Howdy All,

After a few months of no conch-L, I'm back. The deprivation was fierce.
Shells in Flagstaff are few and far between, without conch-L snail mail
it really does feel like a desert; high and dry.

I read a posting from a few weeks back about cleaning Xenophora. The
ones I've self-collected (shallow water Bahamian species on one or
another of the Cordy's fine trips) I have usually soaked in (gasp!)
straight bleach without losing any attachments. Granted, I remove the
operculum first. (And try not to loose it. Xeno 'percs are about as
substantial as a bumblebee's wings and I tend to lose them.)

In my experience, the cement that the Xenos themselves make is not
susceptible to bleach. But portions of certain attachments might be
vulnerable. I have a few specimens with complete bivalves attached.
Hinges, as we all know, don't stand up to bleach. If your Xeno has
attached a shell with a periostracum you want to preserve, bleach is a
no-no. So eyeball your xenos carefully before you bleach 'em. But if
the attachments are all stone or calcium, just dump 'em in the bleach.
They can take it!

Peace,
Ellen