Conch

[tomato clown]

I was at the LFS today and picked up this nice little conch along with my turbo snails. I didn't see much info about conch's here so I figured I'd ask as well.
Jumping the gun on conch's.. no I've done reading and such and wanted one for a long time, they are just "technically" not allowed in Florida to come from the ocean (harvested). So for the $10.00 I snatched it up. From what I've read and been told we aren't allowed to have/own them here unless they are tank raised. The LFS guy said this was so That was good enough for me to hear to grab it.
Now please correct me if I'm wrong, but is this not a Queen Conch? I know it's not a fighting conch or a helmet conch. I'm just looking for other possibilities and some advice on the upkeep.
As well if ya want to use the pic for the ID section, feel free.

 

[alix2.0]

looks like a queen conch to me. i had one for a few months, and it did well, but died mysteriously one day. i hope you have better luck. my fighting conch is going on about one year.

 

[tomato clown]

Well luckilly I've plenty of stuff in the substrate for him/her to eat, and it should be the only thing turning the CC over leaving all the goodies to him/her.
The 1 Nass snail I have is perfectly happy on the back wall amongst the agea growth, so I don't see that one hitting the CC anytime if ever..lol

 

[bbb]

I looks like a small queen to me.
Here's some pics of mine if you want to try and compare.

 

[tomato clown]

Yup Yup same looking snout and shell

 

[tomato clown]

OK Found some info on a food site, but it's still something..lol
Conch (pronounced 'konk') is a common name for certain large marine snails. They are gastropod mollusks, the most commercially important of which are in the family Strombidae. The specific species we are concerned with here is the queen, or pink-lipped conch, Strombus gigas, which can be found in warm waters of the Atlantic and the Caribbean from Florida to Brazil. Their shells have overlapping whorls with a bright colored pink lip, which can reach a length of 12 to 13 inches. The operculum, which is the covering of the shell opening, is a claw like structure which the conch uses to dig into the sand and push itself along the bottom. They are plant eaters and can live as long as 25 years.
It is illegal to take live conch in U.S. waters, where they are an endangered species, so most conch now comes from the various Caribbean islands, including the Bahamas (where it is sometimes called 'hurricane ham'). However, they are becoming scarce even in those waters, as the price has more than tripled to over $11 per pound this year (2001).
Note: Scungili and whelk are distant relatives of conch.
Info #2... this is interesting
The Queen Conch or Pink Conch (Strombus gigas, named by Linnaeus in 1758) is a gastropod, a soft-bodied type of mollusk that is protected by a very hard shell. This invertebrate (animal without a backbone) is found in warm shallow waters in grassbeds of the Caribbean Sea.
Conchs are eaten by many animals, including rays and people. The beautiful shell is also collected by people; the shell is also used for jewelry and for conch trumpets. The Queen Conch is a relatively slow-growing animal.
The shell: The Queen Conch has a large, spiral shell often lined in pink. The conch's mantle, a thin layer of tissue located between the body and the shell, creates the shell. The conch builds the hard shell from calcium carbonate that it extracts from the seas. The shell is up to 1 foot (30 cm) long. The lip of the shell is flared and there are spines to deter its many predators.
Anatomy: The body is divided into the head, the visceral mass, and the foot (which is small). The conch has two pairs of tentacles on the head; it has a light-sensitive eyespot located on each of the larger tentacles. The smaller pair of tentacles is used for the sense of smell and the sense of touch. The small operculum (which is like a trap door) is located on the foot and looks a bit like (and works like) a claw. Young conchs can bury themselves in the sand when they are in danger.
Diet: Conches eat grasses, algae, and floating organic debris. They eat using a radula, a rough tongue-like organ that has thousands of tiny denticles (tooth-like protrusions).

 

[tomato clown]

OK Last bit, and probably the most detailed... (Figured I may as well post it due to not seeing much on the subject)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Mesogastropoda
Family: Strombidae
Genus: Strombus
Species: gigas
Species Description
The queen conch is a large, marine, gastropod mollusk. Mollusks (from the Latin word molluscus, meaning "soft") are a phylum of invertebrates with over 100,000 known species.
Mollusks are soft-bodied animals that may have a hard external shell composed of calcium carbonate, a hard internal shell, or no shell at all. Queen conchs have an external, spiral-shaped shell with a glossy pink or orange ********.
The majority of mollusks, including queen conch, are of the Class Gastropoda, whose name translates from Latin as "stomach foot." Other types of mollusks include oysters, clams, octopus, and squid.
Queen conchs achieve full size at about 3-5 years of age, growing to a maximum of about 12 inches (30.4 cm) long and weighing about 5 pounds (2.3 kg).
Queen conchs have separate sexes and reproduce through internal fertilization. After mating, females lay long egg masses that contain hundreds of thousands of eggs, which hatch after about 5 days. Larvae then spend about 18-40 days floating and feeding in the "plankton" before settling to the bottom and metamorphosing into the adult form. Once in their benthic, adult form, they graze on algae and detritus.
The queen conch is a long-lived species, generally reaching 20-30 years old; however, the lifespan has been estimated as up to 40 years.
Queen conchs are prized for both their edible meat and attractive shell.
Habitat
The queen conch lives in sand, seagrass bed, and coral reef habitats. It is found in warm, shallow water and is generally not found deeper than 70 feet (21 m).
Distribution
The queen conch is found throughout the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, and ranges as far north as Bermuda and as far south as Brazil.
Population Trends
Queen conch abundance is declining throughout the species's range as a result of overfishing and poaching. Populations of the species in Honduras, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic, in particular, are currently being exploited at rates that may be unsustainable.
Threats
There has been increasing concern about the conch fishery as populations have been depleted. Queen conch meat is used mainly for consumption but is also used as fishing bait. A by-product of the meat trade are conch shells, which are used for jewelry or sold as curios. Trade from many Caribbean countries is known or suspected to be unsustainable, and illegal harvest, including fishing of the species in foreign waters and subsequent illegal international trade, is a common and widespread problem in the region (Theile 2001).

