Red Claw Crabs Tankmates.

[chilledtim]

Hi all, just a quicky.

what asian aquarium fish (not to big because i only have 30 gallon tanks) would tolerate a salinity that would be agreeable to red claw crabs?


I like these guys but they wouldnt tolerate the freshwater of my barb aquarium anymore than the barbs would tolerate brakish water so im thinking of turning my 30G long into another asian tropical tank

 

[beechey]

red claw crabs are freshwater

 

[chilledtim]

red claw crabs are freshwater

Thought they were brakish

 

[three-fingers]

They are brackish, your right.

You cannot debate that they are freshwater just because you seem to be having success with them.

They only periodically visit freshwater in the wild.

If you are going to be setting up a red claw crab tank, defiantly make it brackish.

It's rare to have long term success with them in freshwater, but It can work for a while if your water is hard and alkaline.

You may want to have a visit to the brackish forum for fish, basically as long as it's not too small and doesn't rest on the bottom you will be fine. Things like glass fish are good, but small gobies aren't good because there's a chance they will be eaten .

 

[Invader Xan]

I was advised in the past that if you're thinking about any other inverts, amano shrimp might be worth a try. They're so much faster than the crabs that they apparently shouldn't have any trouble.

Try to avoid fish with long flowing fins. Any fish resembling a betta or a guppy is likely to have it's fins nipped off.

And for the record, listen to three-fingers (he knows what he's talking about) -- Red claws are brackish. Only keep them in freshwater if you want them to die a slow death.

 

[beechey]

red claw crabs have about a 2-3 years life span, ive had mine for 1 .5 years now, and he is so active, has access to the dry, want them to die a slow death, dont think so.

 

[three-fingers]

I'm still not entirely sure about 1-3 years as a lifespan for a red claw crab, that is what most sources seem to say though.

I've heard of up to 5 years once, albeit from someone who sold me a plec saying it would stay 6 inches, but this guy wouldn't let me buy the crabs because they needed brackish water.
However I have no idea about lifespan in the wild (though presumably longer than in captivity).

If you do not want to follow advice given, and continue keeping your crab in freshwater, then that's OK - nobody is going to stop you or dispute .

But don't advise others to do the same, it's kinda unfair and irresponsible.
I mean...it doesn't even matter how right you think you are, because EVEN if you were right and red claw crabs lived in freshwater their whole lives in the wild, then it's still irresponsible, because in captivity they do better in brackish water (like bumblebee gobies for example).

Stating that "red claw crabs are freshwater" is a tad silly, and unless you have any reliable references (which sadly excludes places trying to sell them), is not even really worth the debate.

It's a bit like the argument you get from people who think it's OK to keep goldfish in a bowl, because they have been doing so for x many years, and I'm sure you know that ones not right .