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FAQs about Horseshoe Crabs 2
Related FAQs: Horseshoe Crabs 1, &
FAQs on: Horseshoe Crab ID,
Horseshoe Crab Behavior, Horseshoe Crab
Compatibility, Horseshoe Crab Selection,
Horseshoe Crab Systems, Horseshoe Crab
Feeding, Horseshoe Crab Disease,
Horseshoe Crab Reproduction, &
Crustaceans 1, Micro-Crustaceans,
Amphipods, Copepods,
Mysids,
Hermit Crabs,
Shrimps,
Cleaner Shrimps,
Banded Coral Shrimp,
Mantis Shrimp,
Anemone Eating Shrimp, Related
Articles:
Crustaceans, Micro-Crustaceans,
Amphipods, Copepods,
Mysids, Isopods,
Shrimps,
Coral Banded Shrimp,
Cleaner Shrimp, P. holthuisi Pix,
Mantis "Shrimp",
Lobsters,
Slipper Lobsters,
Hermit Crabs, Squat Lobsters,
Crabs,
Arthropods, Pycnogonids (Sea Spiders), | MD.JPG)
Need sandy bottoms, of depth...
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help ! What you find on/at
the beach, stays at the beach... 8/20/09
Hi WWM crew,
This past Sunday morning about 7:30 am, I found a large
horseshoe crab on the beach of Stone Island N.J. It was still
alive and had just been washed ashore. I thought at first it was dead,
but after I picked it up to look at it the legs moved a little and I
walked back to show my family. This thing is so incredibly awesome and I
want to save it's shell but how do I do that ?
<The shell or the whole animal? Take it back>
Is it too late for some one to use it for research ? It looks very old
and it is 23 inches long and seems to have sandy looking disease on the
top along with other spots and marks. Right now it stinks and I put it
in a bag to toss but I'm sure some one can guide me to preserve the
shell. The entire crab is intact. Also , can a disease be passed to
humans from a sick sea animal ?
<... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/hshoecrabsart.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
Horseshoe crab, leave at the beach 8/9/09
Hello,
<Hi>
I have questions because of a very stupid situation, as probably
evidenced by the title, that I need to resolve.
<Ok>
Recently my family brought home a live horseshoe crab this past Friday
(along with about a dozen horseshoe crabs which died upon the touch of
chlorinated water-- the horseshoe crab I managed to get some spring
water for which I added salt).
<They are very sensitive to water chemistry, unless the salt levels are
at the appropriate level, 35PPM, pH, and composition (marine salt not
table salt) then they will quickly die.>
He is literally surviving in a clear plastic storage tub over this
weekend, and we attempted to dump some sardine in there and now a piece
of chicken, as well as one of the dead hermit crabs.
<I would not try to feed him, more likely to just foul the water.>
There is no sand of which to speak and I have changed the water twice
since then. We are hoping to get him back to the beach today but we are
wondering if we will end up shocking the crab, as many marine animals
get easily shocked by temperature changes.
<Getting him back to the beach is his best and probably only chance, a
difficult species to keep even or dedicated hobbyists.>
I've put the crab out on the fire escape in the hope that the water will
more closely match the outside (I realize this is unrealistic but I
still feel it's better than my guesswork).
<Temperature is probably the least of his concerns to be honest.>
Since I am assuming he ate neither the sardine or the chicken, we are
also wondering how long he can go without food, and have we
inadvertently debilitated him too long to survive upon his return.
<He can go several days at least without food, best to just get him back
to the ocean as quickly as possible.>
Regards,
Joseph
<Chris>
Re: Horseshoe crab, 8/10/09
Thank you very much for your advice. He was returned today, and very
quickly burrowed himself into the sand of the wet shore, which I assume
means he is healthy enough to recover speedily.
