Red Claw Crabs gone stiff, falling over (Please Help!!!)

[STOINKER2]

I have 2 Red Claw crabs, a male and female.

The male i got 3 weeks ago and the female 2.

At first they were fine, mooching about everywhere, the female one moulted and they were still both fine.
However last weekend i noticed they kept falling over onto their backs when walking. I gently checked to see if they were ok and placed them back the right way up.
The female still keeps falling over but manages to get back up again.
The male though has stayed in the same position i placed him in 2 days ago.(right way up)
He is alive as any time a fish comes near he slightly moves his pincher and i can see his eye mouth and gills moving.
It seems as though he is unable to move and the female is gradually becoming stiffer to.

I have asked the shop i bought it from and searched the web, i cannot find any info... please help.

 

[STOINKER2]

Both crabs have now stopped moving but are still alive, i spoke to the petshop again and he said something may of stunned them, but i dont think that is the case.
The female is on her back and the male the right way up.
I dropped some pelets in front of the male crab last night and he managed to reach his pincher out and eat a small amount, but still no other movement.

Someone out there must have some info for me?

 

[snapcrackler]

Hi and welcome.

These are freshwater RedClaws right? Has there ever been any copper based medications used in that tank at any time in the past?

I understand that red claws need a source of calcium to maintain and also that moulting is pretty stressful for them (they lose calcium when this happens too) . Hopefully if it is not too late, drop in a source of calcium for them like some clamshells and it will absorb into the water.

Just my 2 cents and I hope it contributes to helping your crabs.

 

[STOINKER2]

Thanks very much i will try that.

They are still alive at the moment, there is a tiny bit more movement from them.

 

[cdawson]

They require brackish conditions, long term exposure to FW will kill them. Especially if the ph is lower than 8. Not too mention they're very sensitive to bad water quality, if you nitrates, ammonia or nitrites are too high they won't last long.
Third, they need to be able to come out of the water onto land. They can't handle being submerged forever, you can either have them in a half land half water species tank or eventually find them dried underneath your couch =(

 

[William]

Only time I've ever had a crab go stiff like that is when he died[ which happened once, I believe he somehow got shocked cause I saw him dead right after a lightening strike nearby ].


I am not familier with Redclaws tho, Fiddlers are more my thing. I don't know if they are similar or not, However I have crabs in my tanks that I've had for 5 months or more. Pure freshwater, And they've been fine. Molted numerous times [ leave the shell in the tank so they can eat it and regain their calcium ] and are thriving. Some are even mating and hunting [ *sniff* poor dwarf african frog.. ]

 

[STOINKER2]

My brown ghost knife fish died the other day i believe he got chewed up by my port acaras, im not to impressed as the guy i bought them from said they would be fine together.
However since then my male crab is running around the tank more than he ever was, the females still a bit off with her balance but getting there.

So ive come to the conclusion that maybe the knife fish had stunned them or shocked them.

 

[cdawson]

oh, really. You have acaras? It's not a good idea to have them in a community setting, especially if they're a male and a female. They're probably going to kill anything you put into the tank.

William: They may be fine after 6 months, but come back in a couple years when they've lasted that long FW. That's our goal as fish keepers, to make our fish last the full life span. Not, doing fine for a period of time.

 

[STOINKER2]

Yes, i have three small port acaras, they seem fine in the tank and i was assured that they will be ok with the fish i have in my tank,
the only trouble i have had was with the brown ghost knife fish.

 

[cdawson]

Who assured you that? I'm no expert on SA cichlids, but my understanding is that acaras are large aggressive SA cichlids. Especially when breeding.

 

[STOINKER2]

I read up or them and the guy in the store said they only grow up to about 2.5inches at the most, their dwarf cichlids and that they are boisturous but not viscious.
The only time they do show a bit of agression is when they are breeding.
maybe i got the wrong name for them but i know there definatley a type of acara

They dont pester any of the other fish, the two males however will have the odd stand up to one another and flash their colours but thats it.

I was going to get 2 dutch rams as apparently they are ok to have in my tank aswell, do you have any knowledge on these before i purchase them.

Merry Christmas x

 

[cdawson]

Well they definately AREN'T dwarf cichlids, they reach a size of about 8". Which, isn't large, but definately isn't considered a dwarf cichlid. They're also reported as being aggressive and very hardy, able to stand up to even the largest SA cichlids. They are very territorial.