Purple reef Lobster????

[Koco35]

I have a 14 gallon biocube with live rock, live sand, a variety of beginner corals, two clown fish, a fire fish , and a six lined wrasse. I also have a cu crew consisting of hermits, and snails.

I saw a purple reef lobster at a lfs and i am wondering if he would be a good addition to my tank???

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and advice!

 

[Ricksreef]

They hide all the time.

 

[Beengirl]

I've heard tht they'll eat any fish they can get a hold of too, so I'm a little nervous for the Firefish who'll be burrowing in the sand near the lobster. :/

 

[melosu58]

IMO it needs a much bigger tank with lots of rock in it for hiding purposes. If you are getting it to be the centerpiece of your tank forget it. I have had mine 8 yrs and probably seen it 7 times. I saw the molt the other day so I know he is still there.

 

[Charger0206]

I have nearly the exact same set up as you koco35. I have a 14 gallon bio cube with 2 Picasso clowns, 1 six line wrasse, 1 marine betta, and 1 reef lobster. Along with multiple snails and hermits with 10-13lbs of live rock. I have had the reef lobster for almost 2 years and he has never once touched or bothered any one of my fish or crabs. The marine betta and him actually sleep almost side by side in the same hole in the rock. The lobster does hide quite a bit during the day but is highly active at night or when you feed him. Surprisingly, I only feed him 3 times a week max and he still is healthy and non-bothersome to other inhabitants. I also placed my rocks to where the hole he lives in is always facing out wards towards the glass so I can see him all the time even though he thinks he is hiding. If you plan on getting one, try to get a smaller one and watch their personality at the fish store for aggressiveness. I have been very pleased with mine, but I could have just have gotten lucky with the one I chose.
Good luck!

 

[czwicky]

Charger you do know that the marine betta is a member of the grouper family and can get up to 24" long. He should be in a minimum of a 200g tank. As for the OP I would avoid the lobster. They are more often then not aggressive, and like was said you never see them.

 

[Charger0206]

Yes, I'm fully aware of how big the marine betta gets (I'm a masters in biology concentrated in marine sciences). I bought the betta when it was a baby (less than an inch in size), but they are an extremely slow growing fish. I do plan on transferring him out of that tank when he becomes too large of size, as for a 200 gallon for that fish would be a bit of an overkill on tank size (although I'm sure he would love it). As of now, he is doing excellent and is very interesting to watch. The purple reef lobster can and will work in a 14 gallon bio cube. Also as I said before, their is the possibility that they could be agressive and go after smaller fish, but their is also the possibility that they could be nonaggressive and not bother any fish. It is all in what the aquarist is willing to risk and try. As for my purple reef lobster, he worked out great for me, doesn't bother anything or any of the inhabitants, is visible almost constantly, and I think is quite awesome; but that is a test tank and I was willing to take the risk so I thought I would share my personal experience with it.

 

[TheTodd]

Charger you do know that the marine betta is a member of the grouper family and can get up to 24" long. He should be in a minimum of a 200g tank. As for the OP I would avoid the lobster. They are more often then not aggressive, and like was said you never see them.

They are a member of the grouper family, but they get 6-8" long, at best, not two feet. A 50g tank is fine.

 

[Beniamino77]

This is my purple reef lobster. He's in a 14 gallon biocube by himself (he was in a 55 and ate a couple small fish). He's AWESOME! Eats right out of my hand and begs for food when I walk in the room. His name is Sherwin.