Tiger Conch getting enough to eat?

[JoeinLA]

We've had a tiger conch in our 85g tank since the early setup (over a year ago). We recently added a sand sifting goby that has made the sand very very clean. I'm worried that perhaps the sand is too clean and the tiger conch isn't getting enough to eat. Any thoughts on how to tell if the tiger conch is doing OK or any ways to try and specifically feed it? Otherwise, perhaps giving it back to the fish store?

I could also try putting it in the sump and just letting it eat the detritus there (there's no sand in the sump, however)?

Any thoughts/comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

The successful broodstock (breeding pair/group) diets of various conchs that I've heard of all use some kind of pellet/gelatin feed that was supplemented by/mixed with algae (specifically algae like Ulva, Halymenia, and Spirulina).

So, I'd get some good pellets (I'm not sure what is best for conchs - I know Mazuri Koi Chow was used successfully with four conch species, so that would be a safe option, but personally I'd give Otohime or TDO pellets a try) and some good macroalgae (preferably red and/or green - again, I'm not sure which algae would be best, but I know Ulva and Halymenia have been used successfully, and I know some conch species eat Laurencia and Batophora in the wild; Ulva would probably be one of the easiest to get a hold of and grow out so you don't have keep buying more) and some Spirulina powder and blend these into one feed you can offer the conch.

Basically take some pellets, macro, and Spirulina and turn them into one pellet/gelatin (or possibly even frozen, though I've never seen frozen used) feed to offer the conch (you may need to get creative in how you offer the food to the conch so your fish don't eat the food before your conch does, but you might be able to bury the food in the sand for it or offer the food to the conch inside an isolation box or something).

 

[formallydehyde]

My strawberry/tiger conchs mostly eat various types of hair algae (their favorite) and film algae, I don't think they spend much time eating off the sand bed. They'll even climb up my rockwork to get hair algae or on the glass to get bryopsis - they're surprisingly good climbers. I give them Hikari Seaweed Extreme Sinking Pellets to supplement their diet if it looks like they're running low on decent algae to eat and they seem to like it. It softens from a hard pellet to a fluffy texture after being in the water a couple minutes.

 

[formallydehyde]

The successful broodstock (breeding pair/group) diets of various conchs that I've heard of all use some kind of pellet/gelatin feed that was supplemented by/mixed with algae (specifically algae like Ulva, Halymenia, and Spirulina).

So, I'd get some good pellets (I'm not sure what is best for conchs - I know Mazuri Koi Chow was used successfully with four conch species, so that would be a safe option, but personally I'd give Otohime or TDO pellets a try) and some good macroalgae (preferably red and/or green - again, I'm not sure which algae would be best, but I know Ulva and Halymenia have been used successfully,

Mine nibble a tiny bit on ulva but they don't actually like it very much. I think it's too tough for them to chew and too hard for them to grab. Ulva seems better for animals that can grab and tear off pieces like fish. I bought a bunch of ulva hoping it would be good enrichment for them but they've ignored it mostly.