Emerald Mithrax life expectancy

[+BobcatReefer]

Hi John, asking this question here as you guys specialize in these critters. I've had numerous Emeralds in my FOWLR over the years and they never seem to live very long - a couple of months at best. What is a realistic life expectancy for these guys? What can I do to ensure they stay around as long as possible?

[mFrame]

Hi John, asking this question here as you guys specialize in these critters. I've had numerous Emeralds in my FOWLR over the years and they never seem to live very long - a couple of months at best. What is a realistic life expectancy for these guys? What can I do to ensure they stay around as long as possible?

I had one last about 2 years in a pico on my tank at work. Never that long in a full mixed reef tank.

[Sascha D.]

My longest living emerald was also 2 years, in a mixed reef.

[jestep]

Pretty short in my experience as well. I'll honestly say the same for most "herbivorous" inverts including snails and even many fish like lawnmower blennys. Our tanks have stuff that they'll eat but it seems that it's either not enough or not enough diversity to allow them to thrive long term.

[FarmerTy]

Yeah, I stopped buying emeralds just for that reason. While useful, they just end up dying on me within a year or less. On the other hand, my urchins, turbo snails, fighting conchs, and sea cucumbers are still going strong.