Fiddler Crabs

[crackmonkey]

How big do these get, and are they freshwater?
Do they need land or do they totally live underwater?
Could they go in a Discus Tank?

 

[phoenixfire]

2 inches across their body is about the biggest they will ever get...and having a dry place to sit on is a priority...they must have this and are not fully aquatic like most pet stores tell you...surely they will last a while without land but will eventually become weak and die...also fiddlers are brackish and need some salt in the tank...sand is prefered as they like to sift through it and also burrow into it...fiddlers need a temp of about 75-80 degrees...they will eat anything that u give them pretty much..its cool to watch them eat a fish...i dont believe they would cause much of a problem to your discus because they are to slow to catch them...but i wouldnt risk it....i hope i helped!


also i believe that the males huge claw is almost entirely useless as means of catching fish...it is basically for attracting the girls as they will dance with it on land and on water...i have fiddlers and i love them!

 

[crackmonkey]

Is there any fresh water or brackish crab that does not need dry land

 

[phoenixfire]

all crabs need land as far as i know...i have red claw crabs that u can either put salt or u dont have to...they dont seem to care...but they also need land...the only thing i can tell you is a lobster or crayfish...but the bigger they get the more of a risk they pose to your fish...lobsters are very cool and i prefer them over crayfish..they are also scavengers and will eat anything u give them..but they have a much higher risk of catching fish...i dont know much about discus but as long as they stay off the bottom your all set...they also do not need a heater...the downside is they grow to 8 inches long...also more than 1 and they may fight so either 1 or a group...sorry about the crabs!

 

[funkybodal]

phoenixfire makes good points - I'd also add that most freshwater/brackish crabs really do need hard water to thrive, especially when growing as it's essential for them to develop strong shells, and thus they unlikely to thrive in a softwater discus tank (if yours is softwater).

They're some really nice shrimps around these days that are stuitable for the community aquarium.

 

[big mick]

Id recomend a few ghost shrimp if you are keeping them with discus, I have a cray fish but he kept on his own, personally I wouldnt take the risk with discus but some people may well have kept discus with crabs without problems.

I used to keep guppie fry in with the crayfish but he used to sit there like Mr Miagi picking them out the water.

 

[phoenixfire]

true funkybodal....very very true...some shrimp are abso. awesome...i dont own any besides ghost shrimp but they are very interesting to watch...ive even had a female or 2 carry eggs...i dont believe they hatched but its interesting!!

 

[big mick]

I saw one of mine holding a load of eggs under her tail too, it took me a while to twig on whet it was but with the clown loach and corries ion there I wasnt expecting any to hatch but it was interesting to watch.

Armoured shrimps are really cool to look at but Ive never kept any myself.

 

[phoenixfire]

i would like a fancier shrimp...but there all so expensive!!