Strawberry Sand Conch

The strawberry sand conch, scientifically known as Conomurex luhuanus (formerly Strombus luhuanus), is a medium-sized marine gastropod mollusk native to the sandy reef flats and lagoon bottoms of the Indo-Pacific region. Reaching an average length of 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 centimeters), it is easily recognized by its thick, heavy, cone-shaped shell featuring a bright orange-to-red interior aperture wall and distinctive brown mottling along the outer shell.  These snails are exceptionally skilled sand-sifters that spend their time constantly vacuuming and tilling the upper layers of fine substrate. Equipped with a long, trunk-like proboscis, a strawberry conch consumes diatoms, cyanobacteria, detritus, and film algae off the sand bed while using its modified, sickle-shaped operculum to leap and drag itself across the sea floor. Unlike many other snails, true conchs possess remarkably sophisticated eyes mounted on long stalks that extend through specialized notches in their shell to observe their surroundings.

In a home reef aquarium, the strawberry sand conch is a completely peaceful, reef-safe inhabitant prized for maintaining a bright white sand bed. It thrives in mature tanks with open sand areas and a established bed of fine substrate where it can submerge itself to rest. Because of its steady appetite for organic debris and diatoms, aquarists in established, ultra-clean tanks may need to supplement its diet with sinking algae wafers or dried seaweed tucked into the sand to prevent it from starving.