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08-21-2002, 03:34 PM
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#1
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Big Fishy
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Martinez, CA
Posts: 568
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Fighting Conch Good or Evil?
I have flatworms and hear the Fighting Conches eat them.
Are there any bad consequences to getting them? Like, do they do anything bad to the sandbed or to corals?
Thanks,
Bill
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08-21-2002, 04:01 PM
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#2
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: West Bloomfield, Michigan
Posts: 231
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All the research I've done points to them being exquisite sand bed cleaners without killing the sandbed critters. I'm picking up one tonight. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.
__________________
3/14: 75 started cycling. 100 lbs of LR (75 cured, 25 un-cured).
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08-21-2002, 06:07 PM
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#3
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Nothing to See Here
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Montana
Posts: 5,815
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I would go with the Fighting Conch as they stay smaller and believe they eat algae! They will keep you DSB really clean. Johnny  |
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08-21-2002, 06:46 PM
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#4
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Jaguar Shark
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: MA
Posts: 1,083
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R1 Bill, I've never heard that fighting conch eat flatworms, I have a few in my tank and I love them. The before and after of my sand bed is good enough for me, if they do eat flatworms then thats a great bonus.
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08-21-2002, 09:04 PM
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#5
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Banggai Mommy
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Orlando, FL
Posts: 2,342
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I read the same thing somewhere, and I have to admit that I'm very skeptical about the flatworm bit. (Having lived through a masive flatworm outbreak that only ceased when there ceased to be water in the tank...) Still, they are cool critters, and stay smaller than the queens.
Danielle
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08-21-2002, 11:42 PM
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#6
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Reefless Reefer
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Durham, NC
Posts: 20,559
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I am pretty sure they do not eat flatworms. If you can find the reference let us know. They are pretty good cyano eaters though along with other algae.
G~
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08-22-2002, 09:45 PM
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#7
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Plankton
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Middle California
Posts: 39
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I have a fighting conch and flatworms and they definitely do not eat flatworms, but they are great at keeping the sand clear of diatoms.
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08-22-2002, 10:23 PM
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#8
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Ghost of reefers past
Join Date: Jan 1999
Location: Southern Oregon, Way West of Dimples ;)
Posts: 25,150
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Conches eating flatworms is a new one on me too. Siphoning repeatedly seems to be effective over the long haul. This is a case where a canister filter can be handy
__________________
Cowboy is a verb, not a noun
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08-23-2002, 05:34 PM
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#9
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senior member
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: Walnut Grove, SC, USA
Posts: 15,184
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Re: Fighting Conch Good or Evil?
Quote:
Originally posted by R1Bill
I have flatworms and hear the Fighting Conches eat them.
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nope...
Quote:
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Are there any bad consequences to getting them? Like, do they do anything bad to the sandbed or to corals?
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Just the good things that folks have already alluded to about cleaning the substrate of nuisance diatoms and cyanobacteria. I have watched conch (both queens and fighting spp.) and the flatworms just move out of the way of the mouth when the conchs are moving through the substrate. I have not seen my conchs take to the walls of the tank yet, but I suspect that they are not fast enough to catch the flatworms...
Hmmm... what a concept, racing flatworms against the conchs...
__________________
Tom <"))))>(
(TDWyatt)
Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something. -Plato
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