Carcinoscorpius Rotundicauda

[Kevin_D]

Is this species difficult to keep alive, or are they hardy? what water conditions do they need?

Thanks

 

[nmonks]

I'm just off to bed now, so excuse the short reply. Yes, they are very hardy and adaptable animals, and in the wild are found in a variety of conditions from marine to practically freshwater habitats (they apparently breed in freshwater). They are known as "mangrove horseshoe crabs" and are particularly common in mangrove environments.

But are they easy to keep? No, not really. For one thing, they are difficult to feed. They only take food from beneath their bodies, and because of the way they move about and forage that means you need to stick worms and other such food items into (not on top of) the sand. As they plough through the sand, they eat the food. When healthy and happy they basically stay under the sand. If you see one on the surface, it isn't happy. Worse, when out of the sand, they are prone to falling onto their backs, and they cannot right themselves easily.

Basic care is identical to Limulus polyphemus, a species that has been widely kept in labs and sometimes sold as a marine aquarium critter. I've seen these kept in public aquaria with some degree of success, but I simply wouldn't rate any horseshoe crab as a suitable pet for the average home aquarist.

Cheers, Neale