Nerites And Crabs?

[jen87]

Hello there,

I recently added a gold claw crab to my aquarium and am wondering if my assassins will harm it. I don't think they will but I'm not sure. I have another tank the assassins can live in if they do harm the crab. Any help would be great. I would also like to know if anyone had any experience with crabs in an aquarium.

 

[three-fingers]

Yup. Gold claw crabs are fiddler crabs that need both brackish water and a large land area (they are mainly terrestrial, but need to be kept damp).

Keeping them in freshwater is only suitable very short term, they need the minerals in the brackish water. Brackish water is water made with marine aquarium salt (as used in reef aquariums), and the assasin snails (actually a whelk) may do well in some brackish water but your best asking in the brackish forum. The crab will possibly also eat the whelk.

If you keep the crab in freshwater it will be very short lived and suffer moulting complications. Without land access it will eventually drown.

Your best bet is to set up a tank specifically for the crab.

 

[jen87]

I can do that. Will it need a very big tank? I have about a 2 gallon critter keeper for now until I can get something better.

 

[three-fingers]

For an adequate land and water area for just one of them something like a 12"x12x12" would be a minimum IMO. If you wanted more you'd need to go up to a 24"x12"x12" because they fight and it could get nasty with little space.

For filtration either use a small external, or a decent internal placed on it's side below the water - they are messy, messy eaters.

 

[jen87]

Alright, Thanks for your help.