Fighting Conch?

[FloridaPride]

I bought what was said to be a Fighting Conch at a LFS, to clean by sand bed, because of all the good things I have read on here about how efficient they are. However when I put him in my tank, he buried himself with the top of his shell exposed, then popped his two eyes out of the sand and every now and then I see this little black tongue like thing picking the sand around him. The only thing that makes me wonder if this is what I am always reading about, is the fact he has been in the same place for over two days.... that just doesn't sound like the Fighting Conch I have heard so much about.....Is this what they do or do I have another type of conch that was passed off as a fighting conch?

 

[BurntOutReefer]

pic would help to ID...

 

[FloridaPride]

I will have to get a digital Camera and I will post a pic.

 

[NanoCube-boy]

yea, better with a photo... I bought my fighting like months ago, mine did the same thing, took him away to get used the area. It might still acclimate her/himself to the surrounding.Be patients. Does the black tong looks like a tube? The top shell sometime expose half way during borrow. That's how they are. Mine start moving in 3days. It takes awhile to get ajust.

 

[BurntOutReefer]

FWIW.....Mine was like that for 3 days....just sat there...they spook easliy....IMO...just give it some time...at east its still alive.....

 

[FloridaPride]

yeah, its a tube like thing, and he does spook easily, this is my first tank so I just wanted to see if this was normal....thanks for the reply.

 

[AZDesertRat]

Thats normal. They may sometimesstay in one place for a day or more and then all of a sudden be clear across the tank. Wait untill you see him jump, thats a weird sight!

 

[NanoCube-boy]

Tube thing is his mouth suck food. hehe. Yummy, vacumming craps... haha

 

[outlaw60]

I don't see mine for days, takes them awhile to acclimate to thier new surroundings, lol, mine jump also, glad mine aren't the only ones!

 

[NanoCube-boy]

Oh mine love jumping up and down before. I likes to hop over rocks. It's cool. I don't have it anymore. It died... I have it for only months...

 

[fish 511]

Question about fighting conchs. Do they work in a crushed coral subsatrate? I was JW...

Sorry FlordiaPride, did not mean to hijack thread!

 

[AZDesertRat]

Not as well as in sand. It requires a large tank (100 plus gallons)to support a fighting conch and an even larger one for a queen conch (200 plus gallons). Once they start growing they are voracious eaters.

 

[NanoCube-boy]

Required in large tank? Really? I never new that. I though it safe to have in small tank with plenty of algaes and detrius to eat on.

 

[AZDesertRat]

Nope they won't live long as you have found out. 1 per 100 gallons is all.

 

[NanoCube-boy]

Why is that? Why does it need so much room when it's so small?

 

[AZDesertRat]

Huge eaters and they grow very fast. Even a fighting conch can get like 4" in not much more than a year and a queen conch gets over 12" and grows like 3 times as fast.

 

[WingnutSr]

Get some peppermint shrimp, and those conchs will be history.

 

[mhhauser321]

How long has he been in there, because it takes a while for new fish and detrivores to get used to the tank and come out and walk around

 

[NanoCube-boy]

AZ, I never knew that. I thought conches doesn't grow much.
Mine died from stress, high percentage water change...

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9146103#post9146103 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by WingnutSr
Get some peppermint shrimp, and those conchs will be history.

What do you mean?

 

[outlaw60]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9146103#post9146103 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by WingnutSr
Get some peppermint shrimp, and those conchs will be history.

I have 2 in a 90, it's been over a year and I have four peppermint shrimp. No problems so far