 

[bbb]

Here some info. from Marine Invertebrates 500+ Essential-To-Know Aquarium Species by Ronald L. Shimek Ph. D. on page 311.
Strombus gigas
Queen Conch
Maximum Size: Up to 16 in. (.4 m) long.
Range: Caribbean.
Minimum Aquarium Size: Large tanks, 100 gal. (380 L) or larger.
Lighting: Must be sufficient to support healthy algal growth.
Foods &Feeding: Herbivorous. Grazer on all sorts of microalgae. May be fed pelleted herbivore foods.
Aquarium Suitability/Reef Aquarium Compatibility: Good grazer. Harmless. Needs a lot of open sand surface area.
Captive Care: Wild populations have been devasted by overfishing; specimens in the aquarium traed are aquacultured. Characterized by large eyes with an evident iris and pupil, it alertly surveys its surroundings. Will outgrow a small tank relatively rapidly. Needs a lot of algae; only feed when on sand. The shell inside is pink, peach, yellow or orange; the outside is drab green or gray, with large bumps or low spines on the rim of each whorl. The shell aperture will flare widely at sexual maturity. The body is olive or pale drab green. Hermit crabs will kill them. Individuals less than .8 in (2 cm) long often climb on rocks and aquarium walls, but larger, heavier conchs remain on the bottom substrate. Moves with a lurching motion.
After having mine for ~2 years and having it more than double in size, I traded it in today for some snails because it was starting to knock stuff over.

 

[tomato clown]

Cool Captive Care section there. Most stuff I've read says they don't climb. I thought this one was going to be an Oddball for climbing the glass to get some algae.
BBB,
How did you manage the care? Meaning did you do anything special just for the conch?

 

[bbb]

I didn't do anything out of the ordinary for it. It just roamed the sandbed and ate algae off of the sand and lower parts of the rock and glass. Plus it might have gotten some of the food scraps that fell to the bottom.

 

[bang guy]

Twins

 

[alexmir]

I have done no special caring for my conch, he just roams the sand, and has for about 6 months. I thought i lost him for about 3 weeks, i coudnt find him, but one day he just popped up in the middle of the tank!
Very neat creatures, mine is about 1.5 in long, and seems to be very happy and doing great!

 

[tomato clown]

Very cool twins Bang!
OK so I'm assuming it's safe to say that pretty much the dirtier the bottom the more they'll thrive? In other words don't stir it up and self-clean it, just leave it to the bottom feeders to enjoy?

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by Tomato Clown
http:///forum/post/2619507
Very cool twins Bang!
OK so I'm assuming it's safe to say that pretty much the dirtier the bottom the more they'll thrive? In other words don't stir it up and self-clean it, just leave it to the bottom feeders to enjoy?
They eat Diatoms and other algae. They can eat a small amount of Cyanobacter but can't survive without green algae. They do not clean up waste or detritus like Fighting Conch do.

 

[tomato clown]

Interesting. green algae, hmmm. The only green I have is on tank walls and on some LR. I might need to help him out by lifting him to the higher sections for now.

 

[tomato clown]

I bought some algae strips at the LFS and it took maybe 5 minutes before the conch found what I put in the tank. Had it's fill and 4 hours later it hasn't left the spot. I guess it fell asleep in the algae for a while because it just started munching a bit more.
Only problem is the bristleworm came out to inspect. It's a first for it to appear during the day. The one I'm referring to is "Vile Beast" and it's much larger than I first thought. I seen at least 9 inches and was still in the rocks. I had bought some pellets, so after dropping a few in, this bristle literally swallowed one whole just as you would see a snake eat. FREAKY!!
Should I be concerned?

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by Tomato Clown
http:///forum/post/2622303
I bought some algae strips at the LFS and it took maybe 5 minutes before the conch found what I put in the tank. Had it's fill and 4 hours later it hasn't left the spot. I guess it fell asleep in the algae for a while because it just started munching a bit more.
Only problem is the bristleworm came out to inspect. It's a first for it to appear during the day. The one I'm referring to is "Vile Beast" and it's much larger than I first thought. I seen at least 9 inches and was still in the rocks. I had bought some pellets, so after dropping a few in, this bristle literally swallowed one whole just as you would see a snake eat. FREAKY!!
Should I be concerned?

Can you get a picture of its head?

 

[tomato clown]

Thats a tough one... He's one fast (*&%^
I'll see what I can do, but for now he's fairly nasty as well. It leave this webbing sort of stuff everywhere it goes. It actually acts somewhat like a snake as well, lifting it's head section up.
From what I did see, it had the look of (general idea, for visualization purposes) hair on the top and bottom of the head and the mouth opened as large as the body.
Trying to get a picture, but he's under a rock ducking away as always.

 

[tomato clown]

Not mine, he's too quick, but it looks almost identical to this one...

 

[tomato clown]

Scratch that, I got it...