Ok so I went to the lfs to get new fiddlers for my newly re-designed crab tank, and they didn't have fiddlers..instead they had vampire crabs. OMG huge deal..never have cool stuff like that here!! I'm used to be paying 2.99 for fiddlers and these suckers were 10.99 but I just had to have them (purple is my favorite color) so I got 3. I must keep these expensive little buggers alive. They are floating right now. I'm reading they are a "true freshwater crab"..I'm very skeptical. Yet worried because there is marine salt in this tank. What's the deal with these lil' guys, anyone know??
HELP FAST!? Vampire Crabs brackish or fresh?
- Thread starter siva
- Start date
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ejaramillo01
Aquarium Advice Addict
There is a tread in this forum about vampire crabs.... Use the search mode and try to find it....
ejaramillo01
Aquarium Advice Addict
It's in the general discussion forum, but I don't know how to attach it or link it here.
Shadowraven
Aquarium Advice FINatic
From the research that I have done on "freshwater" crabs (and I have done a lot), I was never able to find any crab that was actually a true freshwater crustacean. All of them are seem to require brackish water for optimal health.
Right so I naturally assumed they were BW. Well there is the thai micro crab that is freshwater, but otherwise they are all brackish I thought. I'm also reading a lot about them dying quickly..I'm wondering if that isn't because these people are keeping them in FW.
Shadowraven
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I think that is one of the primary reasons. That and the fact that many people don't provide the crabs with a way to climb up out of the water and bask.
Even when I provided crabs with a place to hang out above the waterline, they would still die off. It's only when I provided them with a BW environment that they started to survive.
If there are any true freshwater crabs for the aquarium, I'd like to know about it. I searched everywhere for something like that and could never find it in any of the literature, or on the internet.
Even when I provided crabs with a place to hang out above the waterline, they would still die off. It's only when I provided them with a BW environment that they started to survive.
If there are any true freshwater crabs for the aquarium, I'd like to know about it. I searched everywhere for something like that and could never find it in any of the literature, or on the internet.
adeebm
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Vampire crabs are COMPLETELY freshwater 
They even reproduce in freshwater, as they don't have a marine larval stage. They need to be in a paludarium type setup, with land and water. Land should be the majority for these crabs. You can feed them fish flakes/pellets, and live foods such as bloodworms and small crickets.
--Adeeb
They even reproduce in freshwater, as they don't have a marine larval stage. They need to be in a paludarium type setup, with land and water. Land should be the majority for these crabs. You can feed them fish flakes/pellets, and live foods such as bloodworms and small crickets.--Adeeb
Shadowraven
Aquarium Advice FINatic
That's great! Unfortunately they aren't suited to an aquariums, just paludariums.
Glad to see there is at least one though. Their unsuitability to an aquarium environment is probably why I didn't know about them.
Don't be too confused siva. I did a search for them on the net and adeebm is right. They are freshwater, but for paludariums only. In fact they actually spend most of their time OUT of the water.
Glad to see there is at least one though. Their unsuitability to an aquarium environment is probably why I didn't know about them.
Don't be too confused siva. I did a search for them on the net and adeebm is right. They are freshwater, but for paludariums only. In fact they actually spend most of their time OUT of the water.
Yeah....I've been keeping fiddler crabs for years and I think that like the fiddlers, as long as they have both water and land, I'm confident they will be fine. From my research so far it seems people say the same things about them as fiddlers..some owners say they spend more time on land some say in water. It's not a super natural set up like my last one was, but it still provides adequate land space for them IMO. Well I have no idea what I'm going to do now since I'm sitting here acclimating them to a brackish tank. Yay.
Shadowraven
Aquarium Advice FINatic
From what I found out researching them, they appear to be strictly freshwater. I'd stop keeping them in brackish of I were you. It appears that Vampire Crabs are one of the really rare type of crabs that live in freshwater.
Maybe adeebm would know more.
Maybe adeebm would know more.
This person seems to know there fair share about them
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/vampire-crabs-138469-9.html#post1290571
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/vampire-crabs-138469-9.html#post1290571
Shadowraven
Aquarium Advice FINatic
That's the other thread that ejaramillo01 was referring to earlier. It's been reactivated next to this one. siva is already posting there as well. Thanks though!
Ok thanks y'all Well it's a FW tank now. Luckily I was acclimating them very slowly and had only added a bit of the tank water to their water, so I think everythings fine. The tank had very little salt in it to begin with because when I get fiddlers they are in FW and I slowly raise the salinity over time. I do feel inclined to go back to my lfs tomorrow and let them know these little guys in fact do not require the same conditions as fiddlers! Just when you get to trusting your m&p lfs...darnit. Oh well I should know better. All this time I've been saying there are no freshwater crabs except for the thai micro. Ha. I was wrong. Thank goodness for this forum! Thanks to you Adeeb for saving me just in time!
Well it's a FW tank now. Luckily I was acclimating them very slowly and had only added a bit of the tank water to their water, so I think everythings fine. The tank had very little salt in it to begin with because when I get fiddlers they are in FW and I slowly raise the salinity over time. I do feel inclined to go back to my lfs tomorrow and let them know these little guys in fact do not require the same conditions as fiddlers! Just when you get to trusting your m&p lfs...darnit. Oh well I should know better. All this time I've been saying there are no freshwater crabs except for the thai micro. Ha. I was wrong. Thank goodness for this forum! Thanks to you Adeeb for saving me just in time! Not a problem, i didnt notice a link earlyer so i thought i'd attempt to point him in the correct direction
Hey I love your name, I have a cat named momo
Shadowraven
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Ooooo siva! Thai Micro Crabs! Freshwater only! Totally aquatic! Awesome!
I love crabs, but could never find any freshwater ones for my aquariums.
I just looked these up on the web and it appears that they are a new find.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for the heads up! I will definitely be looking into these!!!
You can see them at this link!
I love crabs, but could never find any freshwater ones for my aquariums.
I just looked these up on the web and it appears that they are a new find.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for the heads up! I will definitely be looking into these!!!
You can see them at this link!
Shadowraven
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I know right! I want some so bad! I can never find them for sale in the US
That link is a site that sells them, but it would be mail order only.
