fiddler crabs?

[Readysetcali]

Agh correction they are red clawed crabs. i have no idea where in the forums this should go, so sorry if its in the wrong place. okay so i went to petsmart today to get a breeder net for my 3 baby dalmatian mollies and my son who is turning four in a few days seen these crabs and he fell in love with them. i was thinking about getting him some for his birthday but i know nothing about them. i know they are freshwater because thats where i seen him looking at them. i didnt really look at their set up because i was in a hurry to get home but he was talking nonstop about them on the ride home. so now, to the point.

1. How does the tank need to be set up?
2. What are their water requirements?
3. What do they eat?
4. Are they fairly hardy?
5. What tank mates can they have?

 

[Readysetcali]

so from what i read they are brackish?. -.- I want something he can do himself. (he takes care of his betta great!, feeds him and changes his water when i clean my tanks) his betta is in a 5 gallon. i was thinking about re-decorating his betta tank for him (its pretty bare now. just black gravel and a green silk plant) he loves the bamboo in my 10gallon, hes always saying "mommy i want some of that in my tank" so i figured i would do a bamboo environment with a buddha statue or something in there. i also want him to have a little more to look at. i read that african dwarf frogs go good with bettas. is that true? are they easy to take care of? his birthday is in 2 days so i need ideas quick!

 

[Alyxx]

Some people have had luck with frogs and bettas but sometimes there will be trouble. The frogs are mostly blind so they can be outcompeted for food very easily, and bettas are likely to pick on them. Or, in other cases, some frogs have been known to try to attack the slow swimming betta. Of course there are also instances where they have done fine together, so if your son really wants the frog, just keep a good eye on the tank and have a backup plan if trouble arises. It's wonderful that your son is learning responsibility and a love of the aquarium hobby through his tank!

As for the crabs, they can't live in the betta tank. They need brackish water and a good land area to walk around on if they are the "fiddler crabs" I've seen in pet stores before. All of the "freshwater" crabs usually sold at pet stores are actually semi-aquatic and brackish. It would make a ver interesting tank if you have room for another one. It would need a large dry area of sand and a shallow area of brackish water, around 1.008 SG if I remember correctly.

Also, bamboo is semi aquatic, it won't live long completely submerged!

 

[Ejpicard]

The minimum amount of tank space is about ten gallons. fill the tank with 5 gallons or half of the tank with water and add 1 1/2 tbs of aquarium salt. make sure the gravel is sloped so there is some dry land. In captivity, they can be fed sinking crab food, fish food meant for scavengers (sinking tablets, shrimp pellets, etc), and freeze dried plankton and shrimp. they prefer a sandy substrate but gravel can be used. to clean the sand you should use a net to scrap the poop off you can usually get ten gallon tanks for 25 to 50 bucks with the lights and you can buy a small water heater for 10. good luck with your crabs. im sure youre son will love them

 

[Alyxx]

I would make sure to get at least one type of food meant for crabs and crustaceans to make sure it gets enough calcium and iodine to molt properly. I've used hikari crab cuisine for shrimp and crayfish and they seem to love it. It's a sinking pellet.

 

[Readysetcali]

Some people have had luck with frogs and bettas but sometimes there will be trouble. The frogs are mostly blind so they can be outcompeted for food very easily, and bettas are likely to pick on them. Or, in other cases, some frogs have been known to try to attack the slow swimming betta. Of course there are also instances where they have done fine together, so if your son really wants the frog, just keep a good eye on the tank and have a backup plan if trouble arises. It's wonderful that your son is learning responsibility and a love of the aquarium hobby through his tank!

As for the crabs, they can't live in the betta tank. They need brackish water and a good land area to walk around on if they are the "fiddler crabs" I've seen in pet stores before. All of the "freshwater" crabs usually sold at pet stores are actually semi-aquatic and brackish. It would make a ver interesting tank if you have room for another one. It would need a large dry area of sand and a shallow area of brackish water, around 1.008 SG if I remember correctly.

Also, bamboo is semi aquatic, it won't live long completely submerged!

