Latin name | Limulus polyphemus |
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Local name | Atlantic horseshoe crab |
Family | Limulidae - Limulus |
Origin | The Mexican Golf |
Max length | 60 cm (23.6") |
Minimum volume | 500 l (132 gal) |
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Hardiness | Unknown |
Suitable for aquarium | Suitable for special aquariums |
Reef safe | Not reef safe |
Aggressiveness | Unknown |
Recommended |
Small crustaceans (Krill, mysis, artemia...) |
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Horseshoe crabs are not Crustaceans. They are actually closer related to spiders and scorpions than crabs.
I have placed them under Crustacean because many people think of them as crabs.
Horseshoe crabs requires a large aquarium with a deep sandbed.
In most aquariums they will starve. Live rock formations may damage horseshoe crabs.
Minimum volume
"Minimum volume" indicates the size of the tank needed to house this species under optimal conditions.
This is based on a medium size animal, which you want to keep for several years.
It might be possible to keep smaller specimens for a limited period in a smaller tank. A larger tank might be needed for fully-grown specimens.
Hardiness
"Hardiness" indicates how resistant this species is to disease and how well i tolerates bad conditions in general.
Some species doesn't handle transportation very well, but that doesn't mean that the species isn't hardy under the right conditions.
Suitable for aquarium
In this case, a "normal" aquarium is a reef aquarium with mixed corals or a fish only aquarium with an approximately salinity of 1.026 (sg) and a temperature close to 26°C.
Species requiring more than a 4000-liter tank are considered not suitable for home aquarium.
Special aquariums may cover tanks with low salinity, sub-tropical temperature, deep sand bed, sea grass etc.
Reef safe
Always reef safe: No sources indicate that this species will harm corals or other invertebrates.
Often reef safe: Only a few aquarists has reported problems keeping this species with corals and other invertebrates.
Reef safe with caution: This species may be a threat to some types of invertebrates.
Reef safe with luck: Most specimens will harm corals and/or other invertebrates, but you might be lucky.
Not reef safe: This species is a threat to most corals and/or other invertebrates.