🐌 Spider Conch Snail (Lambis spp.) – Reef Aquarium Guide

Overview

The Spider Conch Snail is a striking, reef-safe grazer known for its unique shell with long spiky extensions. Native to the Indo-Pacific, these snails are prized not only for their unusual appearance but also for their usefulness in cleaning sandbeds and live rock.

• Scientific name: Lambis spp. (often Lambis lambis)

• Common names: Spider Conch, Spider Shell Snail

• Category: Marine Invertebrate

• Care level: Easy to Moderate

• Temperament: Peaceful, reef-safe

Appearance

• Large, heavy shell with 6–10 long “spider-leg” projections.

• Natural shell colors range from creamy white to tan with darker streaks.

• The soft body has a long, muscular foot and a trunk-like proboscis for feeding.

These snails can grow quite large, often reaching 6–10 inches in shell length when fully mature, making them a true showpiece in any reef tank.

Role in the Reef Tank

Spider Conch Snails are excellent sand sifters and detritus eaters. They help keep your substrate clean by consuming:

• Algae film

• Detritus buildup

• Uneaten food

They are reef safe and will not harm corals, clams, or fish.

Tank Requirements

• Tank size: 100 gallons or larger (due to their size and activity).

• Substrate: A sandy bottom is essential, as they like to dig and forage.

• Diet: Primarily detritus, film algae, and leftover food. In clean tanks, you may need to supplement with dried seaweed (nori) or sinking herbivore pellets.

• Compatibility: Peaceful; safe with corals, inverts, and fish. Avoid housing them with predatory crabs, triggers, or puffers that may damage their shell or soft body.

Behavior

• Very active during the day, often moving across the sandbed.

• Uses its long proboscis to probe into crevices for food.

• The large operculum (trap-door “foot plate”) helps protect it when threatened.