Red Clawed Crab Info..

[Crabbymike]

Hi, im new to the site and to owning tropical sea life, i have just bought a 54 litre tank, black sand, new 50 litre filter, temp guage and few other bits, just need some info on a few things im not sure on using/doing. Il be buying 4 Red Clawed Crabs to start with.

Can i just use tap water or should i filter it before putting it in ? Do they like hard water ?

How many times should i clean it, wait till i notice its dirty ?

In terms of food ive read they like pretty much anything but veg specficily so like cabbage/lettice ?
I think ill start off with fish/crab food.

ill add more ever challenaging questions along the way for u to enjoy

mike.

 

[BerryAttack]

here is a site on the crabs. with care and etc

http/badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile101.html

i would say don't use tap water.. they like brackish water and without the salt in the water after their first molt they will die because the salt helps them rebuild their shell. so get large bottled water..

you should clean it every week.. just do a 50% water change and put new water in and some marine salt.. 1 tablespoon per gallon is what i do.

and for food you can use shrimp pellets, blood worms, any veggies, fruits as treats sometimes. oh and when feeding put the food on the land not in the water because they go on land to look for food. oh and they need fresh food every day so the day before you take out the old and put in the new.

OH and another thing if you get the crabs the more males you have then they could attack and kill each other so get 1 male and 2 female.. and you don't have to worry about babies cause its kinda hard to get them to adult hood.

the males are the ones with the huge red claws and they are round, the females have smaller claws and aren't as showy are the males.

any more questions?

 

[Crabbymike]

here is a site on the crabs. with care and etc

http/badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile101.html

i would say don't use tap water.. they like brackish water and without the salt in the water after their first molt they will die because the salt helps them rebuild their shell. so get large bottled water..

you should clean it every week.. just do a 50% water change and put new water in and some marine salt.. 1 tablespoon per gallon is what i do.

and for food you can use shrimp pellets, blood worms, any veggies, fruits as treats sometimes. oh and when feeding put the food on the land not in the water because they go on land to look for food. oh and they need fresh food every day so the day before you take out the old and put in the new.

OH and another thing if you get the crabs the more males you have then they could attack and kill each other so get 1 male and 2 female.. and you don't have to worry about babies cause its kinda hard to get them to adult hood.

the males are the ones with the huge red claws and they are round, the females have smaller claws and aren't as showy are the males.

any more questions?

Yes i am planning on adding salt to the water despite what the aquaium man said, i will get bottled water and i think i will have litres so thats 7 table spoons, is that right ? Bottled water isnt cheap round here, can i not dis-still tap water which would be alot cheaper ?

im going to put the everything on a list so i know what to do with them

Cool thanks ill start orgernising where i can get these food easily, is there anytime of day i should feed them ?

Well in the shop ive seen them in ive only seen females so i guess ill have to search for a male elsewhere.

 

[BerryAttack]

here is a site on the crabs. with care and etc

http/badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile101.html

i would say don't use tap water.. they like brackish water and without the salt in the water after their first molt they will die because the salt helps them rebuild their shell. so get large bottled water..

you should clean it every week.. just do a 50% water change and put new water in and some marine salt.. 1 tablespoon per gallon is what i do.

and for food you can use shrimp pellets, blood worms, any veggies, fruits as treats sometimes. oh and when feeding put the food on the land not in the water because they go on land to look for food. oh and they need fresh food every day so the day before you take out the old and put in the new.

OH and another thing if you get the crabs the more males you have then they could attack and kill each other so get 1 male and 2 female.. and you don't have to worry about babies cause its kinda hard to get them to adult hood.

the males are the ones with the huge red claws and they are round, the females have smaller claws and aren't as showy are the males.

any more questions?

Yes i am planning on adding salt to the water despite what the aquaium man said, i will get bottled water and i think i will have litres so thats 7 table spoons, is that right ? Bottled water isnt cheap round here, can i not dis-still tap water which would be alot cheaper ?

im going to put the everything on a list so i know what to do with them

Cool thanks ill start orgernising where i can get these food easily, is there anytime of day i should feed them ?

Well in the shop ive seen them in ive only seen females so i guess ill have to search for a male elsewhere.

