HORSESHOE CRAB

I WAS WONDERING IF ANYONE KNEW HOW BIG THE HORSESHOE CRABS THAT THEY SELL AT LFS GROW TO BE, I HAVE SEEN AND HEARD ALOT OF CONFLICTING DATA ON THE INTERNET. I WAS WONDERING IF ANYONE KNOWS IF THERE REEF SAFE, AND WHAT SIZE TANK YOU NEED. ;D THANKS JOE

 

i never had them but as far as i would say they would get normal size. they can get up to 2 ft long and they will dig up a sand bed pretty bad. also they eat crabs and marine worms i wouldnt consider one unless your planning on a pretty big tank.

 

i live close to the everglades, and around the brakish waters, u can see upt to 3 feet long and as wide as a basketball. my LFS sells them the size of a quarter.
JOE

 

They're reef safe, just not DSB safe or rockwork safe. Your all correct, they'll obtain the same size as the ones you see on the east coast as thats them. They seem to require alot of food and really don't do to well with current and overflows.

 

My kids love the horseshoe crab and I tried one a while back against everyones advice. Here is what I was told that in my experience found to be true. They are DUMB animals the one I had was always getting stuck in the rock work in all different places, wedged in places requiring intervention on my part and would flip over and swim. Getting flipped over was his demise just like I was told because hard shell on top but underneath yummy soft flesh and he was eaten by his tank mates. So I won't recommend them to anyone its is one of many living creatures that need to be left where they are and not killed by us hobbyists ( we are all included here not out of meanness but reality we have all lost livestock while learning this hobby) along with sharks and such.

 

Horseshoe crab, he he, funny lil fellows.  Like a drunk guy walking through a crowd that only walks forward and everybody else pushes whatever direction they want, and he goes.  They only walk forward, so as stated they get stuck everywhere.  

Now on a serious note.  I have moral issues against keeping animals for mere pleasure especially knowing that you will eventually kill it in less time than it would've survived in its natural habitat.  I am not an extremist, I ain't gonna go buying all the horseshoe crabs in all LFS to go free them into the ocean or anything less.  I just say if you know you are going to kill it off real soon.  DON'T GET IT.  But if you got a swimming pool in your back yard that you are using to raise or care for horseshoe crabs and you feed them and care for them, then please by all means get as many as you want.  But don't buy it to see it bumper car around the edges of your tank, sink into the sand, and its shell surface all empty.  This is sad.  

I understand that you buy them and that they might be yours, but don't buy their right to live.  You might as well kill fish for their scales.

Many creatures have died in my tank ("Death Tank&quot.  But out of inexperience, not delibrately.  That's just my opinion, I'm sorry if it's a little harsh.

 

I guess its settled then Im not buying a horseshoe crab

 

Good choice. I like them, but I'll stick to owning a fossil of one, rather then a live speciman.

 

Fossile of one????

 

yup, there really old creatures.