Fiddler or Red Claw, Which to get? - Aquarium Advice

bullitzx2 · 02-14-2007, 01:43 AM

ok so ive never really HAD a fish tank before other than the gold fish we all had as little kids. but i was wondering which of these two should i get?
Also a few questions i have:
Im gonna get a 3 gallon tank with complete tank.
what kindof floor covering should i get gravel or sand?
on the sand how do you put it down without creating air pockets? a
also what is cleaning like? i have a friend with a turtle and he just uses a syfin type thing.
I know they need to have access to air aswell as water.
any advice though is appreciated

OceanMaiden · 02-14-2007, 04:27 PM

First off welcome to Aquarium Advice!!!
If you are going to get a crab I'd say at least 5 gallons per crab as they are VERY dirty. Be sure and get a very good filtration system with the tank too. As for substrate really small smooth pebbles or gravel would be fine as sand is harder to clean. A tight fitting lid is a must because crabs are escape artists. You also need a way for the crabs to surface above the water to get some air. They will not live very long if not given acess to some fresh air. You can use a small piece of driftwood that surfaces so the crab can climb up. Make sure the wood does not extend out of the water too close to the light fixture as your crab may crawl in and cook himself. Crabs need appropriate doses of calcium and iodine in their water to grow and molt well. Crabs frequently die during molting because of the lack of these 2 supplements. Red claw crabs are BRACKISH meaning they have to have some sea salt in their water. So you will need a hydrometer and the sea salt. Both the red claw and the fiddler may catch small fish when they are bigger and eat them, the fiddler is even more prone to do this than the red though. Before you add the crabs to the tank though it must be cycled. Ask the veterens on this forum and you'll get plenty of help on the cycling, they know their stuff. I'll check back with you later and see how youre doing. Hope this helps!

theotheragentm · 02-14-2007, 05:16 PM

I am not a crab expert, but I personally think sand is easier to clean, as the "junk" stays on top. With gravel type substrate, you're going to have a lot of it fall into the bottom. If you have good flow from the outlet of your filter, it should move most of the debris into the filter with sand substrate. Gravel vacuuming is easy too with sand substrate.

bullitzx2 · 02-14-2007, 08:22 PM

i think im gonna go buy a fiddler tomorrow, he is about an inch and a half big. the claws are kindof yellow white, everything else was kindof dark brown black? they werent moving all that much so would my best bet would be to go and buy him now. or tomorrow

lyquidphyre · 02-14-2007, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bullitzx2

i think im gonna go buy a fiddler tomorrow, he is about an inch and a half big. the claws are kindof yellow white, everything else was kindof dark brown black? they werent moving all that much so would my best bet would be to go and buy him now. or tomorrow

Research, research, research. If you buy the crab today or tomorrow.. or even the day after that you are probably not prepared. Crabs need more than 3gals (I know, I did the research because I wanted one for my 3gal but they need more than that). You will spend more money in the end when your crab dies because of your lack of preparation.

What do crabs eat? How will/can you set up a land area in a 3gal that a crab needs to thrive? Do you need to cycle the water in the tank with a crab?
etc etc etc..
You need to know these things before even considering a crab (or any other kind of fish)

EDIT!!
Here is a GREAT article that you need to read:
http://inin.essortment.com/fiddlercrabspe_rslq.htm

Quote:

It is recommended to house them in at least a ten gallon tank.

Quote:

They do not thrive as single pets.

bullitzx2 · 02-14-2007, 10:17 PM

yea after i posted that i thought about it and i know alot about what i need to do so that the crab has room, right accomadations and what not and figured ill hold off and probably buy something small and get a fish or something so that i get the whole concept of keeping a tank healthy. this way if the fish dies i can buy another one cheaply and figure out what i did wrong. thanks for the help guys i really appreciate it and i look forward to eventually having a crab in my tank one of these days.

lyquidphyre · 02-15-2007, 12:08 AM

You don't know how happy that makes me that you are going to take everything slow!

I have a 3gal tank, and believe me, it is really hard (in comparison to larger tanks) to find the right fish/bioload.

Now, you said in your OP that you were going to get a 3gal- I don't know the situation, but if you are buying from a store, try and get a larger set up- even a 10gal would be better/easier.
The problem with smaller tanks is it doesn't take much to screw up the water chemistry. As a beginner, a 10 or 20gal tank would be ideal. If not, you can still do a 3gal... but it might take more work/a lot of patience.

Make sure to read all the information on cycling before you buy any fish- it will give you time to figure out exactly what you want to do.

btw- your post made me want to turn my 29gal into a crab tank! Its been empty for a while and I have really wanted a crab/crabs but I didn't think I wanted to turn that tank into a crab only tank.. but now Im thinking otherwise!

bullitzx2 · 02-15-2007, 11:18 PM

well i went ahead and bought a 5.5 gal tank, right now ive got it about half full with about a half inch of small gravel at the bottom. i added a chemical to kill the chlorine and then im gonna add some instant ocean tomorrow not to the specific gravity but about half of it. im gonna fill it to about 3.5 to 4 gallons in it and add some plants and a building type thing that is stacked so he can get out of the water. whats the best way to feed them? just drop the food into the water? i understand i should research but ive been reading for about a week and a half, so i know alot of what i should do to get the water setup before dropping him in.

