Conch nest?

[karimwassef]

Last night, my two conches where spending a lot of time next to each other... This was at 3am.

This morning, I found one of them making a sand mucus cocoon? Or nest?

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/4A8EDA87-9B18-4C5B-AE0E-9266A906D307_zpsbl9wnkl1.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/4A8EDA87-9B18-4C5B-AE0E-9266A906D307_zpsbl9wnkl1.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 4A8EDA87-9B18-4C5B-AE0E-9266A906D307_zpsbl9wnkl1.jpg"/></a>

It's been at it all day

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/E3B5C48D-49F9-4154-818B-01268330A2B5_zpsvwzv6yg7.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/E3B5C48D-49F9-4154-818B-01268330A2B5_zpsvwzv6yg7.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo E3B5C48D-49F9-4154-818B-01268330A2B5_zpsvwzv6yg7.jpg"/></a>

What is this?

 

[karimwassef]

Really? No one has ever seen this behavior before?

 

[amber3k]

I had something just like that after adding two fighting conch to my tank. It appeared a couple days later. I thought it might have been a bacteria or something from them stirring up the sand. It tried removing it andit was like jello was holding the sand together or something sticky, squishy. I didn't touch it with my hand. Never figured out what it was.

 

[karimwassef]

Exactly. Any marine biologists on duty?

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Don (Pagojoe) is our snail expert. He checks in periodically so hopefully he'll chime in.

 

[wonrib00]

Yes, I had some conchs do that a few years ago, but I can't find any pics. My pics looked identical to yours. They would make those crescent shapes every month. Never saw anything from them as far as increased population.

 

[karimwassef]

Mine has just done it again. Full oval.

 

[amber3k]

http://www.iloveshelling.com/blog/2012/07/06/shell-raisers-on-the-beaches-of-sanibel/

Hope I linked that right...

 

[karimwassef]

Thanks! That's what I think it is too.

<a href="http://s1062.photobucket.com/user/karimwassef/media/87A655DC-5588-4460-8BA8-79645522282F.png_zpsrwxfnvwg.jpeg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1062.photobucket.com/albums/t496/karimwassef/87A655DC-5588-4460-8BA8-79645522282F.png_zpsrwxfnvwg.jpeg" border="0" alt=" photo 87A655DC-5588-4460-8BA8-79645522282F.png_zpsrwxfnvwg.jpeg"/></a>

My horseshoe crab went nuts looking around the area but didn't get to it.

 

[amber3k]

I was surprised none of my hermits seemed interested in it that's why I figured it was a bacteria bloom of some sort. Pretty sure it's an egg casing now though.