Keeping Crabs!!

[Nicky]

I am looking to set up a tank purely for keeping crabs, iv'e never kept anything like this before so i need all the help i can get!
I'd like to know wether im best keeping one crab on its own or two together as iv'e heard they may fight each other if their not kept on their own! I realise they have to be able to get out of the water and that they like sand so they can burry but is it good to put some gravel in there aswell? Also im a little unsure as to how much actual water to put in the tank and iv'e read in various places that they like salt but i don't really understand what the purpose of this is or how to go about it!!
Any other information that you could give me which would make my crabs happy would be hugely appreciated!!

 

[Nicky]

Sorry i forgot to mention im looking to keep rainbow crabs!

 

[oneponygirl]

I don't know about rainbow crabs in particular but this is what I've set up for my fiddler crabs. I have a cheapy 10g tank from Walmart. I used sterilized play sand ($2.50 for 50 pounds at Home Depot) to put in the bottom, with which I banked up one short side of the tank to make a "beach" and then piled some to make an "island" kind of in one opposite corner. I put a medium sized sandstone rock on the island and it's shape kind of made a cave for them. I also bought a bag of smooth stones and made two piles on either side of the "beach" providing them with more hiding places and things to climb on as they like to get out of the water. I had live plants when I first made it because I didn't have salt in there yet but now I have short fake ones. I just mixed up salt water for it the first time the other day. Fiddler crabs prefer brackish water which is made with marine salt not aquarium salt. I still need to get a hydrometer for checking my specific gravity as the water will evaporate from the tank and leave salt behind so I will need to change my water to salt ratio when I add new water to accomodate for that. I have one male and one female crab which is the max for a ten gallon tank.

Hmm, if I think of anything else I'll repost. Good luck!

oh yeah, someone posted for me once a link to a good website about crabs but I have forgotten it so you may do a search for recent topics and see if you can find it, or maybe they will come on and post it for you.

 

[Nicky]

Also can you tell me what is the easiest way of heating the tank and if this is a necesity?!

 

[Snailguy101]

uhhh...Buy a heater

 

[The-Wolf]

Rainbow crabs are land crabs and need a very different setup than fish
I suggest this site is the best for beginers
http/www.easyinsects.co.uk/site/content/view/22/29/

 

[Nicky]

Thanks very much for the help i'll have a good look through that website. As for the heating i realise i have to buy a heater but is it better to get a heated mat or a standard heater that sticks on the side of the tank?

 

[superjalami30]

I would buy a smal submersible heater.

 

[corykitty516]

uhhh...Buy a heater

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this is not a helpful post



Try this nicky

9.99 from Big Al's web site


Also walmart carries a 6.5 watt heater for less than 10.