What to feed a strawberry conch?

[Jess5023]

My friend gifted me a strawberry conch but my tank hasn't got very much algae what should I do what can I feed him?

 

[bennysmith1997]

I have been dropping Algae Wafers and my Strawberry Conch absolutely loves them. Comes out of the sand every time I drop them in.

 

[Jess5023]

I have been dropping Algae Wafers and my Strawberry Conch absolutely loves them. Comes out of the sand every time I drop them in.

What are algae wafers?

 

[bennysmith1997]

They sell them at most pet stores and have a few Brand options. They can be kinda big so breaking them in half is a good idea to avoid waste.

 

[Jess5023]

They sell them at most pet stores and have a few Brand options. They can be kinda big so breaking them in half is a good idea to avoid waste.

Okay I'll go and get some tomorrow thank you for telling me!

 

[A Young Reefer]

they will feed on detritus in the sand and any left over food.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Lots of algae and some meat seem to be key for good health, so algae wafers and fish food would probably be good:

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).

 

[Tcook]

Poo poo

 

[spamvicious]

Lots of algae and some meat seem to be key for good health, so algae wafers and fish food would probably be good:

I appreciate this is an old thread but I’m in a similar situations. What meat would you suggest?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I appreciate this is an old thread but I’m in a similar situations. What meat would you suggest?

Sorry for the slow response (I'm backlogged at the moment).

It's hidden in my quote above, but some possible options:
-Mazuri Koi food
-NLS Marine Fish pellets
-TDO Chroma Boost pellets
-Otohime pellets (last I checked, these are only sold in what are basically bulk bags)

Personally, I'd try the NLS pellets (which could potentially work as a standalone feed due to the amount of algae in it while none of the others could), but, as mentioned, the Mazuri Koi mixed into a gel diet with some algae (such as Ulva or Halymenia) has a proven track record, so it'd be tough to go wrong with it.

In the wild, these critters reportedly feed primarily on microalgae, diatoms, filamentous algae, and detritus; but it has been found that they can be kept on single, macroalgae diets successfully, and they've had good success with weight gain and maintenance in juveniles using Wakame (Undaria pinnatifida) and Kombu (Saccharina japonica). [Edit: *]

Given that, again, personally, I'd try NLS pellets with some wakame and kombu; alternatively, I would also be tempted to try TDO pellets with wakame and kombu, but at this point in time, I would probably expect slightly better results from the NLS pellets (ideally, I would run an experiment comparing growth rates of various Strawberry conchs on a variety of diets involving the above foods/algae, but that's not really necessary).

Edit: To add a source for the some of the info:
*Source:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0044848619322409