conches

bracebldrs · 01/09/2010, 06:39 AM

Hi,I'm down in marco island right now weather stinks.my kid found a bunch of small conches are they good or bad in a tank?also has anyone ever taken stuff home via airline?

bglegs · 01/09/2010, 07:07 AM

I have two queen conches...they are good for cleaning and stirring the sand...

greenbean36191 · 01/09/2010, 07:25 AM

Well, there are a lot of conch look-alikes that are bad news in a reef tank since they're predators. If you're finding a bunch of them, it would be more likely that that's what your seeing rather than true conchs which are somewhat uncommon. You can distinguish true conchs from look-alikes by the eyes. True conchs have large eyes with irises- they look like human eyes. Almost all other snails will just have little black dots for eyes.

Also, the queen conch is protected in FL (and the rest of the US), so unless you're confident you can distinguish a juvenile queen conch from an adult fighting conch, it's probably a good idea to leave them alone. They are not suited to reef tanks anyway as they get much too big- about a foot long.

The only true conch you might find in that area that is legal to take and suitable for a reef tank would be a fighting conch. To take them you need a FL SW fishing license, which will allow you to take 5 per day (though 1 adult is all that most tanks can support).

FirstContact · 01/09/2010, 09:49 AM

I have a Florida Crown conch that I got from my LFS. It's great for the sand bed. Better than the nassarius snails (which I love) that sometimes get eaten by a hermit crab. You can google the different types of conches on line. You'll find a wealth of information to search through to determine what you've found. For the crown conch, the shell is pretty specific.

greenbean36191 · 01/09/2010, 01:50 PM

Crown conchs are actually whelks rather than conchs and are NOT reef safe. They are mollusk predators. Their preferred prey is bivalves like oysters and clams, but they are more than happy to eat other snails if that's all they can find.

scuba guy ron · 01/09/2010, 02:13 PM

I've kept conchs in an aquarium before. I suggest that you are careful as they can be destructive. i say this because their lurching motion can and will scratch aquarium glass. They can even hopp if startled and shatter the aquarium completely. This may not be a worry now if they are small but they will grow.

phil519 · 01/09/2010, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scuba guy ron

I've kept conchs in an aquarium before. I suggest that you are careful as they can be destructive. i say this because their lurching motion can and will scratch aquarium glass. They can even hopp if startled and shatter the aquarium completely. This may not be a worry now if they are small but they will grow.

First i heard of that. I've had two fighting conches in my 120 with no scratches whatsoever for over a year now. They are also the size of a larger frag disc. I am guessing you had queen conches or some other type?

brace - listen to greenbean - he knows what he's talking about!

bracebldrs · 01/09/2010, 04:16 PM

Ok they have iris like eyes how do u know if there queen or fighting

bracebldrs · 01/09/2010, 08:36 PM

Found 2 Little conches I think.they have creepy eyes how do you tell if there queen or fighting

greenbean36191 · 01/10/2010, 11:50 AM

Queen conchs generally have a higher spire and longer spines when compared to fighting conchs. As adults the queen conchs are also about 8-12 inches long and have a flaring lip and the inside of the shell is usually bright pink while the fighting conchs max out at around 3-5 inches and have no flaring lip. Unless you have some experience with the two species though, it might not always be easy to tell the difference in specimens smaller than about 3 inches.

If you have to ask the difference though, I wouldn't recommend taking them. The license to collect them is going to run you $17 plus tax anyway, so you aren't saving much if any money by collecting them yourself and there's the hassle of getting them back alive on the plane.

bracebldrs · 01/11/2010, 07:35 AM

well im back in il now didnt take them, however did a bit of research on transporting live goods.as long as you follow state regulations,you can take certian things with a limit and fishing licence.u can see it under mymarinefisheries.org.dont see any issues with airline,faa or tsa.as long as its not for comercial puposes.i think something securly packed in ur personal bags would be better than a ups or fedex transport. seems like floridas more concerned w items coming in that could destroy.

FirstContact · 01/14/2010, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenbean36191

Crown conchs are actually whelks rather than conchs and are NOT reef safe. They are mollusk predators. Their preferred prey is bivalves like oysters and clams, but they are more than happy to eat other snails if that's all they can find.

Well that's pretty interesting and not something I knew before. I was wondering if it was eating my Nasarius snails or just catching them after expiring. I haven't had any kind of jumping or glass scratching problem. The Crown Conch or whelk does do an awesome job of sifting the sand and feeds on detritus too. It lays some pretty cool egg ribbons every winter before spring. I only have the one, so that makes it female and nothing else develops. I don't have any clams or oysters in my tank.