Hmmm, he makes his betta flare a lot with a mirror. Will that make him more aggressive? The frogs I've seen at petsmart are with other fish and as long as there are two I think they will be fine. A few months ago he seen a betta at the pet store in that little container and said "mommy that's not nice he can't move. Can we have him in the big tank?" I told him no and why and he asked if he could use the money he had in his piggy bank to buy a tank for it (wasnt nearly enough but it was so cute that he wanted to help it) so I got a 5 gallon and got everything set up and I was taking care of it for a while but he decided he wanted to do it. I love that he's so responsible and interested at this age! Makes momma proud

 

[Readysetcali]

The minimum amount of tank space is about ten gallons. fill the tank with 5 gallons or half of the tank with water and add 1 1/2 tbs of aquarium salt. make sure the gravel is sloped so there is some dry land. In captivity, they can be fed sinking crab food, fish food meant for scavengers (sinking tablets, shrimp pellets, etc), and freeze dried plankton and shrimp. they prefer a sandy substrate but gravel can be used. to clean the sand you should use a net to scrap the poop off you can usually get ten gallon tanks for 25 to 50 bucks with the lights and you can buy a small water heater for 10. good luck with your crabs. im sure youre son will love them

I don't think he can handle a 10 gallon brackish since he's only four! Haha. He does great with his betta so I think I'll get him a dwarf frog and see how that goes. If he can't handle it I have my backup 10 gallon for it maybe if he's still interested in a few years he can do the crabs

 

[BrackAttack]

The minimum amount of tank space is about ten gallons. fill the tank with 5 gallons or half of the tank with water and add 1 1/2 tbs of aquarium salt.

I dont know about crabs that much but brackish water usually requires marine salt not aquarium salt.

i really suggest getting a bigger tank. with community freshwater fish its not really any more expensive to keep a smaller tank then a larger tank other then the initial cost. petco has $1 per gallon sales about 3 times a year up to 55 gallons. you can also find good deals on Craigslist.

I don't think he can handle a 10 gallon brackish since he's only four! Haha. He does great with his betta so I think I'll get him a dwarf frog and see how that goes. If he can't handle it I have my backup 10 gallon for it maybe if he's still interested in a few years he can do the crabs

once the tank is set up the water changes are like fresh except you add salt to the container of water before adding it to the tank. 1.008 specific gravity is 1/4 of salt so in the container of salt if it gives directions for saltwater just divide it by 4. thats the only difference between salt and brackish.

 

[Alyxx]

I dont know about crabs that much but brackish water usually requires marine salt not aquarium salt.

i really suggest getting a bigger tank. with community freshwater fish its not really any more expensive to keep a smaller tank then a larger tank other then the initial cost. petco has $1 per gallon sales about 3 times a year up to 55 gallons. you can also find good deals on Craigslist.

Brackish does need marine salt. However, her reasoning for not wanting a bigger tank is because it is supposed to be something her young child can mostly care for by himself.

Also, it is too cute that he wanted to save the betta. That is so sweet!

 

[BrackAttack]

Brackish does need marine salt. However, her reasoning for not wanting a bigger tank is because it is supposed to be something her young child can mostly care for by himself.

Also, it is too cute that he wanted to save the betta. That is so sweet!

im just suggesting a bigger tank because for me they are easier to take care of. all i do to my freshwater is gravel vac twice a month and water changes once a week. the larger the tank the less fish are affected by toxins and stuff in the tank.

 

[Readysetcali]

once the tank is set up the water changes are like fresh except you add salt to the container of water before adding it to the tank. 1.008 specific gravity is 1/4 of salt so in the container of salt if it gives directions for saltwater just divide it by 4. thats the only difference between salt and brackish.

He enjoys doing the betta totally by himself. I use spring water so it's ready right away. All he has to do is take some out and put some in (he has specific containers so he's always putting the right amount in.) and then he feeds it and viola. He's got it. I don't want to give him too much responsibility and I don't want to make it seem like momma has to do it for him because he likes the challenge. So I think the frogs will give him a little more of a challenge and not too much responsibility. I don't want to overwhelm him and make him not interested any more. Maybe I can set up a crab tank later on that way he can see and when he gets a little older he can take it over.
And I occasionally secretively check his water parameters it's long since finished cycling so it's all good

And I can only have up to a 10 gallon in our apt. I already have 2 ten gallons and my landlord isn't very happy about it but he's willing to let me keep them.