Alright, as a continuation from this topic [as the conversation has diverted so much, I decided to open a new one with a new focus], I have decided to set up an environment for my red clawed crab.
I'll describe the setup, suggestions are more than welcome. Then I'll go into some questions I have
Set-up:
-10 gallon tank, the standard $12 stuff from PetCo, with a cover
-Tetra Whisper biofilter for up to 10 gallon tanks
-rocks and gravel
-some plastic decor plants
-7.5w heater, burried
-Tetra instant ocean marine salt
-12" Hydrometer
I know, heater is wimpy but it should handle 5-6 gallons well. Ambient temp in my home in the lows gets to 68 but is usually 70 or 72. My 5 gallon tank has the same heater and it keeps it at a constant 72. The new set up will at the same temps. I am using this heater because basically it's an extra that's been sitting in a box.
Before using the rocks and gravel, I will rinse them with hot water. They are coming from a 75g freshwater aquarium that has been dry for a year now. The tank I will set it up in such a way that the crab can climb top for air and have plenty of places to hide. I know it would be ideal to give him sand, but I like gravel better for several reasons.
From what I understand, red clawed crabs live in brackishwater of a gravity of 1.005 and PH around 7 or 8? The plan is to achieve that, suggestions are welcome as I do not know how to start. I've never dealt with anything but freshwater. Basically I was going to add te water into a bucket and just add salt and mix until I reach that specific gravity, using the hydro for measuring. I plan on having the tank filled only half-way or a little bit more, so we're talkingabout 5-6 gallons.
Am I on the right track? Am I missing anything or doing anything wrong? I'm not sure what I will feed him for starters, I was just going to drop him some of my betta pellets and some dried bloodworms and maybe a pea here and there and some shrimp meat [basically cocktail shrimp]?
Questions:
-How much and how often should I run the filter. Is 4 hours a day OK? More? Less?
-I have some Pimafix antifungal,should I treat the set-up for a day before I drop the crab? Should I also treat the tank maybe once a month with a low dose just as a precaution? Is it OK if I've been doing this in the betta tank?
-In this tank, would I be able to house maybe 2 female crabs? How about 1 female and 1 male?
-Do red clawed crabs and fiddler crabs come from the same environment? Can I drop a fiddler crab too?
-Taking into account that the red clawed crab has been living in freshwater with the betta for a week now, to which I added 1 tbsp of aquarium salt to the 5 gallons, how should I handle the tranzition to brackish water?
That's it for starters.
I'll describe the setup, suggestions are more than welcome. Then I'll go into some questions I have
Set-up:
-10 gallon tank, the standard $12 stuff from PetCo, with a cover
-Tetra Whisper biofilter for up to 10 gallon tanks
-rocks and gravel
-some plastic decor plants
-7.5w heater, burried
-Tetra instant ocean marine salt
-12" Hydrometer
I know, heater is wimpy but it should handle 5-6 gallons well. Ambient temp in my home in the lows gets to 68 but is usually 70 or 72. My 5 gallon tank has the same heater and it keeps it at a constant 72. The new set up will at the same temps. I am using this heater because basically it's an extra that's been sitting in a box.
Before using the rocks and gravel, I will rinse them with hot water. They are coming from a 75g freshwater aquarium that has been dry for a year now. The tank I will set it up in such a way that the crab can climb top for air and have plenty of places to hide. I know it would be ideal to give him sand, but I like gravel better for several reasons.
From what I understand, red clawed crabs live in brackishwater of a gravity of 1.005 and PH around 7 or 8? The plan is to achieve that, suggestions are welcome as I do not know how to start. I've never dealt with anything but freshwater. Basically I was going to add te water into a bucket and just add salt and mix until I reach that specific gravity, using the hydro for measuring. I plan on having the tank filled only half-way or a little bit more, so we're talkingabout 5-6 gallons.
Am I on the right track? Am I missing anything or doing anything wrong? I'm not sure what I will feed him for starters, I was just going to drop him some of my betta pellets and some dried bloodworms and maybe a pea here and there and some shrimp meat [basically cocktail shrimp]?
Questions:
-How much and how often should I run the filter. Is 4 hours a day OK? More? Less?
-I have some Pimafix antifungal,should I treat the set-up for a day before I drop the crab? Should I also treat the tank maybe once a month with a low dose just as a precaution? Is it OK if I've been doing this in the betta tank?
-In this tank, would I be able to house maybe 2 female crabs? How about 1 female and 1 male?
-Do red clawed crabs and fiddler crabs come from the same environment? Can I drop a fiddler crab too?
-Taking into account that the red clawed crab has been living in freshwater with the betta for a week now, to which I added 1 tbsp of aquarium salt to the 5 gallons, how should I handle the tranzition to brackish water?
That's it for starters.