starting a fiddler crab aquarium, i have a few Q's

[zeig]

im putting together an asian styled aquarium for some fiddler crabs, the only problem is from what ive read i cant find direct info on a couple things.

1:since the water doesnt need to even be that deep, and food wont be in the water (unless they take it there) do i really need a water filter?
or will it still get murky and gross within a week if i dont? Also- if i need a filter i want a cheap one, cheap as possible, any links please haha?

2: how often and how much do you feed the crabs? (im getting two probably, its about a 2sqft tank bottom)

3: what do i need to make murkish water conditions for them? is there a guide somewhere on the net?

4: will male crabs still wave their claws around if theres no females to attract?

5:about how often wud their tank need cleaned? if it grows algea i cant really get a snail cuz i hear they will eat them, any suggestions? or do they not eat snails?



thanks for any advice i get, i really appreciate it!
~zeig

 

[zeig]

anyone? please?

 

[CementShoes]

Not that familiar but start here and see if it helps

Keeping Fiddler Crabs as Pets

I don't think a filter is needed... just water maintenance/changes.

 

[partypalooza5]

If you want, you could MAYBE make a small canister filter for them. It could be over-complicating it a bit, but if you have a larger tank and more water why not!

I'm pretty sure the frequency of water changes depends on how much water there is and how many crabs there are.

 

[zeig]

your talkin to a total aquarium noob partypalooza, whats a small canister filter? haha..

someone i knwo suggested a sponge filter but idk what that even is (they said the crabs coudl eat off it)

ill check the link but i prolly have already read it haha, ive over-used google so im on here =)

 

[FishEggs]

at least you're doing it ahead of time and not after the impulse buy and already having them sitting in a bucket waiting for you to put their home together. lol

 

[zeig]

haha ya i kinda like to plan ahead of time =)

 

[FishEggs]

add patience to that and you have the best recipe for the aquatic hobby.
Your tank will go far grasshopper.

 

[partypalooza5]

xD We were all noobs at one point.

Do you know the basic kinds of filtration?

hang on back power filters
canisters (guess not lol!)
wet/dry filters
sponge filters
undergravel filters

I can explain them breifly:

Hang on back (or HOB) filters hang on the back of the aquarium and pull water up and it flows through a filter cartridge (usually mechanical filter floss and carbon) and then cascades back into the tank.

Canisters usually sit under the tank and have two hoses, one going in and one going out. They differ from a HOB filter because they aren't really "open". It's a closed system, the water passes through all the media (mechanical, chemical, biological) and then goes back to the tank.

Wet/dry (or sump) filters are another tank that sits under the main tank (display tank) they are used to hide equipment (IE heaters, carbon bags ect.) and also add more water volume to the tank. In "wet/dry" the water trickles through a media such as plastic bio balls where its oxygenated and also serves as a form of biological filtration.

Sponge filters are the simplest, its just an air pump, airline, an airstone, a tube, and a filter sponge. They are good for quarantine tanks (for sick fish) and for fry tanks (because babies and pump impellers don't mix.) Water is pulled up the tube with bubbles from an airstone.

An undergravel filter works sort of like a sponge filter except its just plastic grates that are under the gravel. The gravel acts as the filter media. Personally I wouldn't really recommend these.

Hope that helps.

 

[zeig]

thanks that helped alot on canisters,
right before i read your post i read the link in my new sig and that helped A TON!!!!


what would you suggest for 2 fiddler crabs? i was just thinkin a spounge filter..

 

[partypalooza5]

Yea I really don't think you'd need a canister for like 2 crabs lol. (Unless you want to build something for the heck of it. ) A sponge sounds good to me.

 

[zeig]

good news! i just baught my sponge ($40.65 including tax) i got the sponge the air blower thing and tubing. i also picked up some nice decorative pepples for the rock bottom =) im thinking about putting pics in progress on, think i should?

 

[partypalooza5]

good news! i just baught my sponge ($40.65 including tax) i got the sponge the air blower thing and tubing. i also picked up some nice decorative pepples for the rock bottom =) im thinking about putting pics in progress on, think i should?

Pics are always good!

Just wondering, you mean 40 bucks for everything? not just the sponge and air pump? I was gonna say.. "That must be a gold plated sponge or something!" lol.

 

[zeig]

oh well i went to aquarium adventures
sponge 12.56 airpump 22.99 and airline tubing 2.49

that all sound fair?

 

[partypalooza5]

Eh, I would have made my own sponge filter lol and last time I got an air pump I got it from Walmart. It's probably a good deal though.

 

[zeig]

rofl okay. well im super pumped (hardy har har) for this aquarium! =) i never thought aquariums could be so fun! haha

ill post pics in 10 min. but its from my phone so low quality.

but i must say im super pleased with the managment at aquarium adventures, they know exactly whats going on and how to take care of their fish and critters. the petsmart i went to had their fiddlers completely submerged, most likely in fresh water!

im deff going back to aquarium adventures for my fiddlers when they get some more in!

 

[partypalooza5]

rofl okay. well im super pumped (hardy har har) for this aquarium! =) i never thought aquariums could be so fun! haha

ill post pics in 10 min. but its from my phone so low quality.

but i must say im super pleased with the managment at aquarium adventures, they know exactly whats going on and how to take care of their fish and critters. the petsmart i went to had their fiddlers completely submerged, most likely in fresh water!

im deff going back to aquarium adventures for my fiddlers when they get some more in!

xD once you start you generally cant stop! I'm up to three tanks and I started with a 1g tank and a betta.

If I remember right, the guy at petsmart said they add a certain amount of fresh water salt to their holding tank system. I don't know if this is true or not, but I will when I start working there .

I've heard of aquarium adventures somewhere before, are they a chain store? I've never seen one near me .

 

[zeig]

sorry about the quality! heres my pump, pebbles, and tank and fishy statue! =)

im havnt put the bag of large stones in yet, idk if it would look too great.

i stil have to put in my bamboo deck...oh and some crabs with water.
ill have the filter hidden behind some bamboo in the back, and the back pannel will have a bamboo mesh kind of mat behind it with writing too! =)

 

[zeig]

by the way!
can i keep an asian red clawed crab with a fiddler crab or will the red claw be too aggresive?

also, do i need a hydrometer?
what salinity should the water be for my crabs? i hear its healy disputed lol..

P.S. (one day later)- if its just gonna be 10 gal in a 20 gal tank do i need to cycle it for crabs? also, do i need a heater? its summer atm and my stick on thermometer reads 76-74ish but by the end of the day ive seen it at 80 (highest ive seen).

 

[zeig]

bump.. i hope this thread isnt
lol.

someone. please?