Lobster care

[nitronick]

Hello all!

I am wanting to raise keep a lobster as a pet. Can anyone help me with the set up?

Thank you!

Nick

 

[Bifferwine]

What type of lobster is it? A reef lobster (like a purple lobster) or a regular food lobster?

 

[nitronick]

It would be just a lobster that you would get at the store.

 

[cumminz]

Interesting...

 

[daugherty]

they need cold cold water i think about 60 or less but i am not shure about how cold of water

 

[Altohombre]

I have never seen lobsters at the store be very active. I am guessing you would need a larger tank. At restaurants they just cram them in because they aren't in there very long.

 

[nitronick]

What size tank do you think would be suitable?

 

[RyanG]

I really dont think that you would have good success with a coldwater lobster. It would be very difficult to keep the water cold enough for them. If you like similar creatures maybe a blue reef lobster would be up your alley but I dont think that a 12 gal nano would be suitable for it either, sorry. Another option for a similar type of animal would be a Mantis shrimp and the 12 nano would be a great species tank for one of those cool little demons. You just wont be able to keep much else with it other than his food they are nasty little predators.

 

[daugherty]

i use to take care of the lobster tank at redlobster here in town whwn i worked for them and that water would make your arm go numb just from cleaning it that is hoiw cold it was

 

[Bifferwine]

Yeah, a 12 gallon tank wouldn't be large enough for a lobster. How would you keep the water that cold anyways, would a chiller even work that cold?

I'm usually a pretty good googler. But I could not find one thing online that talked about how to keep a lobster for anything else than eating! Sorry...

 

[daugherty]

the tank at red lobster used a very large chiller

 

[cumminz]

I would go with a stomapod myslef

 

[ladypheesh]

did anyone see the episode of the simpsons where homer buys a lobster to cook? The big ones were too expensive so he buys a little one and decides to keep it while he fattens it up. THen he gets attached to it and it becomes a family pet, pinchy!

haha sorry I don't have any real advice, that's just the first thing that came into my head.

actually though, you should check out your lfs because ours has some really neat freshwater lobsters (some are bright blue), I think they are crawdads but it would probably be a lot easier.

 

[nitronick]

Yeah, I have seen those Blue Lobsters. They are really cool. Thanks for everyones help, even though it was a little discouraging...

 

[RyanG]

Its always best to have good information even when it isnt what you wanted to hear.

 

[Alexander]

yeah sure did see the episode with pinchy... thats an ol classic

i was at red lobster the other day and took off the front panels of the stand and was checking out the equipment on the tank and the overflows and stuff. totally made me realize how much of a nerd i am when it comes to this stuff :)

 

[dustin_P74]

my moms boyfriend used to work for the company that sells red lobster all of there lobsters and from what he has told me, i no longer eat at red lobster

 

[Alexander]

Too bad for you, I love that place!

 

[daugherty]

the one that i worked at was very clean aan well maintained