54 liters is 14 gallons roughly. and one gallon is roughly 3 liters. so one tablespoon of marine salt per 3 liters.

yea you can use distilled tap water.. let it stand for 24 hours then the chlorine will evaporate and then add chlorine treatment just in case.

how are you going to set up your tank.. for my i have a tub thing that looks like a very large pool on one end and the other 2 parts is land.. i find that the water changes are easier like that and the sand doesn't go into the filter because then it'll get clogged.. oh yea they like lots of hiding spots so you can go all out on decor if you want lol

i feed my crabs in the morning when i get up.. switch other the food and then later on in the day if its all gone then i put more. they really like peas. and for treats i give mine blueberries.. xD and then i have a spot for blood worms that in a shell where the land part is.

yea you can always get the females first and then the males after.. oh and they live longer with buddies.. not alone usually. and you can handle them if you want they don't pinch or bite lol but never ever touch them when they molt.. you'll have to wait a week and a bit before trying to touch it because its a very stressful time for them and that's when its the easiest time for them to die. oh and leave their shell where you found in for a few days then remove it because they will sometimes eat it to get some calcium back.

you'll know when they are going to molt because their body will go white around the eyes.. so when you see this leave them be and try not to disturb them too much and boom they should be fine.
oh and they like to climb and wonder around and they can escape if there is an opening on top of the tank. soo make sure there are no openings.

anything else?

 

[Crabbymike]

54 liters is 14 gallons roughly. and one gallon is roughly 3 liters. so one tablespoon of marine salt per 3 liters.

yea you can use distilled tap water.. let it stand for 24 hours then the chlorine will evaporate and then add chlorine treatment just in case.

how are you going to set up your tank.. for my i have a tub thing that looks like a very large pool on one end and the other 2 parts is land.. i find that the water changes are easier like that and the sand doesn't go into the filter because then it'll get clogged.. oh yea they like lots of hiding spots so you can go all out on decor if you want lol

i feed my crabs in the morning when i get up.. switch other the food and then later on in the day if its all gone then i put more. they really like peas. and for treats i give mine blueberries.. xD and then i have a spot for blood worms that in a shell where the land part is.

yea you can always get the females first and then the males after.. oh and they live longer with buddies.. not alone usually. and you can handle them if you want they don't pinch or bite lol but never ever touch them when they molt.. you'll have to wait a week and a bit before trying to touch it because its a very stressful time for them and that's when its the easiest time for them to die. oh and leave their shell where you found in for a few days then remove it because they will sometimes eat it to get some calcium back.

you'll know when they are going to molt because their body will go white around the eyes.. so when you see this leave them be and try not to disturb them too much and boom they should be fine.
oh and they like to climb and wonder around and they can escape if there is an opening on top of the tank. soo make sure there are no openings.

anything else?
[/quote]

Hmm i thought it would be less salt but hey ho thats what their gonna get, well im still pricing up the bottled water so ill keep both in mind.
Well....ive had so many ideas for the tank, im going with half water, going to have a raised or not castle with land, so far got a couple rocks but getting other stuff too.

Right i will do as u say and let them get on with it, thanks for the food tips, i know they like to escape i have that all sorted. Meshing the holes on the lid and putting weight on in it lol

heres a pic so far:

 

[BerryAttack]

nice tank. for the water you need 2/3 of the tank just land and 1/3 water.. i used the bottom of a water container.. put sand around it and made it look like a tub pool thingy.. tomorrow i will post pictures to give you an idea.. i turned their light off right now so tomorrow morning they will be up

 

[raptorrex]

here is a site on the crabs. with care and etc

http/badmanstropic...profile101.html

i would say don't use tap water.. they like brackish water and without the salt in the water after their first molt they will die because the salt helps them rebuild their shell. so get large bottled water..

you should clean it every week.. just do a 50% water change and put new water in and some marine salt.. 1 tablespoon per gallon is what i do.

and for food you can use shrimp pellets, blood worms, any veggies, fruits as treats sometimes. oh and when feeding put the food on the land not in the water because they go on land to look for food. oh and they need fresh food every day so the day before you take out the old and put in the new.

OH and another thing if you get the crabs the more males you have then they could attack and kill each other so get 1 male and 2 female.. and you don't have to worry about babies cause its kinda hard to get them to adult hood.

the males are the ones with the huge red claws and they are round, the females have smaller claws and aren't as showy are the males.

any more questions?

Phew, how can you be so far off of the mark?

salt has nothing to do with the crab building its shell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

these guys live on land. only needing some brackish water, but not living in it. (1ppt will do fine.)

they are also veg based feeders. kind "detrivores" if you ;like. only around 25-30% of its diet needs to be protein.

kept correctly, aggression is not evident. they dont even fight to breed!!!!!


@OP, try a forum search. there is lots of CORRECT info there.

in truth these guys will SURVIVE in most environments. many, as you see, are kept in an MAINLY aquatic set up. as i say they SURVIVE like that. but truly need more land then water.

salt is vital, its main effect seems to be protection against infection. but in truth, its just their natural environment, would be salt water. (whilst in or around the water.)

in nature, they would only be in the water, (well under the sand in the water) at t high tide. they would be asleep too.

they tend to eat at the Shaw line. scavenging for scraps and any dead animals. as they live in mangrove swamps, most of their diet is from rotting veg.

ideally you need a 2/3 land 1/3 water. water can be cycled or just changed daily. ( there is not that much.)

