Interesting behavior

[Eric the half-bee]

I introduced 3- 2 inch crown conchs 2 weeks ago. I thought things were well. Last night when lights went off, I flashed a light and watched the conchs on the move. Not just on the move but on the hunt. Next move, a nassarius wanders by and the conchs attack and begin extracting the snails. Needless to say, they're in the sump now.

 

[a4twenty]

this is normal behaviour for a crown conch, they are actually a member of the whelk family and are carnivorous. they definitely will eat snails and any other sessile invertebrates it can get his hands .... errrr...... mouth on.

if you want to keep a conch, try a fighting conch, they are reef friendly, as long as you have a sand bed.

HTH

 

[Eric the half-bee]

Thanks a420. The LFS from which I purchased these is not reliable on info and also going out of biz. What's your thought on survival in the sump?

 

[a4twenty]

they should be fine as long as you give them some meat. i'm not sure why the industry even sells these guys or calls them a "conch" to begin with. i used to think it was a case of mistaken identity but if the sold them as crown's then they should have known what they actually are.

good luck