The Horseshoe Crab is very strange in appearance and can be unique captives for an aquarium.

Very hardy , they can be a good choice for beginners.

Horseshoe Crabs are bottom dwellers, and in the wild usually burrow in mud or sand flats in tidal areas or estuaries.

The Horseshoe Crab is greenish brown to light tan in color.

The dorsal part of the body is rounded, and it has a long spike for a tail.

The Horseshoe Crab is really not a crab, but more closely related to spiders and mites, belonging to a group of animals called chelicerates.

Horseshoe Crabs can grow quite large.

The female horseshoe crabs usually grow larger than the males, with their body reaching a maximum size of 12 inches in diameter.

When small, they are very efficient scavengers and are great for aerating and maintaining sand beds.

In the aquarium, your Horseshoe Crab will not grow that large, and will generally do best in a sandy substrate.

They are very helpful in cleaning an aquarium through sifting through sand and gravel in search of worms and any organic debris.

It will move the substrate around almost nonstop in its search for food.

The Horseshoe Crab will move about, scavengiong detritus or other materials that have fallen to the bottom.

Although it may find some food scavenging, its diet should be supplemented with meaty items such as pieces of squid and shrimp.