02-14-2007, 01:43 AM	#1
bullitzx2 Aquarium Advice Apprentice Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 18	Fiddler or Red Claw, Which to get? ok so ive never really HAD a fish tank before other than the gold fish we all had as little kids. but i was wondering which of these two should i get? Also a few questions i have: Im gonna get a 3 gallon tank with complete tank. what kindof floor covering should i get gravel or sand? on the sand how do you put it down without creating air pockets? a also what is cleaning like? i have a friend with a turtle and he just uses a syfin type thing. I know they need to have access to air aswell as water. any advice though is appreciated

02-14-2007, 05:16 PM	#3
theotheragentm Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 2,173	I am not a crab expert, but I personally think sand is easier to clean, as the "junk" stays on top. With gravel type substrate, you're going to have a lot of it fall into the bottom. If you have good flow from the outlet of your filter, it should move most of the debris into the filter with sand substrate. Gravel vacuuming is easy too with sand substrate. __________________ Box of Water - My Personal Musing and Photos on Fish Keeping

02-15-2007, 12:08 AM	#7
lyquidphyre Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: McKinney, Tx Posts: 2,860 Images: 21	You don't know how happy that makes me that you are going to take everything slow! I have a 3gal tank, and believe me, it is really hard (in comparison to larger tanks) to find the right fish/bioload. Now, you said in your OP that you were going to get a 3gal- I don't know the situation, but if you are buying from a store, try and get a larger set up- even a 10gal would be better/easier. The problem with smaller tanks is it doesn't take much to screw up the water chemistry. As a beginner, a 10 or 20gal tank would be ideal. If not, you can still do a 3gal... but it might take more work/a lot of patience. Make sure to read all the information on cycling before you buy any fish- it will give you time to figure out exactly what you want to do. btw- your post made me want to turn my 29gal into a crab tank! Its been empty for a while and I have really wanted a crab/crabs but I didn't think I wanted to turn that tank into a crab only tank.. but now Im thinking otherwise! __________________ Have cats? Check out AA's sister site designed for our feline friends

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02-14-2007, 04:27 PM	#2
OceanMaiden Aquarium Advice Freak Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: That place between sleeping and awake, where dreams become reality and songs of the heart are born Posts: 240	First off welcome to Aquarium Advice!!! If you are going to get a crab I'd say at least 5 gallons per crab as they are VERY dirty. Be sure and get a very good filtration system with the tank too. As for substrate really small smooth pebbles or gravel would be fine as sand is harder to clean. A tight fitting lid is a must because crabs are escape artists. You also need a way for the crabs to surface above the water to get some air. They will not live very long if not given acess to some fresh air. You can use a small piece of driftwood that surfaces so the crab can climb up. Make sure the wood does not extend out of the water too close to the light fixture as your crab may crawl in and cook himself. Crabs need appropriate doses of calcium and iodine in their water to grow and molt well. Crabs frequently die during molting because of the lack of these 2 supplements. Red claw crabs are BRACKISH meaning they have to have some sea salt in their water. So you will need a hydrometer and the sea salt. Both the red claw and the fiddler may catch small fish when they are bigger and eat them, the fiddler is even more prone to do this than the red though. Before you add the crabs to the tank though it must be cycled. Ask the veterens on this forum and you'll get plenty of help on the cycling, they know their stuff. I'll check back with you later and see how youre doing. Hope this helps!

02-14-2007, 08:22 PM	#4
bullitzx2 Aquarium Advice Apprentice Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 18	i think im gonna go buy a fiddler tomorrow, he is about an inch and a half big. the claws are kindof yellow white, everything else was kindof dark brown black? they werent moving all that much so would my best bet would be to go and buy him now. or tomorrow

02-14-2007, 10:17 PM	#6
bullitzx2 Aquarium Advice Apprentice Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 18	yea after i posted that i thought about it and i know alot about what i need to do so that the crab has room, right accomadations and what not and figured ill hold off and probably buy something small and get a fish or something so that i get the whole concept of keeping a tank healthy. this way if the fish dies i can buy another one cheaply and figure out what i did wrong. thanks for the help guys i really appreciate it and i look forward to eventually having a crab in my tank one of these days.

02-15-2007, 11:18 PM	#8
bullitzx2 Aquarium Advice Apprentice Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 18	well i went ahead and bought a 5.5 gal tank, right now ive got it about half full with about a half inch of small gravel at the bottom. i added a chemical to kill the chlorine and then im gonna add some instant ocean tomorrow not to the specific gravity but about half of it. im gonna fill it to about 3.5 to 4 gallons in it and add some plants and a building type thing that is stacked so he can get out of the water. whats the best way to feed them? just drop the food into the water? i understand i should research but ive been reading for about a week and a half, so i know alot of what i should do to get the water setup before dropping him in.