Thorny Oyster

[dandan]

I just noticed a thorny oyster hitch-hiked in on some live rock i've had for three weeks now. it's about 2 inches in diameter. does anyone know if this is a good guy or bad? i know it's still alive because i watched it for about 30 mins and when a hermit walked across it's shell, it quickly snapped shut and a bunch of debris blew out. Then it slowly opened again after the hermit wandered off. anyway, just wanted to see if anyone knows about these things. A search on this forum wasn't very helpful.

 

[dandan]

ahem...thanks for all the help.

 

[leeac]

dandan,

the thorny oyster is definitely a good hitch-hiker to have. They don't require much light, are filter feeders, and helps lower your nitrates(more so when it gets bigger). Additionally, it's cool to look at and relatively easy to take care of. I have a 1 inch thorny in my tank and it's doing just fine.

 

[dandan]

thanks for the info...how long has yours been in your tank? i'm wondering if it doesn't get enough to eat whether it will wither away and cause an ammonia spike or something.

 

[leeac]

I had the oyster in my tank for about 5 months now. I really just leave it alone and throw in my DT for my clams once in a while. For me the oyster has been maintenence free. As for an ammonia spike if your oyster dies, it is so small that bristle worms, hermit crabs, shrimps and other cleanup crew critters will clean it out so fast I doubt there will be any spike.

 

[dandan]

i'd agree with that...thanks again.

 

[MDKyleZ]

I have several they are good

Kyle