Crab id

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KPCustoms

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Dec 4, 2011
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Paso Robles CA
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I got these guys from my brother and have no idea what they are and what they are compatable with, I wanted to get some freshwater clams
 
I talked to the guy at the lfs and he said they don't need it but prefer it and it will be fine but I forgot how they did with clams I want to get some clams but I don't know If the crabs will eat them or not
 
KPCustoms said:
I talked to the guy at the lfs and he said they don't need it but prefer it and it will be fine but I forgot how they did with clams I want to get some clams but I don't know If the crabs will eat them or not

I dont know how true that is but they need access to land.
 
Mine died in days without land access. Gotta watch the store u get info from. I have one out of like 7 here that is educated on stuff
 
Those are red claw crabs. They are semi terrestrial brackish water crabs. They should not be kept in freshwater and definitely not in a regular aquarium. These crabs NEED to be able to dry out on land. Keeping them this way is not "fine".
 
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cant it is a nano cube so its a closed top could i make a little sand bank in a bowl and take them out once a day for like 20 minutes? unless this is a horrible idea and im just being stupid because it would be added stress
 
They need brackish water as well if you want them to live long term.

You have any extra equipment? Tanks, filters, air pump..anything? You could throw together a simple little brackish tank for them.
 
cant it is a nano cube so its a closed top could i make a little sand bank in a bowl and take them out once a day for like 20 minutes? unless this is a horrible idea and im just being stupid because it would be added stress
No, not stupid! But I don't think it's a realistic long term solution. They spend much more than 20 mins a day out of the water.
 
no i could go out and get a little something like a little 5 gallon and just rig up a little filter, cant be to hard
 
i really hate it when i let people talk me into buying stuff they wont work in my tank, i feel like such an idiot, should have done some research on them first
 
Nope, it's not. But it does require a bit of investment. There's several methods you can use. My brackish crab tank currently is in a 14 gal, which is the same footprint as a 10 gal but taller. I have it filled up about 10 gals full. The crabs share the tank with bumblebee gobies. There is a floating island with sturdy plants creating a ladder. There is a mongrove root style peice of decor that sticks out of the water. They actually also use the intank filter as a third space for them to air out, and enjoy a meal off the filter pad :)

Another style set up you can do is a simple sand slope. For your crabs I'm going to recommend atleast a 10 gal tank, so you have enough space to provide both adequate water and land areas. You could do a slope of sand,or sand mixed with gravel, up one side of the tank and partially fill the other half of the tank.

For filtration, because this will be a partially filled tank, you will need an in-tank filter. This can be a power filter or a sponge filter. If you already have an air pump, a sponge filter would be a great affordable solution for this tank. You'll also need a heater. And a tight fitting lid. You want no holes in the lid large enough for a crab to escape through. They are great escape artists.

This will need to be a brackish water tank. You will need marine salt, make sure it's not aquarium salt. Also a hydrometer to measure the salinity level. You don't use much marine salt to create brackish water, so that investment will last you quite a while.
 
i really hate it when i let people talk me into buying stuff they wont work in my tank, i feel like such an idiot, should have done some research on them first
This is how I started my first crab tank. I stupidly brought them home believing they were aquatic and freshwater. They quickly began dying off and after much research I set up a brackish tank for them. I've been keeping them ever since, and now I love my brack tank! It really is terrible what happens to these crabs IMO. They are wild caught from areas like brackish mongrove swamps and then thrown into freshwater aquariums. :(
 
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