 45 gallon minimum — needs deep sandbed |
| 🌙 Activity Nocturnal — most active after lights out |
🏖️ Substrate Deep sand bed — burrows during the day |
Special Considerations
🔍 Aquarium Insights
- One of the only snails in the hobby specifically suited to hunting and eliminating bristleworm and pest worm populations from the sandbed — working deep below the surface where no other CUC member goes
- The extended white proboscis visible when hunting after dark is one of the most fascinating and alien displays any invertebrate can produce — a genuinely spectacular animal to observe under moonlight
- A collector-grade shell on a living, functional animal — the Orange Spotted Miter is simultaneously one of the most beautiful and most useful snails available anywhere in the saltwater hobby
Learn More
For detailed species information, compatibility, and care tips, visit our Species Library.
Due to natural variation, the specimen you receive may vary slightly in shell patterning, spot intensity, and size within the stated range. Photographs are representative examples.
The Orange Spotted Miter Snail is not reef safe and will prey on small snails, worms, and bivalves. It is the buyer's responsibility to ensure this species is appropriate for their system before purchasing.
As with all live animals, proper drip acclimation and a stable, established environment are essential for best results.
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