Spanish Spotted Lobster

[CrayolaViolence]

A friend of mine is asking me to baby sit one of these monstrosities. I cannot find any information regarding the water temperatures it needs and its diet etc.

Anyone have any quick info?

Thanks

[tonysi]

For temperature you can keep it at regular "reef" temps, and as far as food you can feed it whatever, they are scavengers just like any other spiney. Clams, mussels, fish flesh. How big is he cause you said monstrosity? As far as I know most of these guys average around 5 or 6 inches-maxing out at 8. If it is bigger than that then it might be a different species. When I was younger I had a blue spiney that was 11 inches in a tank all by himself, now talk about a waste of a tank.

[CrayolaViolence]

Yeah this lobster is at least 12 inches. What I've read on them they grow to 16 + inches. This isn't a normal reef lobster from what I can tell.

[tonysi]

Ok so it's definitely not panulirus guttatus, but still a spiney, food for him would still be the same and temps can be whatever you keep your tank temp at. I kept my lobster at 78 degrees he did fine. Have overhangs and caves for him to hide in. They are like vampires they hate the light.

[tonysi]

Do you know where the lobster was sourced from? I'm kind of curious as to what species off lobster your friend has. Hopefully he isn't one of these.... Now they are huge! http://www.coml.org/discoveries/discoveries/new_species/spiny.htm