Crabs

[jayjay]

how big a tank size would i need for (not sure of latin name), a red claw crab or red crab i don't know which is better to use.

how much land to water?

tank size to number of other crabs?

how brackish are they?

best diet for them?

i've read alot on the internet but some say somethings others say the opposite.

any help appreicated.

 

[LucyHurst]

Sesarma bidens is the latin

 

[jayjay]

cheers lucy but do you have the answers to any of my questions lol.

 

[ash]

how big a tank size would i need for (not sure of latin name), a red claw crab or red crab i don't know which is better to use.

how much land to water?

tank size to number of other crabs?

how brackish are they?

best diet for them?

i've read alot on the internet but some say somethings others say the opposite.

any help appreicated.

well i've read alot of stuff on the internet - all conflicting of course, but i have 2 red claws in my 4ft tank, from what i belive the crabs are very aggressive (esp 2 males) therefore i have heard a stocking level of 1 crab per ft of tank.

my LFS said they can grow up to 20cm but i don't believe them! i'm expecting about 3inches max

as for the land/water ratio, i have 2 pieces of bogwood either end of the tank, one crab spends about 20% of his time on land, the other is completly disinterested in sunbathing, - Crabs like to escape the tank!

best diet i've heard is frozen/jellied bloodworm and algae tablets or sinking fish pellets, although they will scavenge anything that falls to the tank bottom, i've got some prawns in the fridge so if i can spare one tomorrow i might treat the crabs! i've also heard they love bacon tibits (not tried this!)

not sure about the brackish, mine were sold as freshwater, which i believe is fine for juveniles but should be slightly brackish for adults

there ya go, i'm very new to this, and its all speculation really, so take it with a pinch of salt (get it???*)




*ha sometimes i don't even make myself laugh

 

[jayjay]

the 20cm crabs are rainbow crabs.

how far back would the foot go? is it a foot square? could i go a 12"x8" tank for one?

1tablespoon of salt per gallon any good?

 

[ash]

yeh go for one, i've heard they fight to the death if there is not enough room for the loser to runaway and hide!

no idea about the salt levels

quality to watch these little devils, they will try to stalk fish but are always too slow so far! they love hide under bogwood and climb it, fed mine quarter of a prawn today and one of them loved it, the other is yet to find it - it's being gobbled by the barbs as i speak

 

[jayjay]

well i think i will get them, i beach style tank, with about 4" of water and pebbles maybe.

salinity should be?

diet of bloodworm, algae wafers, pea's, cucumber, prawns and few other things sound ok?

i'll take it i will have to filter this tank but i'm not to sure how, as with 4" of water i think i may struggle lying down my fluval 1 + lol. 100% of the water changed every few days ok?

anything else i should know? i know they are great at escaping, if i don't need a filter there will be no wiring for them to climb up and they won't climb glass. would the normal clearseal plastic tank lid be heavy enough if it did get to the top, i doubt it?

 

[moray]

Hi, I'd go for a five gallon tank

add about 4-5g of marine salt per litre of water

red claws spend most of their time in water (though some come out more than others), they do need to get out, they should have at least a rock to get onto out of the water.

they eat nearly anything, and a mixed diet of some veg, mussels, prawns, fish and other meaty foods should be fine.

As with most tanks 100% water changes aren't really advisable, no more than 50% twice a week. Though with one crab in that size tank you'd probably be ok with 25-50% once a week - just make sure you remove any uneaten food.

You might think about getting a filter especially for the tank, as marine salt is not cheap and filtration will certainly help.

The plastic tank lid you are talking about could possibly be removed, I'd put a weight on it if I was you (I had a stone tortoise on one of my lids for a year or so )

 

[jayjay]

thank's for all the info. i've taken it on board

there's the possiblity of lying my fluval 1+ on it's side in the tank?

can't get a 5g tank though as am not aloud any more tanks ........