<A good sign.>
<Chris>
Horseshoe crab; taxidermy - 01/26/09 My granddaughter found
a horseshoe crap <crab> fully intact on the beach at Clearwater FL..she
would like to be able to preserve it for a school project..she would
like to be able to keep it intact but is afraid it is going to start to
smell...is there anything we can do to prevent that from happening...
any help would be greatly appreciated..thank you!! Cheri <The horse
shoe crabs I have prepared myself were more than 250 million years old,
I used hammer and chisel. But, I have also tried to preserve dead
aquarium crabs. On large crabs it is useful to cut the body open, remove
the internal organs in order to avoid smell, stuff them with some
man-made fibre wool that does not rot. Smaller crabs can be dried on a
radiator as a whole without much smell. Another method to avoid smell is
injecting 50% denatured alcohol and 50% dry preservative with a syringe
prior to drying. Parts falling off during the drying process like legs
have to be clued, e.g. with epoxy glue. After the drying process the
specimens can be protected by clear lacquer, but only airbrush or other
paint applied prior to the lacquer will keep them colored for many
years. A internet search for "taxidermy crab technique" will bring up
more ideas, there are actually many ways to do that, some easier, some
for professionals, some incorporating more toxic substances like
formalin. Cheers, Marco.>
About Horseshoe Crabs 12/11/08 I understand that they
need a large environment to survive, however my question is about the
possibility of raising them in an aquarium to be released back into the
oceans, and whether this would in some small way help populations.
<Mmm... not wanting to encourage this sort of well-intentioned
activity... Such efforts are not only almost always unsuccessful (the
animals aren't "well-adapted" to wild living conditions, the root
problems with the environment aren't solved thereby... And the hypocrisy
of using other resources to favor some other species... Better to
advocate longer term real fixes... Like our species getting out of the
death business (more than a quarter of collective GDP is spent/wasted on
"defense") and improving the life still here... including urging other
humans not to reproduce... Really> I realize that they lay thousands
upon thousands of eggs, but due to their rapid declines in numbers it
would seem logical to assume that if many could be kept from predation,
raised to a suitable size for survival, and then released, it could help
their numbers. So here are the questions: 1. How large would a H.S.C.
need to be to have a good chance of surviving (or how old/many
moltings)? <... this information is available on the Net> 2. Would
it be best to release them in warmer weather, and on beaches to avoid
temperature shock? <It would likely be illegal to introduce any
cultured animal thus... Please, don't do this> 3. Out of the four
surviving species are any capable of survival in salinity deprived
conditions (freshwater) or in Salt Lakes (such as the famous Salt Lake
in Utah)? <Not as far as I'm aware... and again... not only is this
an extremely poor idea in terms of likely success, ethos, but also
likely criminal... Release NOTHING cultured or non-indigenous to ANY
environment> 4. Are any found on the West Coast of the United States
- as I have yet to find any material mentioning whether they are off the
coast of California to Washington, and only one species is mentioned as
being around the United State's East Coast and Gulf Coasts. <None on
the west coast> 5. If any are on the West Coast would it be
Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda, rather than the listed species of Limulus
polyphemus in the Atlantic and Gulf - and if none are, could they be
introduced to possibly help the other Horseshoe Crab species since they
are already in the Pacific (same would apply for both Tachypleus
tridentatus and Tachypleus gigas)? <Please...> Sorry for the many
questions, but for years I have been fascinated with what is likely the
oldest species living on the planet, <Not the oldest species...>
unchanged and living since the rise of the Synapsids some 300 or more
million years ago. Thanks! <I do want to encourage you to further
consider, re-direct your efforts... What can we do to preserve what is
here? Bob Fenner> How
to preserve a Horseshoe Crab – 7/14/08 <Hi Bill> Please let me
know. <If it’s a clean and dry shell, I’d spray it with a few coats
of clear Polyurethane (or similar lacquer-type product) in the
sheen/finish of your choice. Just make sure you get the non-yellowing
variety. If the crab still has soft tissue and is starting to decompose
(as in extreme pew), I’d find the nearest anthill and let the ants do
the job. If you don’t have an anthill nearby, just taking the carcass
out into the backyard should be enough to bring in every ant, bug, and
fly within a three mile radius. Together they should make fairly quick
