Queen Conch - Strombus gigas

Taxonomy: Queen Conch belongs to the Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Mollusca, Class Gastropoda, Order Sorbeoconcha, Family Strombidae, Genus Strombus and Species gigas.

Scientific names: The scientific name of Queen Conch is Strombus gigas.

Other common names: Queen Conch is also commonly known as Caribbean Queen Conch, Lambi, Pink Conch, Caracol Rosado, Cobo, Caracol reina, Caracol de pala, Caracol Rosa, Botuto and Guarura.

Origin or natural range: Strombus gigas hails from the tropical regions such as North America, especially Florida, including the Caribbean Sea, Mexico, Bahamas and Bermuda.

Size: Queen Conch is the largest Mollusk found in the North America, with its size ranging between six inches and twelve inches or fifteen centimeters and thirty-one centimeters or one foot.

Aggression: Strombus gigas is non-aggressive towards the marine aquarium members.

Venom status: Queen Conch is non-poisonous in nature.

Habit & Habitat:

• In its natural habitat, Strombus gigas is found on sea grass beds, on coral reefs and on sandy bottoms at a depth of around two hundred meters.
• A small Conch Fish may sometimes take refuge for protection in the mantle of Queen Conch.
• If disturbed, Strombus gigas withdraws itself completely under sand.

Life expectancy: Queen Conch lives for around fifteen years.

Morphology:

• The soft body of Strombus gigas has three segments, head, visceral mass and foot.
• The head of Queen Conch has two pairs of tentacles with the larger pair having photosensitive eyes. The smaller pair of tentacles is touch and smell sensitive.
• The foot has a small sized operculum which functions and appears like a claw.
• The body of Queen Conch is protected by a very hard, large and spiral Calcium Carbonate shell with flared lips. The mantle secretes the shell.
• The iridescent material secreted by the shell, called Nacre, of Strombus gigas is generally cream, yellow, pink and peach in colors.
• Queen Conch is unisexual and attains sexual maturity when its shell develops flared lips.

Breeding:

• Strombus gigas reproduces sexually during summers.
• On the sea floor, the female Queen Conch releases around one hundred and eighty thousand eggs to four hundred and sixty thousand eggs per spawning.
• After fertilization, the eggs hatch into the larval development stage called Velliger Stage. The larvae swim up towards the sea surface and free float for a few weeks.
• Once the larvae get suitable substrate to settle down, they develop into adult Queen Conches of one foot in around 3.00 years to 3.50 years.

Growth enabling environment in your marine aquarium: Aquarium habit & habitat:

• Tank type: To host Strombus gigas, you should have an established Reef Type Marine Aquarium.
• Aquarium set-up: Keep ample rocks, Live Rocks and a thick layer of sand for Queen Conch to hide in and to search food in your marine aquarium.
• Temperature of water: Seventy-two to seventy-eight degrees Fahrenheit.
• Specific gravity of water: 1.023 to 1.025.
• pH of water: 8.10 to 8.40.

Feeding & Nutrition:

• Diet: Queen Conch is Herbivorous and a Scavenger in feeding habit.
• Food content: Strombus gigas eats phytoplankton, especially Cyanobacteria, Hair Algae, grass and epiphytes. It also scavenges on detritus.

Benefits:

• Being an algae-eater, Queen Conch keeps your marine aquarium free of algae.
• Due to its scavenging habit, Strombus gigas eats the detritus thereby, keeping your reef tank free of perishable organic matter.
• Queen Conch is consumed as food by the human beings.
• The shell and the pearl of Strombus gigas is used for making ornaments.
• The lime of charred shell is utilized for making mortar for buildings.
• The shell of Queen Conch is also used as curio and as Conch Trumpet.

Care:

• Strombus gigas is easy to maintain.
• Sting Ray eats Queen Conch. Therefore, do not keep rays with the conch in the same marine aquarium.

Caution: Queen Conch may move small rocks in your reef tank.

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