L. mac care

[fischcrazy]

Just broke down my 60 gallon reef tank today for a move out of state to go to grad school next spring and to start my new job. Ive been thinking about getting an L. mac to put in the tank once i get all settled. What are some general rules of thumb for sand depth and composition and filtration? Ive kept two G. smithii over the years in nano aquariums so a species like this a big step up in terms of requirements. Also, does amyone have experience frm ordering from thatpetplace.com? Any extra thoughts or suggestions are appreciated.

[Calappidae]

1.5x animal length = sandbed depth.

Since L. macs get 15 inches.. that's around a 22-24 inch sandbed.

I've had problems with TPP simply telling me a week after I purchase that they never had what I wanted instock despite being listed available, which I canceled, then a DOA on the second purchase. L. macs are pretty tough though so I don't think even they would screw up with them.

[nmotz]

Bluezoo has an L. Mac right now. I'd recommend going with them.

If you can keep nano aquariums then you can keep an L. Mac as long as you have enough space for a larger tank. Some people try using PVC for an L. Mac but they can apparently lose their ability to build a natural burrow after a while if you go this route. Otherwise, recommend a tank that can accommodate a 2 foot sand bed like Calappidae said.

[fischcrazy]

I can accomodate a dsb like that and still have about 10" to spare. I feel like such a deep sand bed would cause a lot of issues after a year or so...

[Calappidae]

I feel like such a deep sand bed would cause a lot of issues after a year or so...


That's pretty much L. mac in a nutshell, nobody said they were easy to setup for.

They keep their burrows pretty clean themselves, and they get along with plenty of sand sifters while being sandsifters themselves.

Another thing you can do, is place a heater at the bottom of your aquarium, this way any "toxin bubbles" will rise to the water column. Mixing up fine and coarse substrate will allow less packed up sand so the bubbles can rise.

I wouldn't recommend a small nano for these guys, as food wise, they do infact waste a lot of it. Usually worms and snails clean up the leftovers, but every feeding you make with these guys is like adding a new fish, which a small tank can't handle as well. (Especially with silversides, the moment those hit the water ammonia rises.)

I would still stick with atleast 30ish gallon and find/order a 3 foot tall tank. (more gallons if you have to). They really do need that sand, as like the OP said, PVC gives them lots of trouble building burrows with (and I can personally say how fun it is upgrading/removing pipes as they get older.)