Day before yesterday, to my surprise, my Crown Conch appeared. It lives in the refugium under my 29g reef, and is always submerged beneath the sand where it can't be seen. I really enjoyed watching it travel around in the open, and took a number of pictures. There is a Mud Crab in that refugium as well, so I watched to see how they'd interact. Things weren't going too well, and I decided I would not watch things occur without intervention. Using a chopstick, I kept the crab away from the Conch as it traveled past the spot in question, and all is well. Here are some pictures of this unique creature:

Crown Conch - an Interesting Sand Sifter

About 8 months ago (8/11/03), I was given this Conch by a club member. He hand-carried it from Florida, along with some other critters he'd caught. I took a couple of pictures after putting it into my refugium, and never saw it again for months! The reason this is interesting is because the sandbed is barely 2" deep, and this creature's shell is about that tall. How could it hide?!

Two months ago, I replaced my old refugium with a new one, and while transferring the sand, I found the Crown Conch alive and well, much to my surprise. At best, I'd hoped to find the shell because there was no escape for a creature of this size. In the new home, it quickly buried itself completely, and occasionally I'd be able to recognize his camoflaged 'snorkel' peeking up out of the sandy substrate.

Suddenly, he appeared again and seemed quite active. I'm not sure what it was that brought him out into the open, but I took a bunch of pictures while I could!

The following 8 pictures are of it stretching up and turning 180 degrees:

 

Here is the rear-view of the shell. It is unlike the Queen or Fighting Conch shells.

This is the foot of the creature. When it travels over the sand, it resembles a hovercraft as it glides forward effortlessly.

Above, the Conch is interested in that vertical piece of algae, and 'smelled' it for a couple of minutes.

Suddenly, it decided to hike right over that prickly mass of rubble, rather than to go around it on the smoother surface.

A very interesting creature indeed! In my opinion, it is a fine addition to a refugium, and is a safe choice.

The bubble tip anemones continue to struggle for health. I fed more finely-processed food today, but noticed that the fish and hermit crabs are happy to steal the food. After posting my thoughts on Reef Central, one person suggested I remove the clownfish for a duration while the anemones regain their strength. I'll probably put both fish in my refugium for a while, and see if that helps. Today, I put a bunch of nets around the two BTAs, hoping to shield them.

This is really not an important point, but I noticed at the base of a zoanthid colony, a 'hitch-hiker' clam is alive and well. It is quite small, maybe the size of a thumbnail, and opens about 3mm. Can you see the fine mantle?

A new page has been created. It is a product review of a lightbulb that I use over my refugium that I've found is a great product at a great price. Refugium Bulb

One of the two ocellaris (false Percula) Clownfish disappeared about 3 days ago. I think it is a goner, because I can't find any trace of it anywhere. The other clownfish doesn't seem to be too upset though. Hmmm. :(