Lifespan of N. wennerae

[andgott]

I am just wondering here- I have a Neogonodactylus wennerae, which I 'found' in my tank ALMOST 3 yrs ago, when I added Tampa Bay SW liverock. I found this forum back then, because I was looking for a way to get rid of him- But after reading about them, I made the decision to keep it as a pet...

I have to say that, despite the fact that deciding to keep him meant changing ALL my aquarium plans (No fancy ornamental shrimp in THAT tank) He has been, by far, the most entertaining and interesting aquarium pet I have yet kept- And I have kept a LOT of them!

But- I was wondering- How long do they normally live?? He was pretty big when he got here- and has gotten a bit larger since then. He just went through a molt- too- I actually thought that he might have died since I didn't see or hear from him for over two weeks. But- He was out again today, and HUNGRY.

Also- I shipped one of these guys (I had 2 of them in my tank!) off to someone in Wyoming, Who used to surf this board.... Are you still out there? Is it still alive?

Thanks!

-Andrew

[Gonodactylus]

Some where in the past I posted an age - size chart for N. wennerae, but I couldn't find it just now. The quick answer is that the life span is about 6 years - perhaps a bit longer. Growth slows considerably after two years, so your animal may have a year or two left.

Roy