Horseshoe crab!

heatherrr · 12/21/2017, 04:40 PM

Hello everyone, I am not new to aquatics but I am new to this forum. So I am an aquarium educator at an aquarium in my city (will keep it unnamed) and we are having an issue with one of our dear little horseshoe crabs. She is about two years old, and has had a couple of molts with us already, but for the past four or five months she's just had a shed that won't budge. We've tried everything that we can personally think of, she's up in quarantine away from guests, and she's clearly ready to shed it. Her tank mates started their sheds at the same time and molted less than a month after it started. She's been doing really well but recently her appetite's been down, she'll take scallop from us but she'll just hold it in her claws.
Our vet told us that he would ask around since he wasn't 100% sure, and the other employees are asking around as well, but I decided to turn here! Has anyone else had experience with stubborn horseshoe crab molts? Or any vets who have a solution? We're not too concerned yet as she's still active and only the past couple days has her appetite been off, but we want to be proactive and help her get this thing off!
Thank you guys <3

sloogan · 12/21/2017, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by heatherrr

Hello everyone, I am not new to aquatics but I am new to this forum. So I am an aquarium educator at an aquarium in my city (will keep it unnamed) and we are having an issue with one of our dear little horseshoe crabs. She is about two years old, and has had a couple of molts with us already, but for the past four or five months she's just had a shed that won't budge. We've tried everything that we can personally think of, she's up in quarantine away from guests, and she's clearly ready to shed it. Her tank mates started their sheds at the same time and molted less than a month after it started. She's been doing really well but recently her appetite's been down, she'll take scallop from us but she'll just hold it in her claws.
Our vet told us that he would ask around since he wasn't 100% sure, and the other employees are asking around as well, but I decided to turn here! Has anyone else had experience with stubborn horseshoe crab molts? Or any vets who have a solution? We're not too concerned yet as she's still active and only the past couple days has her appetite been off, but we want to be proactive and help her get this thing off!
Thank you guys <3

If I were to take a wild guess her iodine levels aren’t sufficient enough for her to molt.

billdogg · 12/21/2017, 04:58 PM

^^^This would be my guess as well^^^

I would suggest that you contact the very knowledgeable crew at www.wetwebmedia.com They are all professionals in related fields and will be able to help you find a definitive answer.

Because Horseshoe crabs really are not suited to home aquaria, they tend to have a very limited lifespan for us and so are not a commonly kept creature.

Uncle99 · 12/22/2017, 12:50 PM

Yup, add my vote to the iodine thought.....I keep my iodide and iodate at .03 each for a total of .06.....for my shrimps not to struggle in molt...

TokiHacker · 12/23/2017, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle99

Yup, add my vote to the iodine thought.....I keep my iodide and iodate at .03 each for a total of .06.....for my shrimps not to struggle in molt...

I do same for my mantis

12/21/2017, 04:40 PM	#1
heatherrr Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2017 Posts: 1	Horseshoe crab! Hello everyone, I am not new to aquatics but I am new to this forum. So I am an aquarium educator at an aquarium in my city (will keep it unnamed) and we are having an issue with one of our dear little horseshoe crabs. She is about two years old, and has had a couple of molts with us already, but for the past four or five months she's just had a shed that won't budge. We've tried everything that we can personally think of, she's up in quarantine away from guests, and she's clearly ready to shed it. Her tank mates started their sheds at the same time and molted less than a month after it started. She's been doing really well but recently her appetite's been down, she'll take scallop from us but she'll just hold it in her claws. Our vet told us that he would ask around since he wasn't 100% sure, and the other employees are asking around as well, but I decided to turn here! Has anyone else had experience with stubborn horseshoe crab molts? Or any vets who have a solution? We're not too concerned yet as she's still active and only the past couple days has her appetite been off, but we want to be proactive and help her get this thing off! Thank you guys <3

12/21/2017, 04:58 PM	#3
billdogg Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Grove City, Ohio Posts: 10,806	^^^This would be my guess as well^^^ I would suggest that you contact the very knowledgeable crew at www.wetwebmedia.com They are all professionals in related fields and will be able to help you find a definitive answer. Because Horseshoe crabs really are not suited to home aquaria, they tend to have a very limited lifespan for us and so are not a commonly kept creature. __________________ I'll try to be nice if you try to be smarter! I can't help that I grow older, but you can't make me grow up! Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef with 40b sump, RO 150 skimmer, AI Sol Blue x 2, and a 60g Frag Tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. 2 x Kessil A360w lights, BM curve 5 skimmer

12/22/2017, 12:50 PM	#4
Uncle99 Crab Free Zone Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 2,906	Yup, add my vote to the iodine thought.....I keep my iodide and iodate at .03 each for a total of .06.....for my shrimps not to struggle in molt...