work of the crab. Unfortunately, the smell may also attract any number
of varmints (domestic and otherwise), so keep that in mind. Another
alternative method that I’ve heard people use involves burying the
carcass and letting whatever assorted life forms/bugs that are in the
soil do the job (but it could take a while). Either way, once all the
tissue is gone, I’d scrape/clean out the shell, let it dry completely,
then spray it. I really have my fingers crossed for you that what you
have is an already clean shell!> Bill Hurley <Take care and good
luck! -Lynn>
Horseshoe crabs keep dying, 5/20/08 Hello. I purchased 27
horseshoe crabs at the end of April and am keeping them in a 270 liter
tank with sand and water made from Instant Ocean. <Not nearly large
enough for one crab, let alone 27.> Since purchasing, 13 have died. I
feed them a diet of algae pellets and shrimp pellets with occasional
frozen mysis shrimp. <Not appropriate food and likely indigestible by
them.> The water temp is 74-76*F. <Too hot for most species.>
The salinity is 25-30ppt. I haven't had any hits on the water quality
and do water changes every other week. <Parameter numbers please.>
The tank is filtered with 7 corner filters spaced evenly throughout the
tank. Of the 13 that have died, at least 3 have had black book gills at
time of death. Also, some have a white spot located near the compound
eyes. I am not sure what it is or if it is harmful. I looked at my notes
from my marine invert class but we looked at adults not juveniles so I
have no clue of what it is. Is there anything you can think of that will
save the rest of my horseshoes? <A very large, specialized tank.>
I hate seeing them die and can't afford to have them die since I am
studying them for my thesis. I can attach pictures if necessary but I'd
have to resize them and don't have access to them from this computer.
Thanks for your time. Whitney <Please see here for more on these
crabs, they have very specialized needs and do poorly in captivity.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/hshoecrabsart.htm .> <Chris>
RE: horseshoe crabs keep dying, 5/20/08 I am moving them to
a 2000L tank with sand and real seawater. Do you think that will help?
<As stated in the article linked in the previous e-mail, it will help,
each crab needs about 10 square feet to feed from.> As far as the
food goes, the company I purchased them from feeds them algae pellets
and they apparently do fine. Why are shrimp pellets and frozen shrimp
not appropriate food and how does it make it indigestible? They seem
love it and its always gone in a few minutes and they're pooping it out
so obviously they're digesting it. <Also posted in the article,
mostly eat small crustaceans from the sand, and have mouth parts
appropriate for this, not larger shrimp pellets and algae wafers. Takes
most about 1 year to stave in captivity, so difficult to determine what
they are actually eating.> The water temperature is the temperature
of the water right now in Florida. They crabs came from Florida so
they're use to it but what do you suggest it being? <Most species
prefer cooler water, and are just temporary visitors to the warmer
parts.> When you say "a very large specialized tank" what do you
mean? I know specialized for horseshoes but what should it include?
<Lots of live sand, DSB, little rockwork to get in their way, also
listed in the article.> Thanks for your time. Whitney <Please
read here http://www.wetwebmedia.com/hshoecrabsart.htm > <Chris>
Preserving a Horseshoe Crab Shell - 4-11-08 Hello. I recently
found a horseshoe crab shell. When I found it in our barn, it was filled
with dust , dirt and some cobwebs. I rinsed it off with some cool water
and set it out to dry. Now it is completely dry and looks very dull. How
is the best way to care for the shell. I think that it will make a great
addition to my sea shell collection and would love to preserve it. Thank
you. Carolyn <Mmm, once you get it very clean and dry, I'd "spray
lacquer" it... Do see the paint area in a good-sized hardware store, or
a paint store period... re various finishes/reflectivities... I'd go
with something with a low sheen... make a "box" of sorts to keep down
errant spray, and apply in a few coats/passes outdoors on a nice day.
Bob Fenner>
Horseshoe Crab: Feeding Frequency -12/17/2007 Hey Guys, Quick
question, I have a 2 inch horseshoe crab. How often do you think I
should directly feed him with meaty foods (ex: krill, Mysis, carnivore
preparations)? Thanks!!! <Hmmm... how often does one feed a giant
prehistoric predatory marine arthropod? Good question. I presume it will
feed as it wishes (as much as it can find - both on the food you try to
give it and on your benthic critter populations) despite whatever
schedule you try to put it on. In any case, what will you do with this
beautiful creature once it's the size of a small cat? Best, Sara
M.>
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