Can't find my horseshoe crab!!!

[nasukan]

I got a hosreshoe crab the friday, and haven't seen him since. Is this normal? Today is sunday. He is about 1 inch in diameter.

 

[just_got_tanked]

These inverts can hide themselves easily. He is probably somewhere in your substrate.

 

[seatank]

horshoe crabs hide in the substrate all the time this is normal.

 

[robinfly]

Provided that it's not dead, this is actually a sign that your tank is doing well. If there is insufficient food for the crab in the substrate, it will spend more time crawling about on the surface looking for food.

 

[fred the fish guy]

Well from what i have heard about them is they come from somewhere with alot of sand room and less rock(dont remember exactly where) and in captivity they can sometimes dig under rocks and get stuck. That is the only reason i have stayed clear of them but I am not too sure this is true but it may be a possibility that he is under a rock stuck or just in the substrate. Hope you find him.

 

[big dave]

Horseshoes are burrowers. They usually spend most of their day hidden under your substrate. They really aren't a tropical critter and I really don't understand why they are kept in warm water tanks. They are native to the east coast of the US and range from around Massachusetts down to the Gulf of Mexico. In my home state of New Jersey, most of these "crabs" (not really a crab actually more closely related to the scorpions) come on the beaches of the Delaware bay to breed. These guys do get large(up to 2 feet around!) and most people do not have long-term luck with them. Hope you find yours!