Tap water is ideal for these guys, just add the salt and do a change.

you will need heat lamps too. as they spend all day in land, only using the water to bath/play and feed along the edge of. environmental temperature should be slightly higher than water temp.

 

[BerryAttack]

here is a site on the crabs. with care and etc

http/badmanstropic...profile101.html

i would say don't use tap water.. they like brackish water and without the salt in the water after their first molt they will die because the salt helps them rebuild their shell. so get large bottled water..

you should clean it every week.. just do a 50% water change and put new water in and some marine salt.. 1 tablespoon per gallon is what i do.

and for food you can use shrimp pellets, blood worms, any veggies, fruits as treats sometimes. oh and when feeding put the food on the land not in the water because they go on land to look for food. oh and they need fresh food every day so the day before you take out the old and put in the new.

OH and another thing if you get the crabs the more males you have then they could attack and kill each other so get 1 male and 2 female.. and you don't have to worry about babies cause its kinda hard to get them to adult hood.

the males are the ones with the huge red claws and they are round, the females have smaller claws and aren't as showy are the males.

any more questions?

Phew, how can you be so far off of the mark?

salt has nothing to do with the crab building its shell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

these guys live on land. only needing some brackish water, but not living in it. (1ppt will do fine.)

they are also veg based feeders. kind "detrivores" if you ;like. only around 25-30% of its diet needs to be protein.

kept correctly, aggression is not evident. they dont even fight to breed!!!!!


@OP, try a forum search. there is lots of CORRECT info there.

in truth these guys will SURVIVE in most environments. many, as you see, are kept in an MAINLY aquatic set up. as i say they SURVIVE like that. but truly need more land then water.

salt is vital, its main effect seems to be protection against infection. but in truth, its just their natural environment, would be salt water. (whilst in or around the water.)

in nature, they would only be in the water, (well under the sand in the water) at t high tide. they would be asleep too.

they tend to eat at the Shaw line. scavenging for scraps and any dead animals. as they live in mangrove swamps, most of their diet is from rotting veg.

ideally you need a 2/3 land 1/3 water. water can be cycled or just changed daily. ( there is not that much.)

Tap water is ideal for these guys, just add the salt and do a change.

you will need heat lamps too. as they spend all day in land, only using the water to bath/play and feed along the edge of. environmental temperature should be slightly higher than water temp.

if salt has nothing to do to HELP rebuild its shell then don't put any salt and see what happens, after its first molt it will die. yes its know to be a very stressful time for them, and usually stress kills them at this time if they are not in the proper conditions.

and if you say that they do not fight to breed, then might as well get all male red clawed crabs.. oh that will go over well in a 14 gallon tank. no fighting there.. no aggression at all when it comes to territory or anything else. when it comes to a tank males will get aggressive to each other because they are not in the wild and can't run around freely with unlimited space. they are TERRITORIAL creatures and having females does not say oh it stops them from fighting, i said that because it eases the tension from just having all males.

yea you can throw them in an aquarium, if you never want to see it again.. yes they will survive for some time, but not to their life expectancy! as i said 2/3 of the tank is land and 1/3 brackish water. if they are in an aquarium then they will escape because they need land, yes you can get that underwater island but they are way too small for what the crab needs.

"
these guys live on land. only needing some brackish water, but not living in it. (1ppt will do fine.)

in truth these guys will SURVIVE in most environments. many, as you see, are kept in an MAINLY aquatic set up. as i say they SURVIVE like that. but truly need more land then water.

salt is vital, its main effect seems to be protection against infection. but in truth, its just their natural environment, would be salt water. (whilst in or around the water.)
"

wow and you say i have no idea what i'm talking about.. you state that they need some BRACKISH water and they are not LIVING in it. then you state they will survive in most environments.. yes if you have a poor environment they will, but not for long and will not be as healthy and live as long as one that is in the proper environment.
yes they can be seen in aquatic set ups, but those are at the pet stores and the set up is from people who do not know what they are doing. and you "say" that they survive, probably because that's what you did. you probably put your crab into an aquarium. was it a salt aquarium set up because you seem to say that from brackish water its okay just to put them in straight salt water. how long did yours live? what about the fish, because if you put a red clawed crab into an aquarium with fish its known that the crab will snap at and eat a fish that gets too close.

oh and lets not forget this :

"
in truth these guys will SURVIVE in most environments. many, as you see, are kept in an MAINLY aquatic set up. as i say they SURVIVE like that. but truly need more land then water.

