Kapachuka3
Valuable Member
I have a fighting conch and I have been pretty good at keeping algae down but what do I feed the conch so he doesn’t starve if there’s no algae?
What to feed fighting conch
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Kapachuka3
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Samsquanch
Community Member
I had one in my tank for about a year and a half, I waited a good 8 or 9 months to let my sand bed mature, it did great just living on what dropped to the bottom, I never really fed any more food for him. He did great tell I added a few Halloween crabs and he was a goner
MCatano
Valuable Member
Doesn't need to be a lot for it. Should be fine. I have 3 and never feed them and don't have algae issues
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Fighting Conchs are omnivorous, meaning that they’ll eat both meaty foods and vegetation, but in your aquarium, they’ll act herbivorous most of the time. They feed on algae, bacteria, and detritus which can always be found around a fish tank. They stretch out their snout so that they can use their tooth like tube to scrape off algae from rocks and other surfaces.
Bacteria and detritus are eaten as the gastropod sift through the substrate. The majority of their time is spent looking for food, and burrowing in sand and silt takes up a lot of that time. They need lots of food, which is why they are always foraging. The amount of algae, bacteria, and detritus in the tank already usually isn’t enough, so you need to supplement this with your own food.
You can do this by adding dried foods like algae pellets/wafers. They will eat uneaten foods that were intended for their tank mates too.
The amount of food you add will depend on the number of algae and detritus in the tank, so look closely. Since algae is a big part of a Fighting Conch’s diet, don’t remove all of it when cleaning the tank. It is important to provide calcium. This is an important component of developing a strong and healthy shell.
Bacteria and detritus are eaten as the gastropod sift through the substrate. The majority of their time is spent looking for food, and burrowing in sand and silt takes up a lot of that time. They need lots of food, which is why they are always foraging. The amount of algae, bacteria, and detritus in the tank already usually isn’t enough, so you need to supplement this with your own food.
You can do this by adding dried foods like algae pellets/wafers. They will eat uneaten foods that were intended for their tank mates too.
The amount of food you add will depend on the number of algae and detritus in the tank, so look closely. Since algae is a big part of a Fighting Conch’s diet, don’t remove all of it when cleaning the tank. It is important to provide calcium. This is an important component of developing a strong and healthy shell.
