Horseshoe Crab

[Anonymous]

I just went to the LFS at lunch and saw a new shippment of small horseshoe crabs. I've never seen them available and wondered if any of you have had luck with keeping them. Also, what do they eat and would they bother shrimp, snails and hermits?

Thanks!:> )))

 

[Anonymous]

I have one. It's really quite boring. It just burrows under the sand and sleeps for a week or two, then comes out for an hour and then back under the sand.

I had a hard time feeding it. It didn't really eat anything. I can only guess that it eats 'pods in the sand.

If you keep one, make sure you have at least 3" of soft sand (gravel won't work) for him to bury under.

-Nathan

PS Yes they are kind of clumsy, but I never had it "knock" my decorations around. It just sort of bumps into them.

 

[Anonymous]

One HorseShoe crab can clean the life right out of the live sand in short order. They are pretty cool though, but they stay buried most of the time, and unless you have a huge tank I wouldnt recommend one. In the averge size tank they will kill your live sand, run out of food and die..


HTH

Jeff Davis

 

[Anonymous]

I agree they demolish the sand community.I had 3 2" in a 125 gal tank for 1 1/2 years before they starved to death.If I would have known they ate my sand critters I would have never put them in.