Conchs
- Thread starter CATALYST
- Start date
My Queen is an algae hound! She pretty much stays on the sand but i find her on the rocks occasionally. I think the one thing i like most about her are her eyes. reminds me of Gary from sponge bob. 
My best sand sifter is my Sand Sifting Starfish. He is all over the sand bed and only sifts the top layer.
My best sand sifter is my Sand Sifting Starfish. He is all over the sand bed and only sifts the top layer.
kathywithbirds
Well-Known Member
I had two, can't find the one. The one left is the type that's smoother, not with the points on the shell... I had gotten a fighting and a queen and I forget which is which, but they both seemed to eat cyano. One liked algae too. Fun to watch, kinda alien lookin. I am a newbie but am now a big fan as far as them and cyano. Look on pacificeast aquaculture's site, it's the one labeled "cyano grazing conch."
cracker
Well-Known Member
What little I understand ,certain conchs are great for the sb. They are hardy & interesting to watch. They are omnivores & will sift thru the sb for algae& such.I also understand certain others ( conchs or whelks maybe)are predatory & it can be hard to tell them apart. They can grow fast & need enough open Sb to range for food. I aquired a fighting conch( I hope) today for sandbed duty. If mine stays on the sb like Frankie's, it will have plenty to eat for some time!
framerguy
Well-Known Member
They are great sand sifters, but the queen (up to 16") and fighting conch (up to 4")are herbivorous and may not survive if there are other sand dwelling herbivors. They need LOTS of food, and will accept herbivor pellets if you don't have enough algae growth. Each animal needs 2 sq. ft. open sand for sifting. As for something "better", that's a matter of opinion. There's probably not something better and as COOL as a conch. Cerith snails may be more effective, but... not as cool!
ASH
Active Member
We just got a conch about a week ago. Then about 2 days later our tank decided to cycle and and our serpent star didn't like the water conditions and dropped all but on leg...Our conch (don't know if it's queen or fighting) ate the starfish body....or at least tried too. The next day I got the starfish body out of the tank but left the legs in there because they we're still moving and I really just wanted to observe them. But last night I got the flashlight and checked out the night life of the tank and there was my conch devouring the legs. It ate every single leg that fell off of the star.
R.I.P pat.
But my point....I thought they we're just algae eaters I would have never expected they would be meat eaters. I guess it's time for some research and maybe consider taking him back.
R.I.P pat.
But my point....I thought they we're just algae eaters I would have never expected they would be meat eaters. I guess it's time for some research and maybe consider taking him back.
michael_cb_125
Well-Known Member
I have 4 Queen conchs in my 100 gallon. They do a great job at cleaning my sand bed, rocks, and glass. They go everywhere. But they LOVE Cyano, and red slime. I accredit my clean tank to my conchs. They are my favorite snails. Plus when they get big you can just make fritters>
framerguy
Well-Known Member
It takes YEARS to get that big, something like 20, they grow slowly.
Ash, I don't know what to think about yours. Maybe it's not a fighter or a queen. There are meat eating conchs. Those two really are herbivorous and eat grasses, algae and other green stuff. Maybe you got a FREAK!
cracker
Well-Known Member
Here is an article by Dr Ron Shimek on predatory whelks. He makes some fairly cut & dry distinctions between the whelks & conchs.
Whelks by Ronald L. Shimek, Ph.D. - Reefkeeping.com
Whelks by Ronald L. Shimek, Ph.D. - Reefkeeping.com
Witfull
Well-Known Member
then its not a fighting conch~mislabeled ID'd critter
ASH
Active Member
LMAO story of my life....
I've never seen my conch on the sand bed. He's always on the glass or rocks and he doesn't come out until lights out.
cracker
Well-Known Member
Speaking of predatory gastropods., Not too long ago ,on the advice of an expert, I collected two rather large snails & put them in a livewell full of live baitshrimp. It wasn't 10 minutes & they were chowing down on the shrimp! The snails were quickly released. It was a fast & effective method of figuring out if they were reef safe or not.
I remember those monsters!!:bugout: