Gonodactylus
Premium Member
I know this isn't about stomatopods directly, but I thought I would share a recent experience that might be useful. A postdoc in our department recently ordered 10 small Limulus (horseshoe crabs). The supplier didn't have small ones, so sent medium sized animals - about 5-6 inches. He didn't have any place to keep that many large horseshoes, so he asked if I had any extra tank space. I had two 80 and one 200 systems running that were empty and really disgusting with every conceivable algae and diatom growing in them. I told him that he could try them. The next morning I came in and the tanks were spotless (as high as the crabs could reach). The two inches of gravel was completely churned and cleaned and the water was clear. We scraped down the wall above where the horseshoes could feed and let the algae settle to the bottom. WIth in hours this was gone. If you have a tank that needs a serious cleaning, you might consider Limulus. However, they are quite destructive, so do not try it with a reef tank.
Roy
Roy
