Conchs

[alienzx]

I just got 2 new conchs the other week, and found one taking a trip up the side of my tank the other night. It reminded me of post that said that if your conchs are climbing the walls it might be caused by lack of food.

What exactly can I be feeding these cool guys? They're currently my favorite tankitzens.

 

[Anonymous]

I don't have a conch yet, but do have a handful of nassarius.. - I plan on feeding the conch what I'm feeding pretty much everything else.. - Frozen mysis..

I'd be curious (suprised) if that won't do...... Anyone??

 

[reefsnreptiles1]

I just got 2 new conchs the other week

What type of conchs? Queens will spend a lot of time on the sides of the tank and the rocks. Fighting conchs will bury themselves in the sand.

 

[Anonymous]

I had the impression that they are strictly herbivorous; I never noticed mine responding to fishfood. I think its normal for Queen conchs to climb walls, mine did it while they were rapidly growing, so they seem like they were getting enough food...? Not sure on that issue.

 

[saltaholic]

I thought conchs were good for strictly keeping your sandbed clean as that is where they mainly roam? I am want ing to get one to help get rid of lingering cyano. I am so sick of this stupid cyano. Also I here that you should only keep one conch per 2 square feet of sand bed.

 

[baseman]

My fighting conch is on the glass tonight. I haven't seen it in weeks. I was begining to wonder where he was (cause I used to have two, and one is a hermit house). They do seem to spend most of the time buried in the sand.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm under the impression (from somewhere ) that only queen conchs climb glass...if your conch is climbing the glass, it's prolly not a fighting conch. Can anyone else weigh in on this?

Conchs also IMO do NOT eat cyano, so dont expect them to fix this problem. Nothing out there eats cyano to any great degree...if something did, we'd prolly all have it. :wink:

Conchs might be good for diatoms, tho...and if true that's a pretty big deal in my book.

I have 3 fighting conchs in my 180, and if nothing else, they are very cool little creatures.

Chris

 

[saltaholic]

question: I want to go back to the basics here; what are the difference between cyano and diatoms, and how do you tell the difference, sorry to get off track of the thread.

Do conchs "jump". I have heard that they do if they feel threatened or if they just plain feel like it.

 

[Anonymous]

fighting conchs 'hop' rather well :wink:

 

[alienzx]

Yeah I have fighting conchs. It's cool to see them poking up out of the sand.

I guess there's nothing I can really feed them, hope the tank is providing enough food.

 

[Aquarist20]

So how do you tell the difference between a fighting and a queen conch?

 

[teevee]

Strombus gigas (queen conch): http://www.gastropods.com/7/Shell_217.html

Strombus alatus (florida fighting conch): http://www.gastropods.com/9/Shell_1329.html

Many LFS' sell unidentified conchs as S. gigas or S. alatus, when they are in reality any one of those listed at http://www.gastropods.com/Taxon_pages/Group_Conch.html. You will find that some conchs are detrivores, some are herbivores (both S. gigas and S. alatus) and some are carnivores (horse conchs in particular).

Conchs use their operculum to "vault". This is the jumping you see. The operculum is part of their foot and looks like it belongs on a crustacean more than a mollusc.

My Strombus luhuanus does eat cyano (assuming cyano is the red-purple bubbly stuff that grows on the sand). If you have a conch that is going after meaty foods (mysis, etc.), I would get a positive ID at http://www.gastropods.com/Taxon_pages/Group_Conch.html and then find out what animal you're dealing with, because you probably don't want a predatory conch in your tank.

 

[reeflovr1]

I have what was sold to me as a "fighting" conch and he did eat some of the red cyano on my sandbed Last night I sunk some New Life Spectrum pellets for the sandbed critters to feast on and was amazed to see my conch start to chew on some of the pellets. He waited until they were somewhat softened by the water and then went to town on them. Don't know if yours will do this but just thought I'd share my experience

Reeflovr