Is It Possible To Breed Fiddler Crabs?

[iliveinazoo]

I had to rush out and buy a new tank recently after my mudskipper attacked my fiddler crabs and now i have a dedicated fiddler crab tank.
The tank is:
Size: 10 US Gallons
Sal: 1.007
Am: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 20
PH: 8
Ca: 200
Substrate: Sand
Life: 1 male & 1 female fiddler crab, java fern, java moss, vallis.

It's filled with a couple of marine rocks and bogwood so that they can get out of the water. Here is what i plan to do:

Replace the sand substrate with aquasoil and create a gentle slope out of the water with a 3rd of the tank being out of the water. The majority of the substrate will be about 20cm deep and i hope that the consistency of the aquasoil will be such that the male crab can dig a burrow.

I'm hoping that my crabs will breed and i know that the young start off as plankton in the ocean so i'm thinking about raising my Salinity to 1.020; my questions are:
1. Has anyone tried this before?
2. If i raise the salinity to 1.020 will my adult crabs survive to be able to breed?
3. Does ADA aquasoil have the consistency for the male crab to dig a burrow?

 

[Marine/Freshwater?]

i am guessing no since most crabs have larvae that mature in the open ocean. Crabs do not just lay eggs that hatch into terrestrial adults.

 

[iliveinazoo]

That's why i was thinking about upping the salinity to marine level

 

[Marine/Freshwater?]

That's why i was thinking about upping the salinity to marine level

Larvae cannot grow in your tank. Larvae have to mature in open ocean as part of the plankton. Fiddler crabs cannot breed in captivity.

 

[three-fingers]

I've not read up on breeding fiddler crabs, however it sounds very interesting, and there probably is some info out there. What exact species are they?

If you are prepared to have a separate tank for raising the larvae and possibly grow phytoplankton in that tank, then I would think it's certainly possible but probably not easy.

ADA aquasoil should have a great consistency (even though it does seem to vary between batches), but I wouldent bother with it, it softens the water and lowers the pH and you get ammonia readings from it.
If have a mature filter, will be planting the tank (though I dunno if fiddlers destroy plants) and you think the aquasoil will be OK because of the marine salt, then it go ahead, but I'd stick with sand personally...have your been having trouble with it or something?

 

[Marine/Freshwater?]

You guys seriously do not understand. The larvae mature in the open ocean as part of the plankton. You cannot replicate the open ocean. I doubt laboratories have managed to breed crabs in captivity

 

[iliveinazoo]

Laboratories have bred them, i found a report when i was trying to find out any information on the possibilities of breeding them.

Just a quick question, and don't think that I'm trying to be funny but what is the difference between the water in the open ocean and the water of a marine aquarium? Is it the higher level of pollution in an aquarium or are you saying that they just need a lot of space and time before eventually settling back down in an estuary?

Three-fingers: the reason that i mentioned aquasoil is because i'm going to rescape the tank to suit the crabs better, i'm not going to attempt to grow plants in there i just thought that it might have a better consistency for the crab to dig its burrow, i'd hate it if he dug his burrow out of sand and it caved in on him so i thought that a soil might be more substantial.

I'm not 100% on the exact species, i've found a good list but i'm only half way through it.

 

[three-fingers]

You guys seriously do not understand. The larvae mature in the open ocean as part of the plankton. You cannot replicate the open ocean. I doubt laboratories have managed to breed crabs in captivity

Why is that?
As I say, I've not read up on fiddler carb breeding (though am interested in it), but why would it be hard to replicate the open ocean? People breed freshwater shrimp which have zoes that form part of the zooplankton eating phytoplankton in the open ocean before growing into shrimp and swimming up through rivers.

I don't know why this would be much different? Harder and maybe a longer process, but not at all impossible. Takes people to try in order to find out anyway .

If you use aquasoil make sure the tank is up and runnning with plants and correct stats before introducing the crabs, I wouldn't use it just because I've never heard of it being used with brackish/marine, so have no idea how it would effect the water. Also the ammonia it gives off is just a hassle IMO.

But again, worth a try, may turn out great!

 

[andywg]

You guys seriously do not understand. The larvae mature in the open ocean as part of the plankton. You cannot replicate the open ocean. I doubt laboratories have managed to breed crabs in captivity

Clownfish larvae usually mature in the open ocean too, yet they are bred successfully in captivity.

The problem with planktonic larvae is usually keeping a large enough supply of food (a near constant supply of phytoplankton, rotifers et al) without the food that isn't eaten fouling the water.

 

[dizzied]

Fiddler Crabs have been bred in captivity before, in fact, I think a member here has done so before. Certainly isn't very common though.

 

[iliveinazoo]

So once i get the tank set up right then i think that I'll give it a go.

If anyone can remember the name of the member who has managed to breed their crabs or who has tried in the past then it would be great to hear from them

 

[el_vulture619]

try it out but those baby crabs will be very hard to see.....

I need a god supply of puffer food anyways try it!

 

[grayshark1956]

Fiddler Crabs have been bred in captivity before, in fact, I think a member here has done so before. Certainly isn't very common though.

I'm finally in the right place to write! Do you know of anyone that had mini fiddler crabs breed in their tank? My two new crabs happen to be a male and a female. Now I'm trying to find out if they will get along better than if I had gotten 2 males? And what other food to give them because my fish go after the sinking pellets,.....just waiting for a crab to go after a fish!

 

[raptorrex]

You guys seriously do not understand. The larvae mature in the open ocean as part of the plankton. You cannot replicate the open ocean. I doubt laboratories have managed to breed crabs in captivity

yeah we do.
like threefingers, I'm not up on fiddlers. but i know redclaw can and do breed in captivity. and in low salinity too.

I doubt laboratories have managed to breed crabs in captivity

it appears your doubts are unfounded.


yo, andywg, nice to see you again. stick around, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[grayshark1956]

You guys seriously do not understand. The larvae mature in the open ocean as part of the plankton. You cannot replicate the open ocean. I doubt laboratories have managed to breed crabs in captivity

yeah we do.
like threefingers, I'm not up on fiddlers. but i know redclaw can and do breed in captivity. and in low salinity too.

I doubt laboratories have managed to breed crabs in captivity

it appears your doubts are unfounded.


yo, andywg, nice to see you again. stick around, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nice to hear from you, that would be a miracle if my crabs had babies. As usual, I get up thismorning and the male crab is trying to take the tv remote away from the female LOL. I changed their water 50% last night, it looked like an emergency: the cholla wood I placed on their rock landing that was wet, clouded the water. Today I better get back up to the petstore and buy that plastic cholla! They'll love it more, its about 5" long so they'll have a more fun place to hide. For their benefit I won't watch that show on crabbing anymore, the show where it looks like the boat is going to capsize from the ocean waves. But about breeding: someone somewhere is breeding them, just don't know where.