Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Not Reef Tank Suitable
Not Suitable for Fish-Only Tank
Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: Mauritius, Maldives to Japan, south to Hawaiian Islands, New Caledonia, and Easter Island.
Size: 8 inches (20 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits holes and crevices in rocky coastal areas and usually seen at depths between 15 to 150 feet (5 - 45 m).
General Husbandry: Occasionally seen in the trade.
After the lights go out they will search for food, including small invertebrates. May damage anemones, coral and eat small fishes.
As with most lobsters, they are extremely shy and once in the aquarium prefer to hide in caves during the day, therefore provide some such enclosures.
Using long handled tweezers, feed small strips of fish or shrimp flesh once daily.
Taxonomy:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Family: Scyllaridae
Genus: Arctides
FYI: Undemanding when it comes to water quality. Unless you have a mated pair, it is unsafe to keep more than one in the aquarium.
May undermine existing rockwork, as they like to burrow.
Must be removed if aquarium will be treated with copper-based medications.
More a local human food species than an aquarium species.
Experience Level: Intermediate
Diet: Carnivore
Temperament: Semi-aggressive
Aquarium Environment: Reef or fish-only aquarium
Coral Safe: No
Fish Safe: With caution
Invertebrate Safe: With caution
Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+
Aquarium Hardiness: Moderate
Alkalinity: 2.5 - 3.0 meq/l
Temperature Range: 72 - 79°F (22 - 26°C)
Lighting: PAR 150
Water Movement: WM 1 - 2
Specific Gravity: 1.023 - 1.025
pH: 8.0 - 8.4
