nasty reef lobster

[Luis A M]

Errors and negative data must be posted too.I kept a pair of Enoplometopus debelius in a 10 gal,split with an eggcrate fence for 10 months.Both molted every two months and the smaller female grew to adult size.
I finally removed the fence one day after she molted and watched after dark events.Everything seemed OK so I left for the night.
In the morning the female was found ripped to pieces.
In the past,I had kept a pair in a 4´long tank with plenty of rockwork and they coexisted.Problem was that they could almost never be seen,so checking for eggs was impossible.
Andy R.who has bred and raised them,says mated pairs get along together

 

[aomont]

Man this species is gougeous !!! Too bad they didn´t gget along well.

Maybe MMoe can help you, I definetely can´t...

Anderson.

 

[Luis A M]

No thanks,I quit with them
I´m returning the brides murderer to the lfs.

 

[FuEl]

Hi Luis, just a wild speculation but it might be a matter of tank size. Previously you mentioned you kept the successful pair in a 4' tank. I have the same experiences with both blood and peppermint shrimps. Keep the pairs in a large space and they get along fine. Confine the pairs in containers 4-5 times their length and you end up with dead shrimp every few moults.

 

[Luis A M]

Junkai,compared with reef lobsters,Lysmata shrimp are Mother Theresa and Mahatma Ghandi
I tried to use the same mating aproach I use with Stenopus which are pretty beechy as well.
If I ever try them again,I will use a 4´long,full of rocks but without substrate,so that I could check the female for eggs thru the bottom glass.

 

[FuEl]

Hi Luis, perhaps it depends on the temperament of individuals. I had a pair of E. occidentalis back in Australia that were real mellow. Even co-existed in a 2 ft tank after being removed from a 4 ft tank. The only problem I faced was that the female always had problems releasing competent larvae.

 

[spawner]

HAHAHAHHA, man I have gone through 40 reef lobsters trying to get my pairs back. I lost them when we had a few hurricanes. The temp got up and the females got stressed and whacked the males. Once they are pair up you can keep them in a small tank no problem as long as you don't stress them to much. They are very pair bonded and if you screw it up the MALE dies. Typical females, always cutting the male into little parts. Sure are easy to rear once you get eggs. Well the larvae have claws from day one so, they like to eat each other but what else is new. . . . . .