Live Florida Fighting Conch

The shell can be as large as 112 mm 4 4 in.

Live florida fighting conch. Backside of florida fighting conch. A backside look at shell spire and knobs. The fighting conch is a very hardy member of the strombidae family. The fighting conch is considered an easy species to care for in aquariums.

In addition the key characters of florida fighting conch snails are relatively thin and pointed spinners compared to other strombus species. The fighting conch can be found on all florida shorelines but they prefer sandy shallow water where wave action is minimal. Before i came across this living mollusk i had collected an empty fighting conch shell while visiting sanibel island. That s exactly the type of place i discovered this one.

Praised for their hardiness the fighting conch requires open deep sand beds in which it can forage for food. Since it is a burrowing animal it should be provided with a deep sand bed preferably live sand. These edges allow the eyestalks to look out from under the shell and become aware of its surroundings keeping the rest of its body safe. Thanks to this the fighting conch can observe its surroundings without exposing the rest of its body.

They are excellent sand sifters and very beneficial in the reef aquarium. This species is closely similar to strombus pugilis the west indian fighting conch which has a more southerly range. Fighting conchs earned their reputation with aggressive behavior in response to. Live florida fighting conch.

These florida fighting conchs are adults and are usually shipped around 3 inches or so. This species requires express mail and does not qualify for free shipping. Florida fighting conch spire up siphon down. Strombus pugilis common names the fighting conch and the west indian fighting conch is a species of medium to large sea snail a marine gastropod mollusk in the family strombidae the true conchs.

The front of the shell is designed with two curved edges. Strombus alatus commonly known as the florida fighting conch contains a small jagged spire at the top of the shell and about seven whorls. Pugilis is similar in appearance to strombus alatus the florida fighting conch. Alatus shells have less prominent subsutural.

The fighting conch is a suitable addition to any home reef aquarium where it will use its excellent sand sifting abilities to clean and aerate the substrate. The florida fighting conch feeds through a trunk like mouth and eyes that are on long stalks and are individually movable making them an interesting creature to watch. Their shell has a dark reddish brown often mottled with orange brown or having zigzag bars of color on the shiny parietal wall.