horseshoe Crab HELP!

mrsunnym

New Member
I just got a horseshoe crab a couple days ago.... it spent the first two running around.
Yesterday and today i cant find him.....
Ideas?
 

celacanthr

Active Member
what is the size of your tank and how long has it been settup and could you tell me ur readings in numbers.
 

mrsunnym

New Member
180 gallons
salinity... 1.2
nitrates, 0 and 0
The LFS said the water was all good.... they do burrow under the sand, but
seeing that i have not seem him in 2 days i am a little worried...
 

celacanthr

Active Member
well you should definantly raise the salinity to something around 1.025 IF youre horseshoe passed away then that may have been the cause. How old is your tank and what lives in the tank with it?
 

mr_bill

Active Member
I think inverts like closer to 1.024, I bet he isn't feeling so great with that salinity.
EDIT: i agree, 1.025 is an option too.
 

fishntx

Member
horseshoe crabs burrow in the sand and mostly come out at night. it is likely that you will not see him much. i only see mine about once a week.
 

ophiura

Active Member
It is also likely that it will die an untimely death since they are really not at all suited for our systems :(
 

fishsta

Member
I have 2 horse shoe crabs in my 75 gallon reef and you will rarely see him somtimes only once or twice a week. They have been living in my tank for 8 months now and i have no problem with them. If you turn on your lights in the middle of the night you will most likely see them.
 

floyd

New Member
I have three that I only see early in the morning when getting ready for work.
I just recieved them a week ago. Didn't see mine for two days either. I feared one of my rather large hermits I brought home from beach a couple years ago had a treat. All three are doing well though. I just see them in early am.
 

ophiura

Active Member
Keep in mind also that horseshoe crabs should NOT be placed in a tank using a deep sand bed - or a sand bed as part of the biofilter, as they do eat the beneficial creatures in the sand bed. Obviously, due to burrowing, they also disrupt any stratification of the sand that gives rise to nitrate reduction. They are commonly blown around by too strong of a flow in our tanks, and end up sucked onto powerheads and such.
Horseshoe crabs in the wild grow to well over a foot, a size I don't believe I have EVER heard them reaching in our reef tanks. The temperature is relatively high, the sand bed relatively small, and the current too strong. However, they can do very well in shallow, wide tanks with lots of sand and few rocks...lower temperature...specifically designed for them. Fascinating creatures for sure...we actually owe them alot...but not suitable for long term care in a reef tank. Nearly all are doomed in the long run.
 

teresaq1

Member
I agree from experiance. I bought one with out researching, I know, Please Flame me. anywayi would see it about once or twice a week, and when it did come out , it would get blown all over the tank. it died.
 

celacanthr

Active Member
who makes these?>
they are great and they look alot like me same complexion thining hair(
its my bday im not even 15) and no nose it was a horrible accident
:hilarious
 

fishmamma

Active Member
Ophiura- Thanks for your informational posts on this thread, I was thinking of getting a horshoe crab in my next SWF order, I will now refrain.
 

ophiura

Active Member
Originally Posted by fishmamma
Ophiura- Thanks for your informational posts on this thread, I was thinking of getting a horshoe crab in my next SWF order, I will now refrain.


Don't tell them I said that....LOL. I am sure that there are other options available here that are significantly more beneficial to the tank than a horseshoe crab :D
 
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