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 | Horseshoe crabs |
jmara   Big Fish Posts: 438 Kudos: 431 Votes: 145 Registered: 06-Mar-2003   | Has anyone ever kept horseshoe crabs before? Are they difficult to keep? Thanks -Josh |
 Posted 21-May-2006 04:35 |       |
ACIDRAIN      Moderator Posts: 3162 Kudos: 1381 Votes: 416 Registered: 14-Jan-2002  | They require pristine conditions. And you will rarely see them, as they spend the whole time going through the substrate. Even though they are somewhat slow growers, they get to be almost 2 feet in length down the tail. And the tail is hard bone. IMO, these critters are only for the largest aquariums. There is always a bigger fish... |
| Posted 21-May-2006 07:24 |  |
sirbooks    Moderator Sociopath Posts: 3875 Kudos: 5164 Votes: 932 Registered: 26-Jul-2004  | They need a very deep sand bed, and a tank that can accommodate their eventual large size. Personally, I feel that horseshoe crabs shouldn't even be kept in aquariums, because almost no one can care for them the right way. |
| Posted 21-May-2006 15:30 | |
mrwizerd Big Fish Posts: 360 Kudos: 197 Votes: 75 Registered: 24-Oct-2005 | Not only do they get huge they also need colder water because they are subtropical. They not only need a huge amount of sand but the sand has to be rich in food. Some people have had limited success with putting pieces of crab and such under there shells, but IMHO it isnt a way to live for these ancient wonders. |
| Posted 27-May-2006 19:26 |  |
| ACIDRAIN Moderator Posts: 3162 Kudos: 1381 Votes: 416 Registered: 14-Jan-2002 | Actually they are all temp critters. There are three types. The ones found for sale in the lfs, are those found in the US. And they mostly come from down in the Florida waters. This species comes from the Atlantic and live from Maine all the way down the coast to the Yucatan. So they are both sub-tropical as well as tropical. The other two are Pacific ocean critters, and range from Japan to Indonesia. Again, both in sub-tropical and tropical waters. There is always a bigger fish... |
| Posted 29-May-2006 04:48 | |
| mrwizerd Big Fish Posts: 360 Kudos: 197 Votes: 75 Registered: 24-Oct-2005 | I realize that they do, live in warmer water areas but from what I have read and been told they do best in the cooler waters. However, either way the animal grows way to large for most tanks in existence commercially. Although It does make one want to convert ones pool into a saltwater tank for such purposes... no matter how illogical it would be. |
| Posted 29-May-2006 07:46 | |
| jmara Big Fish Posts: 438 Kudos: 431 Votes: 145 Registered: 06-Mar-2003 | Unfortuantely I saw one at the LFS about two months ago without doing any research on them. Then I started to do research and realized he was doomed in my 29 gallon so I took him back. Just curious what everyone else knew about them! Thanks everyone!!! -Josh |
| Posted 29-May-2006 08:33 | |
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