Bannerfish Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Ive noticed some places started selling these guys...realistically, how many people can actually give these things a decent life long-term? I know very little about them but it seems like one of those creatures that might be best left in the sea....i almost bought one a few months ago, but after doing some quick google searches, definitely decided not to...they are cool little guys though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 In the early days of my reefkeeping, I had one in a tank with a DSB. Big mistake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hydro Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 STAY AWAY!!!!!!! I killed thousands of dollars in sps and it took my tank 6 months to recover from adding one. It digs in the sand and releases nitrates in the water, also it makes a big mess all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard L Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 LOL. I was just about to post the Ballad of Hydro's Horshoe Crab sung to the theme of Gilligan's Island but Stephen said it best - "stay away". I spent part of my childhood exploring the intercoastal waterways of Florida where these guys flourish so I always wanted to have one. But alas some things are not meant to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koe Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 As folks have pointed out the general consenus is most people won't be able to keep them long term. The most commonly offered varieties sold get to be 1-2 feet long which considering there sandbed and feeding needs is going to require a huge tank. Wet Web Media has some good info on them. http://www.wetwebmed...hoecrabfaqs.htm +1 to the stay away though. Edit Key bit of info*Too often, horseshoe crabs are placed in small aquaria with lots of live rock and not enough sand to burrow, forage and survive. Mind you that an abundance of live rock is very beneficial for reef aquariums. The problem is that these creatures, though, do not live on the reef proper. They do live near the reef, however, and will thank you very kindly if you provide a large open bed of deep fine sand for them to dig in. It takes perhaps 10 sq. ft per crab of more at >6"/15cm depth). It is interesting to note that horseshoe crabs may stay buried in the sand for days or even several weeks at a time. Let's be very clear that they live or die in captivity by the presence of deep fine sand and mud and the food they find within.* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bannerfish Posted February 1, 2012 Author Share Posted February 1, 2012 Oh yea, after i found out how big they get, that was more than enough to get them off my 'want' list lol. i dont want any crabs that get more than like 2in, ill stick with my emeralds and small hermits Certain things just irk me, i guess this post was more of a rant than anything (was pretty tired, then we were watching a documentary that talks about horseshoe crabs and it reminded me of stores selling them). After working in the fish business for years you just get tired of certain stuff that people do and say, one of my biggest pet peeves has always been the people who stuff these critters that get huge into tiny tanks and think its ok. this might be the saltwter equivilent of people trying to stuff a group of pacus into their 30gals..... if people have a huge tank and have a good idea of what theyre getting into, go for it! But otherwise, theres plenty of cool stuff to put in your tank that is pretty and interesting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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