Abalone lifespan

[Nitrate Junkie]

I recently was given an abalone about 10cm long with greenish markings, and boy is it an interesting creature! I can't believe people eat these guys, they look so gooey! Anyway, I was hoping someone could tell me how long they tend to live for. I also got a cuke (soft, brown and white mottled with pseudo spikes along his body). but he has just been hanging around a rock , quite lethargic and not keen to explore for the last week. (He is alive). Any stats and comments on these guys?
Cheers

 

[Anonymous]

Depends on the species of Abalone, most tend to come from cooler temperature waters than our reef tanks. Unless you have ample algae for them to consume they usually starve to death, though properly fed I would say the lifespan would be a couple of years.
As far as the Cuke, many do not move that much, mostly these are nocturnal, feeding primarily on detritus or planktonic foods with their tentacle crown, also with a lifespan of a couple of years.

Regards,
David Mohr

 

[Anonymous]

Sounds like a tiger tail cuke. I've had mine for about a year now...like David said, they are mostly nocturnal, although I have seen my guy out during the day at times.

I had an abalone a few years back for about 6 months. One day I noticed his shell flipped over, and he was gone. I have no idea why he died...perhaps it was lack of food. I dunno. One neat thing about them is how well they blend into LR...it's amazing!

You got a couple of very interesting creatures...I wish you well with them!

 

[Fatal Morgana]

Abalone lives for years. Some are at least decades old, but in a reef tank, they should live for 5 to 10 yrs. if not more.

Make sure they are from the right area to deal with the temperature. Some fish store (California, not Australia) are selling cold water abalone instead of those from reef area. The high tempreature usually kills it in a few months, if not sooner.

 

[Nitrate Junkie]

Thanks, guys,
much appreciated.
Cheers from Oz