New to the forums but this post is one of the reason I decided to upload my tank and start and account.
I started a 55 gallon bow front about 6 months ago:
ASM mini-g skimmer
T5 HO lighting 32''
LED stunner Ecoxotic LED Strip
using Reef Crystals and dosing Iodine once per week (luegols its called) for Zoa growth, started dosing 3 weeks ago
Using ROWA phosphate medium in a simple bag setup, change out the medium (1 TBSP) per month...no idea if this is even helping the phosphates
Weekly water changes of 5 gallons
Using a in sump pump system with microfiber bag, pretty common setup.
As far as the LFS says all my levels are perfect (dont have exact numbers sorry but the LFS is quite reliable as far as I can tell between myself and friends) other than my phosphates which are a bit high. I have never dosed with any copper or any ich treatments.
Now finally to the problem. I bought my conch about 2 weeks after getting tank properly cycled and supplemented feeding until the tank was a bit more established and matured. The snail did amazing, zipped around the tank, ate all the diatoms and garbage off the sand, sifted medium, then buried himself for some R and R...rinse and repeat. I had recently (3 weeks ago) got rid of my tessalata eel (yes i know the implication of this animal and yes it was a mistake keeping one in a small tank....its gone now). I now currently have in the tank:
1 leopard wrasse
1 pygmy opposum yellow banded wrasse
4 peppermint shrimp
2 bumblebee snails
2 turbo snails
4 astrea snails
Added to this list last week was 1 queen conch (approx 3.5'') which is now dead. For what reason I have no idea. I found the snail in the middle of the tank with 2 bumble bee snails attached to its shell. Not on the inside but on the outside. I am assuming the snails were after the remains of the conch (I deduced this later on, not even realizing it was dead at first). At first I saw the snail not move for about 3 days...not uncommon but usually this only happens when the guy buries himself. Then I reached in and picked him up about 3 days after this (1 week total) finding the bumble bee snails on him. He was dead as a doornail, the slimy residue that floated out from underneath him was the final indication that he was done for.
Does anyone have any ideas on what could have caused this? The main culprit in my mind as of right now is a lack of food...I had a large clean up crew for a 55 gallon but I had a Tesselata eel prior...now without the bio load could the snail have starved? Any suggestions here would be great. I will attach the best picture I have of the snail in the tank to give some size reference. Thanks!
I started a 55 gallon bow front about 6 months ago:
ASM mini-g skimmer
T5 HO lighting 32''
LED stunner Ecoxotic LED Strip
using Reef Crystals and dosing Iodine once per week (luegols its called) for Zoa growth, started dosing 3 weeks ago
Using ROWA phosphate medium in a simple bag setup, change out the medium (1 TBSP) per month...no idea if this is even helping the phosphates
Weekly water changes of 5 gallons
Using a in sump pump system with microfiber bag, pretty common setup.
As far as the LFS says all my levels are perfect (dont have exact numbers sorry but the LFS is quite reliable as far as I can tell between myself and friends) other than my phosphates which are a bit high. I have never dosed with any copper or any ich treatments.
Now finally to the problem. I bought my conch about 2 weeks after getting tank properly cycled and supplemented feeding until the tank was a bit more established and matured. The snail did amazing, zipped around the tank, ate all the diatoms and garbage off the sand, sifted medium, then buried himself for some R and R...rinse and repeat. I had recently (3 weeks ago) got rid of my tessalata eel (yes i know the implication of this animal and yes it was a mistake keeping one in a small tank....its gone now). I now currently have in the tank:
1 leopard wrasse
1 pygmy opposum yellow banded wrasse
4 peppermint shrimp
2 bumblebee snails
2 turbo snails
4 astrea snails
Added to this list last week was 1 queen conch (approx 3.5'') which is now dead. For what reason I have no idea. I found the snail in the middle of the tank with 2 bumble bee snails attached to its shell. Not on the inside but on the outside. I am assuming the snails were after the remains of the conch (I deduced this later on, not even realizing it was dead at first). At first I saw the snail not move for about 3 days...not uncommon but usually this only happens when the guy buries himself. Then I reached in and picked him up about 3 days after this (1 week total) finding the bumble bee snails on him. He was dead as a doornail, the slimy residue that floated out from underneath him was the final indication that he was done for.
Does anyone have any ideas on what could have caused this? The main culprit in my mind as of right now is a lack of food...I had a large clean up crew for a 55 gallon but I had a Tesselata eel prior...now without the bio load could the snail have starved? Any suggestions here would be great. I will attach the best picture I have of the snail in the tank to give some size reference. Thanks!
, How clean is your tank? My conch died when my tank was spotless which took away a big food source, I would recommend getting a fighting conch instead of a queen, my fighting conch lived for a year and they stay small, but its just a recommendation and its your tank! 
