How deep for a Horseshoe crab

[Wonder Woman]

How deep should the sand be for a horseshoe crab? Currently the crab is 2 inches (just the body).

 

[greenbean36191]

Depth isn't as much of an issue as surface area. Under good conditions these things get over a foot long within a few years and keep growing to a final length of about 2 feet. That's a big animal and what makes things worse is that they have to walk to eat. Basically, the sandbed needs to be deep enough and open enough to produce enough worms and mollusks for them to eat and enough room to roam around searching for them. That takes a huge tank.

I would return the little guy to the store. It is doomed in captivity.

 

[chrisstie]

I agree, having grown up on the coast and seeing (sometimes avoiding stepping on) full sized ones and you'd really need 2 hands to lift them up. Much better suited to see at an aquarium in hundreds+ gallons sized tanks or better yet left in the wild.

They are so numerous I'm not sure why anyone would collect for the hobby when they really aren't built to fit in our tanks

 

[jake32010]

they are hard to keep and you need a big tank for them

 

[ROB2005]

Again, another species best left out in the wild.

Good Day

 

[LPDK91]

They will knock over lr and coral too