The Smithsonian has a research station in Florida. The web page below lists research on the crown conch.

http://www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/Melongena_corona.htm

01/09/2010, 06:39 AM	#1
bracebldrs Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: illinios Posts: 90	conches Hi,I'm down in marco island right now weather stinks.my kid found a bunch of small conches are they good or bad in a tank?also has anyone ever taken stuff home via airline?

01/09/2010, 07:25 AM	#3
greenbean36191 Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Ft. Lauderdale Posts: 10,598	Well, there are a lot of conch look-alikes that are bad news in a reef tank since they're predators. If you're finding a bunch of them, it would be more likely that that's what your seeing rather than true conchs which are somewhat uncommon. You can distinguish true conchs from look-alikes by the eyes. True conchs have large eyes with irises- they look like human eyes. Almost all other snails will just have little black dots for eyes. Also, the queen conch is protected in FL (and the rest of the US), so unless you're confident you can distinguish a juvenile queen conch from an adult fighting conch, it's probably a good idea to leave them alone. They are not suited to reef tanks anyway as they get much too big- about a foot long. The only true conch you might find in that area that is legal to take and suitable for a reef tank would be a fighting conch. To take them you need a FL SW fishing license, which will allow you to take 5 per day (though 1 adult is all that most tanks can support). __________________ Some say the sun rises in the East. Some say it rises in the West. The truth must be somewhere in the middle. Current Tank Info: tore them down to move and haven't had the time or money to set them back up

01/09/2010, 09:49 AM	#4
FirstContact Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Glenn Dale, MD Posts: 1,613	I have a Florida Crown conch that I got from my LFS. It's great for the sand bed. Better than the nassarius snails (which I love) that sometimes get eaten by a hermit crab. You can google the different types of conches on line. You'll find a wealth of information to search through to determine what you've found. For the crown conch, the shell is pretty specific. __________________ No man is an island entire of itself; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. John Donne Current Tank Info: 120g Reef 100g Rubbermaid Sump, 20g Refugium; previous tank: 46g Drilled; Self Plumbed, Birds Nest, Anchor, Xenia, Zoas, Yuma Yuma Ricordea, Chalice, Mushrooms, Brain, Acan, Anenome Plate; Clams, Other Inverts, Fish, Live Rock

01/09/2010, 01:50 PM	#5
greenbean36191 Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Ft. Lauderdale Posts: 10,598	Crown conchs are actually whelks rather than conchs and are NOT reef safe. They are mollusk predators. Their preferred prey is bivalves like oysters and clams, but they are more than happy to eat other snails if that's all they can find. __________________ Some say the sun rises in the East. Some say it rises in the West. The truth must be somewhere in the middle. Current Tank Info: tore them down to move and haven't had the time or money to set them back up

01/09/2010, 02:13 PM	#6
scuba guy ron Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 1,455	I've kept conchs in an aquarium before. I suggest that you are careful as they can be destructive. i say this because their lurching motion can and will scratch aquarium glass. They can even hopp if startled and shatter the aquarium completely. This may not be a worry now if they are small but they will grow. __________________ Ron Current Tank Info: 6yr old 37 Gallon Column mixed reef

01/09/2010, 07:07 AM	#2
bglegs Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Illinois Posts: 267	I have two queen conches...they are good for cleaning and stirring the sand...

01/09/2010, 04:16 PM	#8
bracebldrs Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: illinios Posts: 90	Ok they have iris like eyes how do u know if there queen or fighting

01/09/2010, 08:36 PM	#9
bracebldrs Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: illinios Posts: 90	conch id Found 2 Little conches I think.they have creepy eyes how do you tell if there queen or fighting

01/10/2010, 11:50 AM	#10
greenbean36191 Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Ft. Lauderdale Posts: 10,598	Queen conchs generally have a higher spire and longer spines when compared to fighting conchs. As adults the queen conchs are also about 8-12 inches long and have a flaring lip and the inside of the shell is usually bright pink while the fighting conchs max out at around 3-5 inches and have no flaring lip. Unless you have some experience with the two species though, it might not always be easy to tell the difference in specimens smaller than about 3 inches. If you have to ask the difference though, I wouldn't recommend taking them. The license to collect them is going to run you $17 plus tax anyway, so you aren't saving much if any money by collecting them yourself and there's the hassle of getting them back alive on the plane. __________________ Some say the sun rises in the East. Some say it rises in the West. The truth must be somewhere in the middle. Current Tank Info: tore them down to move and haven't had the time or money to set them back up

01/11/2010, 07:35 AM	#11
bracebldrs Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: illinios Posts: 90	taking home? well im back in il now didnt take them, however did a bit of research on transporting live goods.as long as you follow state regulations,you can take certian things with a limit and fishing licence.u can see it under mymarinefisheries.org.dont see any issues with airline,faa or tsa.as long as its not for comercial puposes.i think something securly packed in ur personal bags would be better than a ups or fedex transport. seems like floridas more concerned w items coming in that could destroy.