Fighting Conch
Strombus sp
In this edition of Species Spotlight we will be taking a look at the Fighting Conch.
Right off the bat I would like to point out that despite the name the Fighting Conch is a peaceful snail that would be a great addition to most marine and reef aquariums. The Fighting Conch has a brown, tan, yellowish shell that is thick and heavy. The body of the Fighting Conch is a molted tan and dark brown, it also has two long eye stalks and a long mouthpiece it also has a sickle shaped operculum.
The fighting Conch is classified as an omnivore and will consume detritus from your substrate and clean and aerate your sand bed. The main food source for the Fighting Conch is usually excess algae as it will consume various types of excess algae and bacteria from the sand bed. They will spend most of their day foraging for food, this can also be supplemented with various prepared foods or even sheets of seaweed.
The Fighting Conch reach a size of around 5 inches, making them one of the largest reef safe snails available. These can be tank bred and are available as aquacultured specimens. The Fighting Conch is hailed as one of the hardiest saltwater snails but along with other invertebrates the Fighting Conch will not tolerate copper-based medications or high levers of nitrate and phosphate. The Fighting Conch should be drip acclimated when introducing to a new environment.
Fighting Conch snails are easy to care for. Like most Conch species, they are known for digging into sandy substrates and keeping the sand bed stirred up. Although they can eat nearly everything, they are mostly herbivorous. These snails are hardy and interesting to watch. They are better adapted for a community tank than most. They are just very cool looking creatures and one of the most useful snails in the saltwater tanks.
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