crabs
- Thread starter shaketoon
- Start date
Eelzor
This shrimp is so good it needs to be seen in wide
Crabs for a marine tank? or tropical? I wouldn't house crabs with other fish in a tropical tank and they are not a good mix. I believe you can get a few different types of crabs for a marine tank and they will be good cleaners, are good for a community and don't harm other fish.
I first visited this sit when I had crabs (thats an admission isn't it)
I had just set up my tank see below with the addition of 3 red crabs. These little buggers attached my neons (then cardinals) cutting them in half and eating them. It was explained to me that when some fish sleep then tend to rest on the bottom. also crabs wave thier claws in the air and look like food and they attack the fish the.
They also attacked on of my Barbs and took a chunk out of a platys tail (healed now)
Also I believe they kill for the sake of it (when they have the opputunity) so it not a case of keeping them well fed.
Also I was constantly worried about them escaping. They would sit ontop of my filter (fluval) of on the wire going to the heater etc. I stopped them getting out by blocking all holes with sponge. They never escaped but I always worried.
I think it best to set up a crab tank alone (if you have the space and money. This is because they like to be able to get out of the water. (red crabs come from the amazon and spend most of thier time in the mud at the side of the rivers) so a half filled tanks with rocks coming out the surface would be better.
This is all from experiance so with larger fish they may be fine but I would say no they aren't community fish (the fish shop took mine back in the end replaced my dead fish)
I had just set up my tank see below with the addition of 3 red crabs. These little buggers attached my neons (then cardinals) cutting them in half and eating them. It was explained to me that when some fish sleep then tend to rest on the bottom. also crabs wave thier claws in the air and look like food and they attack the fish the.
They also attacked on of my Barbs and took a chunk out of a platys tail (healed now)
Also I believe they kill for the sake of it (when they have the opputunity) so it not a case of keeping them well fed.
Also I was constantly worried about them escaping. They would sit ontop of my filter (fluval) of on the wire going to the heater etc. I stopped them getting out by blocking all holes with sponge. They never escaped but I always worried.
I think it best to set up a crab tank alone (if you have the space and money. This is because they like to be able to get out of the water. (red crabs come from the amazon and spend most of thier time in the mud at the side of the rivers) so a half filled tanks with rocks coming out the surface would be better.
This is all from experiance so with larger fish they may be fine but I would say no they aren't community fish (the fish shop took mine back in the end replaced my dead fish)
Hi Kev,
Im sorry to contradict you but Red Claw crabs are not from the amazon, they are mangrove crabs and various types and species can be found is Aisa and Africa.
This is important because it tells us how these crabs live and what their needs are.
The Red Claw Crabs are born in almost sea water and migrate slightly landwards where they live in brackish to fresh water mangroves and mud flats, that are hard and slightly alkaline. This is important for the proper development of the crabs shell, which is made of an interesting substance called chitin, insects also use it to create exoskeletons.
A traditional amazonian tank is soft acidic water which will lead to health and shell problems for the poor crabs, thats the reason why I felt it important to correct you!
I have kept crabs with many fish with no problems, but all crabs have their own personalities, another reason why crabs are considered aggressive is that pet shops have no idea how to properly feed and care for crabs so by the time you get them home they are extremely hungry and stressed. This causes the aggression you may have seen.
Crabs mostly eat dead fish and plant matter and insect larvae, but I have found they love food made for Corydoras cats and bloodworm makes a tasty treat. If you are keeping them in soft water, a cuttle fish bone that you can get for birds can help add needed calcium and can give the crabs something to 'claw' at.
Crabs are fascinating little critters and deserve a mangrove-like tank with land areas, they will build little caves and huts for themselves on land and can be seen re-decorating when the mood suits. I would definitely recommend gettiong some if you have the space and cash to set-up a terranium for them.
Ken
Im sorry to contradict you but Red Claw crabs are not from the amazon, they are mangrove crabs and various types and species can be found is Aisa and Africa.
This is important because it tells us how these crabs live and what their needs are.
The Red Claw Crabs are born in almost sea water and migrate slightly landwards where they live in brackish to fresh water mangroves and mud flats, that are hard and slightly alkaline. This is important for the proper development of the crabs shell, which is made of an interesting substance called chitin, insects also use it to create exoskeletons.
A traditional amazonian tank is soft acidic water which will lead to health and shell problems for the poor crabs, thats the reason why I felt it important to correct you!
I have kept crabs with many fish with no problems, but all crabs have their own personalities, another reason why crabs are considered aggressive is that pet shops have no idea how to properly feed and care for crabs so by the time you get them home they are extremely hungry and stressed. This causes the aggression you may have seen.
Crabs mostly eat dead fish and plant matter and insect larvae, but I have found they love food made for Corydoras cats and bloodworm makes a tasty treat. If you are keeping them in soft water, a cuttle fish bone that you can get for birds can help add needed calcium and can give the crabs something to 'claw' at.
Crabs are fascinating little critters and deserve a mangrove-like tank with land areas, they will build little caves and huts for themselves on land and can be seen re-decorating when the mood suits. I would definitely recommend gettiong some if you have the space and cash to set-up a terranium for them.
Ken
So Ken - you woudn't recommend putting them in an aquarium designed for fish then ? I still have my old tropiquarium so I guess I could convert it to keep crabs ,but mainly I was wondering if they could be kept in a community tank and the answer seems to be no
Eelzor
This shrimp is so good it needs to be seen in wide
In short, they can be with some fish that are large and more defensive. That would be considered a community, yet not to all communities. So basically, I really wouldn't call them a community creature and I would not do it at all.
Mitch
New Member
i have a kept red crabs with my african cichlids. it did well and didn't bother any of the fish. they are a great addition to a cichlid tank they have heaps of personality. but i don't think that they would go with many other fish.
petshop johnny
Fish Fanatic
red crabs are fun and ive never had a crab attack.
maybe your uk crabs are violent.ive even kept crayfish in with tropicals.although i did find some dried crabs that escaped during the night.
maybe your uk crabs are violent.ive even kept crayfish in with tropicals.although i did find some dried crabs that escaped during the night.
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