horseshoe crabs

[NONNA58]

Are these reefsafe and if not why?

 

[KarlBob]

No, they're not reef safe. If they live long enough, they will get Big, as in 24 inches from "nose" to tail tip. They're not the most graceful of creatures, and they can knock down live rock and trample corals. In the wild, they live in flat, sandy areas rather than reefs.

Whether they should be collected and sold to hobbyists is a separate question, but I wouldn't call a two foot long arthropod reef safe.

 

[NONNA58]

thank you for your answer as I have a friend of mine that did not ask me before buying and a lfs sold them to him for his 120g reef.

 

[tankjunky]

My dad got some. One of the dumbest animals ive ever seen. I always starts to swim for some resone the lands in the anemony. I know, I dont know how to spell if its wrong.

 

[johnmaloney]

The size matter if it is a male or female. The males are much smaller than the females. They do get pretty big, and a horseshoe of almost any size will go around causing problems with the sand by your rocks. I have one now, a small little guy I caught a small male, he does a wonderful job of undermining macros and causing havoc with the sand structure, but there is no rock and the tank and it seems ok.

 

[billsreef]

Even a male get's very large in terms of placing in a tank. It's sort of like comparing a small truck to a large truck. Neither one fits in a tank when they grow up

 

[lancer99]

They are technically reef-safe, but will quickly consume any infauna in your sand bed, then just as quickly die.

-R

 

[Pufferpunk]

They need at least 10' of open sand.

 

[billyWhite]

I just purchased one about the size of a nickel on account of the LFS guy telling me his buddy had one for a few years and it's hardly grown at all. Can any mid/long term owners attest to a slow growth rate?

 

[Pufferpunk]

And you believe him? Maybe you should read this thread again & then return it.

 

[billsreef]

If it hasn't grown considerably in all of a few months, never mind years, it's either extremely unhealthy or dead. These things live and breed on my local beaches, they do not stay small for long and are also temperate animals