Mama conch, doing her thing

["Umm fish?"]

Thought you all might like to see (you voyeurs, you ):

 

[artful-dodger]

Gee, it's almost like B**** was back...did you have to dance?

 

["Umm fish?"]

Well, I didn't _have_ to dance, but it sure does feel good!

 

["Umm fish?"]

By the way, she's still laying eggs. It's probably been going on for a couple of hours now and she really has a pile of 'em.

 

["Umm fish?"]

A few more pictures.

Ain't she pretty? I bet she worked up an appetite:

Pulled back a bit. It was quite the mound she built:

She's off to clean the sandbed some more. She covered all the eggs over with sand (and made quite the mound). Somewhere on the internet I found out that they lay about 300,000 eggs at a time. Once they hatch, the larvae are pelagic for about a month (i.e., probably none will settle out). I haven't found out what the larvae will eat, but I don't really have time or facilities to try to raise them anyway.

Here's the mound after mom went off to look for food. Conchs are sexed, so I definitely have at least one female! Sorry the pic is pretty washed out.

 

[rkl303]

Nice. Looks like that M. digi could use some love though(I'll admit I do the same thing).

 

[crisc]

Cool pics! What a proud parent you should be. Someone is having caviar tonight.

 

["Umm fish?"]

I really don't know what to do with the montiporas. Either they hate my system or my system hates them, not sure which. I only have a couple that are doing anything at all. Acros seem to be doing fine right now but the montis sure seem to have their issues. So. Yes, that one is resting at the moment in the lower-stress because of lower-light sand to see if it makes it.

The egg mound is still there this morning. Who'd have thought it'd make it through the night?