horseshoe crab suicide?

[leboeuf]

I have this HSC that I ordered from SWF.com last week. Without fail, every morning I find this little SOB caught in the intake of one of my four powerheads. What's up with this. When I release him he seems fine, but struggles to get back to the SB. I guess he's to light and gets swept up by the current and floats till he's sucked in....Should I strap a lead weight to his back? (JK)

 

[scotts]

What kind of base do you have? I only see my horse shoe about once a week. I have a sand base.
Scott

 

[dcr]

My horseshoe crab recently died-but I saw him one or two times a month up to that point. He would continually get trapped in a condy anenome that I have and seemed to enjoy living in it for days on end. They are weird creatures for sure.

 

[fbihunter]

My two would sta in the sand bed for a couple of days and then swim (or whatever it is they attempt to do ) straight into my overflow. They finally passed on.

 

[leboeuf]

I have a finely CC base. Its not as small as sand particles but it is very small. I was concerned it might be to thick or heavy for him to move through but I see tracks all over the tank. Any suggestions. Any problems with CC verses the sand, other than the bio filtration sand accomplishes.

 

[bandcamp]

i always thought they were either endangered or protected.
i grew up on the south shore of long island & used to see them mate & spawn - we were always told to leave them alone because we could get fined if we hurt them.

 

[ophiura]

It is not surprising at all to me that they get stuck in the power heads. They are not strong swimmers at all. They are often crammed in small tanks with lots of things they don't belong with, and are doomed to die in there without ever coming close to growing up. I suspect the one in question will not survive long, as it sounds like there is a lot of circulation in the tank.
IMO, they are best left in the wild. If they are kept, they should be kept in a species only tank, or tanks without a lot of LR or anemones, etc.

 

[jstrong]

i have a hsc that i just got from swf and mine does the same thing. he only comes out at night and every morning his tail is sucked up in my powerhead. unplug it and he's struggles to the sand and buries himself.

 

[leboeuf]

thanks for everyone's input, but today I am in mourning. My opportunistic large emerald was having HSC delight for breakfast. Ophiura was correct in her assumption that there was entirely too much water flow for him to survive. I have learned a good lesson and will not make this mistake again.
On that note, knowing my circumstances, I still have a dilemia. How to get the finely CC turned over rapidly..... Any SAFE suggestions.
Jstrong - good luck, but I think you see whats coming........