Tap water is ideal for these guys, just add the salt and do a change.

you will need heat lamps too. as they spend all day in land, only using the water to bath/play and feed along the edge of. environmental temperature should be slightly higher than water temp.
"

by the sounds of i would say that "Phew, how can you be so far off of the mark?" to you. tap water is not good for any type of aquatic pet because of CHLORINE which is found is TAP water, and where they live is were salt water and fresh water mix and of course they are not living in the water, but as i said before they do need brackish water. and one tablespoon if your using the measuring spoons is not rounded and per gallon is not a lot.

and i would "say" that you got me on the heat lamp, sorry forgot the mention that. and yes please look around the site and do research on your new pets that you are going to get you'll have a lot of fun with them. the information that i gave in my later posts is in my own opinion because I've had red clawed crabs for some number of year which are all healthy. yes i may have not stated everything, but i do want questions to be asked because there is a lot of info on these guys that i forget to state.
my oldest one that i have is 3 years old and is a male then i have a few more that are 2 1/2 years old. oh but don't listen to me because i have fewer posts then someone else, and having that means that you know more than the other.. pfft i just joined this site.

well everyone has a difference of opinion, and if you think that i am wrong then tell me, but do not state that i have no idea what i'm doing. just say oh you do that i do this. then we share opinions blah blah blah..

anyways if you have anymore question i'll be happy to answer, sorry for the long message.. haha xD

 

[Crabbymike]

Now now no arguing please, everyone has their own opinions and im happy to hear all peoples experiances with looking after their crabs and what works and what doesnt

Thank you so far its been very insightful and helpful, ive got a gd idea of what to do and well if it goes wrong its a learning curve like anything.


I see the term 'PPT' alot, what does it mean ? and what sort ratio do you use ?







p.s i cant read conversations berry.

 

[BerryAttack]

Now now no arguing please, everyone has their own opinions and im happy to hear all peoples experiances with looking after their crabs and what works and what doesnt

Thank you so far its been very insightful and helpful, ive got a gd idea of what to do and well if it goes wrong its a learning curve like anything.


I see the term 'PPT' alot, what does it mean ? and what sort ratio do you use ?







p.s i cant read convosations.

hah sorry about that got carried away .. ppt have no idea i just use gallons liters and do it that way.. measuring the amount of water to the chemical.. i guess its kinda like that, but not too sure.

 

[Crabbymike]

Thats ok dont worry about it berry, putting water in it next week maybe this weekend, got a castle on the way now, heres some new development so far, more stuff coming soon. Going to start with putting 20 litres i think might be less.

Got the sort the mesh out, thinking of ideas of how to fix it, once im happy with the filter i will cover the wire in clear silicone (that ok ?)

New barrels and slope with clear plastic box underneth so hopefully 1 of the crabs will go in there to molt

 

[Crabbymike]

just realised ive sort of turned this into a project thread oops, ill do a proper one in a bit, Went into a pets at home thats local i havent been into before and its so expensive in there!

Anyway they had Emerald crabs, can both red clawed and emerald live together ?

Also they do pre mixed saltwater in big containers, anyone use this water and would it be good for my crabs ?

 

[Crabbymike]

bought tesco bottled water, put it in and its gone all missty from the black sand, turned the filter on and its deffo working but after 10 mins now and still no water has come out of the exit end hmmm, its Aquadistri..

 

[SikkAquariums]

bought tesco bottled water, put it in and its gone all missty from the black sand, turned the filter on and its deffo working but after 10 mins now and still no water has come out of the exit end hmmm, its Aquadistri..

Should just be cloudy water..if no flow from the filter check for sand in the pump. I've noticed my 4g and 10g both sucked in sand almost immediately. Filter sponge helps significantly and helps trap more crap for the crabs and others to munch on. (Depending of filter sponge and filter, may reduce flow)

and just wondering but how did you make that ledge? it is a really COOL idea, and i like how it looks! Any build info would be GREATLY APPRECIATE!

 

[raptorrex]

Now now no arguing please, everyone has their own opinions and im happy to hear all peoples experiances with looking after their crabs and what works and what doesnt

Thank you so far its been very insightful and helpful, ive got a gd idea of what to do and well if it goes wrong its a learning curve like anything.


I see the term 'PPT' alot, what does it mean ? and what sort ratio do you use ?







p.s i cant read conversations berry.

ok, so salt does not add to a crabs shell. but it is vital for most hobby critters. though other minerals in the "salt" mix, may well help with its building.

as for how they are kept. please, just look where they live, in nature.

fiddlers live on the beach. only ever being covered in water, when the tide is in.
and at that point, they are hiding/sleeping. they do not navigate underwater.
or even break cover unless they are attacked.

redclaw crabs live in the tidal banks of mangrove swamps. only ever being covered in water, when the tide is in. and act the same as fiddlers.

both species feed and live on the DRY (ish) sand or mud in tidal areas. even breeding is done at the waters edge, not in the water!

this is why it is so bad to keep them in a tank that is mostly water. its a totally unnatural environment for them.

thing is, there is no argument, these guys do not live in the water.
so why should we force them to?