Tiger / strawberry conch
Conomurex luhuanus
Also known as Strombus luhuanus, Strawberry Conch, Tiger Conch, Blood-mouth Conch
SaltwaterSnail
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 75–81°F
- 24–27°C
- pH
- 8.1–8.4
- Adult size
- 2.8 in
- 7 cm
- Minimum tank
- 20 gal
- 75 L
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Social behavior
- Solitary
- Swim level
- Bottom
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Breeding
- No record
- Rarity
- Common
- Reef safe
- Reef safe
- Family
- Strombidae
- Origin
- Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa across the Indian Ocean to northern Australia and out to the central Pacific
Overview
The tiger / strawberry conch is a self-sufficient sand sifter that leaves cleaner, better-turned sand behind it. It is reef safe and easy to keep.
Did you know
The tiger / strawberry conch gets its common names from its shell. Mottled brown-and-tan patterning on the outside gives it the tiger name. The glossy orange-red mouth of the shell gives it the strawberry and blood-mouth names.
Caring for the tiger / strawberry conch
Give the tiger / strawberry conch at least 20 gal (75 L) and a fine to medium sand bed. Make the bed at least a couple of centimeters deep so it can plow through and bury into it. It settles in best when placed directly onto the sand rather than on rock.
Keep the water at 75 to 81°F (24 to 27°C) with a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. It spends its time plowing through the sand bed for algae, diatoms and organic waste. It depends on a living sand bed rather than film on the rock.
Like the fighting conch, its main risk is running out of food in an older, very clean tank. If the sand looks picked clean, supplement with sinking pellets or wafers. It is a peaceful grazer that leaves corals, fish and other invertebrates alone.
Good to know
Conomurex luhuanus is a true conch in the family Strombidae. It was formerly placed in the genus Strombus and is still widely sold under that older name. Like other strombid conchs, it moves with a clawed operculum rather than a crawling foot. It hooks the operculum into the sand and flips itself forward in a hopping motion.
In the wild
The tiger / strawberry conch lives on sand flats and in shallow lagoons near coral reefs. It ranges from the Red Sea and East Africa across the Indian Ocean to northern Australia and the central Pacific. It usually stays in the top 20 m of water.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
The tiger / strawberry conch is a peaceful, solitary species that keeps to the bottom. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.
Ocellaris clownfish
Amphiprion ocellaris
Saltwater3.1 in (8 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
Percula clownfish
Amphiprion percula
Saltwater3.1 in (8 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
Yellow watchman goby
Cryptocentrus cinctus
Saltwater3.5 in (9 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)
Harlequin shrimp
Hymenocera picta
Saltwater2 in (5 cm) · 11 gal (40 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)
Neon goby
Elacatinus oceanops
Saltwater2 in (5 cm) · 11 gal (40 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)
Helfrich's firefish
Nemateleotris helfrichi
Saltwater2.4 in (6 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)
Common questions
What size tank does a tiger / strawberry conch need?
A tiger / strawberry conch needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.
What temperature and pH does a tiger / strawberry conch need?
A tiger / strawberry conch is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.
What does a tiger / strawberry conch eat?
A tiger / strawberry conch plows through the sand bed for algae, diatoms and organic waste. If the sand looks picked clean, give it sinking pellets or wafers.
How big does a tiger / strawberry conch get?
An adult tiger / strawberry conch reaches about 2.8 in (7 cm).
Related species
3.1 in (8 cm)20 gal (75 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)Fighting conch
Strombus alatus
3.1 in (8 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)
2.4 in (6 cm)11 gal (40 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)Mexican turbo snail
Turbo fluctuosus
2.4 in (6 cm) · 11 gal (40 L)
2 in (5 cm)11 gal (40 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)Pyramid top snail
Tectus fenestratus
2 in (5 cm) · 11 gal (40 L)
1.6 in (4 cm)11 gal (40 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)Cerith snail
Cerithium sp.
1.6 in (4 cm) · 11 gal (40 L)