How to get conchs to mate.

[Kapachuka3]

I have 2 tiger conchs, 1 strawberry conch and a fighting conch in my 32.5 gallon display tank. How would i get or encourage breeding among them. Is there a way to make different breeds by combining a strawberry conch and a fighting conch or would it only be between the strawberries.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

How would i get or encourage breeding among them.

By offering them a good diet, good water conditions, and any triggers needed to induce spawning (if the species you have require certain conditions to spawn, then you have figure out how to replicate/emulate those conditions in your tank - Tiger/Strawberry Conches are seasonal breeders, so you would likely need to emulate the seasonal changes; I know temperature is important for these reproduction with these guys, and I would guess photoperiod is too).

For diet (Tiger/Strawberry Conches - Conomurex luhanus, A.K.A. Strombus luhanus - have been cultured on similar diets; basically you want lots of algae and a moderate amount of meat):

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).

For spawning cues/triggers (again, Tiger/Strawberry Conches are seasonal spawners, so I’d guess you’d need slow temperature changes and possibly an adjustment of your tank’s daily light period):

Unfortunately, not a whole lot is known about snail spawning/aquaculture at this point that I've been able to find (a handful of species - typically commercially important ones - have been bred, but that's about it), but for some species (such as Queen Conches) it's a seasonal thing (likely related to temperature, phytoplankton population densities, and weather conditions such as storms or wet/dry season changes, but possibly things like light duration and intensity as well), and for others (such as some Nassarius spp.) it seems to be diet and maturity related more than anything.

Is there a way to make different breeds by combining a strawberry conch and a fighting conch or would it only be between the strawberries.

Tiger/Strawberry Conches are - by all accounts I can find - the same species, so they would be able to mate, but the Fighting Conch is from a different genus altogether. So, between the distant relationship taxonomically and the fact that Tiger/Strawberry Conches mate through internal fertilization, I’d say odds are extremely low to nonexistent that you’d be able to breed hybrids out of them.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have 2 tiger conchs, 1 strawberry conch and a fighting conch in my 32.5 gallon display tank. How would i get or encourage breeding among them. Is there a way to make different breeds by combining a strawberry conch and a fighting conch or would it only be between the strawberries.

Its up to the individual snails. Good water conditions always an advantage but there is never a sure expectation for mating and pairing. Ph must be constant and best to breed are tiger conch

 

[mijan]

Bottle of red wine and a little Barry White

 

[formallydehyde]

By offering them a good diet, good water conditions, and any triggers needed to induce spawning (if the species you have require certain conditions to spawn, then you have figure out how to replicate/emulate those conditions in your tank - Tiger/Strawberry Conches are seasonal breeders, so you would likely need to emulate the seasonal changes; I know temperature is important for these reproduction with these guys, and I would guess photoperiod is too).

For diet (Tiger/Strawberry Conches - Conomurex luhanus, A.K.A. Strombus luhanus - have been cultured on similar diets; basically you want lots of algae and a moderate amount of meat):

For spawning cues/triggers (again, Tiger/Strawberry Conches are seasonal spawners, so I’d guess you’d need slow temperature changes and possibly an adjustment of your tank’s daily light period):


Tiger/Strawberry Conches are - by all accounts I can find - the same species, so they would be able to mate, but the Fighting Conch is from a different genus altogether. So, between the distant relationship taxonomically and the fact that Tiger/Strawberry Conches mate through internal fertilization, I’d say odds are extremely low to nonexistent that you’d be able to breed hybrids out of them.

Conomurex decorus (and possibly other species) also get listed as tiger/strawberry conch as well, which might complicate things, especially since they're not the easiest to tell apart.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Conomurex decorus (and possibly other species) also get listed as tiger/strawberry conch as well, which might complicate things, especially since they're not the easiest to tell apart.

Good catch: I’d guess getting them breeding would be pretty much the same regardless of species, but if they’re a different species from the same genus, then chances of them mating/producing viable offspring may be low. It’s possible that they still could, though, in which case hybrid offspring may be possible.