• Why not take a moment to introduce yourself to our members?

crox99

Audi Sport
Location
Merrick
Rating - 100%
103   0   0
I was looking to add this guy in my tank but I am not 100% sure that he's reef safe. Can anyone confirm that he is?

Thanks,

JP
 

Attachments

  • firelobster.jpg
    firelobster.jpg
    109.1 KB · Views: 588

drunktank

Advanced Reefer
Rating - 100%
13   0   0
i disagree - i've always had a lobster in my tank and never had a problem with it going after my fish. The only time i've seen them go after fish, is if that fish was sick or about 2 die.
 

DevIouS

- Untitled -
Location
Da B - X
Rating - 100%
108   0   0
Drunk:
What kind of fish do you have in your system?
Of course it won't go for larger fish or fish that stay mid - high level.
You consider them "reef safe"?

I have no experience with them.....but from what I always read, I wouldn't even attempt to house one.



Some excerpts from WWM.com:


<<Another inappropriate choice. This creature is not a substrate cleaner...but it will stalk/devour your fishes, that is if the isn't big enough to get to it first>>
I was under the impression that if a Red Lobster was well fed; he would not bother with his tank mates.
<<May help "some"...but doesn't change their nature/instinct to hunt for their meal>>

<according to my references the reef lobster is suppose to be reef safe although harmful to fish as you know. They do like a thick gravel bed for burrowing along with rocks for hiding places. They are very aggressive toward others of their kind so two of them is out of the question. You will also need to add iodine for these critters as it helps for proper molting. As far as fish, I would probably put something in there like Chromis since they prefer the upper area of the tank.>

<Oh, heavens no! The only people that will tell you lobsters are reef-safe are the folks that sell them. Small coral lobsters like the individual of which you speak (almost certainly an Enoplometopus species) are categorically carnivorous scavengers. They do not systematically seek to wipe out a reef aquarium on arrival... but will nibble on most any sessile invertebrate that they can get their claws on when the mood strikes them. Under no circumstance is that cool little lobster "reef-safe">

<safe in the sense that reef invertebrates are likely to be safe form being eaten... however, all bets are off on the fish... and I assume you were not going to set up a fishless system? Predation is not a question of if, but when with lobsters. The other concern is the bulldozing activities of Lobsters with LPS corals that may be hardy with regard for water quality, but alas with not take repetitive falls/injury from the frisky crustaceans>
 
Last edited:

drunktank

Advanced Reefer
Rating - 100%
13   0   0
Dev: I think, as with any fish or critter - they all have their own personalitity. Maybe I just got a few good lobsters which didn't act aggressive at all. There's always a chance you can get a bad one. But they are reef safe, meaning they wont harm ur reef, as for ''fish-safe'' Its a hit or miss. In my tanks i've never had a problem. I've kept lobsters with all kinds of sizes and swimming levels.

crox- if u want to play safe, look at the Blue lobsters, its pretty sweet looking and very safe, it's said to be the safest of all the lobsters
 

6stringpenguin

New Reefer
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'm fairly new to this site, but while doing research on what I recently purchased, your thread caught my eye. The owner of a local store had 3 of these just come in and said they are reef safe. I have a fish only tank, and was in need of some inverts, so I decided I should just try it. It's so much cooler looking in person. A yellow fan tail, blue legs, green carapice...pretty much a rainbow of a shellfish. Do a search and look at the really awesome pics of these. No Claws are always the best route to go anyway.


Here it is: http://www.marinedepotlive.com/spiny-blue-lobster---panulirus-versicolor-inverts--lobsters.html
 
Location
Huntington
Rating - 100%
26   0   0
Blues are safer than the reds however, they are both diggers and if your rocks are not on the glass they will topple your structure. Also, an easy way to tell if a lobster or crab is truely reef safe is to look at the claws. Sharp powerful claws such as the ones on the red lobsters are for grasping and rending flesh. They will eat sleeping fish or injured fish and I have heard of them destroying clean up crews sometimes. Personal experience in your own tank cannot be applied to every specimen across the board so you have to go by their wild behavior to be on the safe side. Claws that are flat or spoon shaped like those on the mithrax crabs are made for grasping and pulling algae from the rock surface making them herbivores. The blue lobsters do get huge (over 12" not including antenae) but they are predominantly a scavenger. The digging is what scares me personally, I keep some stuff on the sand bed and would hate to have it buried. My engineer gobies provide me enough of a headache.
 

russianmd

Advanced Reefer
Location
Brooklyn
Rating - 100%
18   0   0
Another reason why you should take everything an LFS staff member says with a grain of salt:

Feeding: It likes to eat Eats meaty bits of seafood and fish.
Behavior: The Panulirus versicolor is generally aggressive toward other tankmates.
Care: Many consider the Panulirus versicolor a low-maintenance specimen. Not venomous.
Lighting: Has lighting needs.
General notes: Scavenger that likes to sift through sand for detritus. Will eat small and medium sized fish.

This is also from marinedepotlive, btw.

I'm fairly new to this site, but while doing research on what I recently purchased, your thread caught my eye. The owner of a local store had 3 of these just come in and said they are reef safe. I have a fish only tank, and was in need of some inverts, so I decided I should just try it. It's so much cooler looking in person. A yellow fan tail, blue legs, green carapice...pretty much a rainbow of a shellfish. Do a search and look at the really awesome pics of these. No Claws are always the best route to go anyway.


Here it is: http://www.marinedepotlive.com/spiny-blue-lobster---panulirus-versicolor-inverts--lobsters.html
 

DevIouS

- Untitled -
Location
Da B - X
Rating - 100%
108   0   0
Thank you......you beat me too it:)

Behavior: The Panulirus versicolor is generally aggressive toward other tankmates.
General notes: Scavenger that likes to sift through sand for detritus. Will eat small and medium sized fish.


They will eat sleeping fish or injured fish and I have heard of them destroying clean up crews sometimes.


That's all I need to hear.
 

SuRFeR BoY

BooSten Audi A4 -Aim
Location
Staten Island
Rating - 100%
26   0   0
they are slow and will eat and catch only slow and sick fish. they dont get big either. they wont bother corals, but will posssibly close them if they walk on them but they usually build a burrow and stay on the ground floor level. awsome lobster by the way :Up_to_som
 

Sponsor Reefs

We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.

Click here to sponsor $10:


Top