Info on Blue Spiny Lobster, please.

[Dave Legacy]

Hi,

I'm interested in getting a little more specific information about Blue Spiny Lobsters (Panulirus versicolor).

I currently don't have the means to take care of one, nor do I plan to for quite a while, but they interest me and I'd like to learn a bit more before I commit to one in the future. Here are my questions:

1. What should I expect in terms of growth rate? I'd like to keep one in a FOWLR tank along side a grouper (Miniatus, V-tail, Polleni). It's important that it never fit's in the groupers mouth.

2. What dimensions must a tank be to accomidate a full-grown adult? I was thinking nothing less than a 200G (84x24x24), ideally something more in the 300G area w/a lot of liverock.

3. Are these lobsters active or reclusive? Diurnal or nocturnal?

4. Do they keep the brilliant blue coloration throughout the entire duration of thier lives or does it fade away with maturity?

Any other useful info I should really know before I get started?

Thanks in Advance,
Dave

 

[graveyardworm]

1. small ones grow rapidly.
2. R. Shimeks says min 100 gals, a full grown adult can be up to 40 inches including antenna, might even be pushing it in a 300 gal. JMO
3. Reclusive and nocturnal, an adult will need one helluva cave to hide in.
4. Doesnt say.
5. I would be more concerned about it eating the grouper.

Shimek does mention that juveniles make suprisingly good aquarium inhabitants. Still I wouldnt run out and get one.

 

[Msby12]

well i have one of these guys and here goes

1. My lobster seems to molt abt once or even twice a month sometimes, (thanks to a mole crab rich diet) his antennae make up most of his length

2. for a full grown adult, which would be about 2 to 3 FEET!!! maybe consider a 500 gal tank.... as for the grouper, like graveyard worm said, worry about the grouper and then worry about the lobster when he molts.

3. these lobsters are SUPPOSED to be reclusive and nocturnal, but mine is out and about all day and doesn't care about being seen, it took a few weeks for him to be like this though, before he would
just sit around all the time.

4. Well i'm not sure about this but each time my lobster molts it seems like i see more color.

just as a funny story, recently i went to a LFS and bought some live rock, when the guy there started to take the rock out of a display aquarium a tiny 1 inch blue spiny lobster darted out and back into the display aquarium, obviously my first thought was DARN!! that was almost my coolest hitchhiker!

 

[Dave Legacy]

Thanks for the excellent information! I didn't realize that they got so large, I read 16" but that must have been without the antenna included.

Does anyone know of any other spiny lobsters, or possibly slipper lobsters, that are on the market that would maybe suit me better?

 

[650-IS350]

check it

check it

I had 2 small guys in my 55 gal before. I had them hand trained, they would move to the highest rock to wait for me to feed them.

But if you have smaller inverts like other shrimp.. watchout cause they'll nab em or other smaller lower dwelling fish when they aren't paying attention.

Got a couple of gobies, a pair of cleaners while they were molting, fireshrimp.. list goes on.. pretty guys and intresting to have.. but... not reef friendly for my taste. They DO molt a lot.