Red Clawed Crab!

[AQUAKING]

How would i care for one?

Do they need to come out of the water? The pet shop keeps them in an 18"tall tank with just gravel and nothing to climb up to get out.

Can they be kept in a community tank?

What do they need to eat?

Any other requriments or just infomation.

Thay are £2.99 at the pet shop and 1 is missing a claw is this normal?

thanks

AQUAKING

 

[dizzied]

They do need to come out of the water, a piece of driftwood above the water surface will do fine. They also need brackish water.

They are scavengers and omnivores. They'll usually just pick up any leftover fish food that sinks to the bottom.

They should do okay in a community tank, but might become semi-aggressive.

They might regrow a lost claw during molting, but I don't know this for sure.

 

[moray]

What sort of community tank?

 

[AQUAKING]

I cant get them because i thought they were freshwater not brakish water sorry. I only have 3 freshwater tanks and not planning any brakish at this time.

sorry

AQUAKING

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I wouldn't keep them with fish, i have heard they can eat/attack them when they grow bigger. Only the other day when i was in a lfs i saw a tank full of small RCC munching on some fish remains.
This site is very good for ID'ing or finding general info about critters like crabs, shrimp, lobsters, crayfish etc;

http/www.shrimpcrabsandcrayfish.co.uk/Sh...n.htm~mainFrame

I would imagine a 10gal would be sufficient for keeping a RCC, although don't count me on that.

 

[dizzied]

Crabs in general are scavengers. If they're munching on a dead fish, the fish probably died from a different reason. Mine don't go after even the smallest fry.

 

[moray]

Crabs in general are scavengers. If they're munching on a dead fish, the fish probably died from a different reason. Mine don't go after even the smallest fry.

dizzied, I think you have been lucky, though they are mainly scavengers they are also opportunist hunters, (as I have learnt to my cost) fry are fair game, as is most small fish that get near them.

 

[dizzied]

Perhaps it's just the red claw. I've kept a lot of fiddlers, and they never go on the hunt.

 

[moray]

fiddlers are more fish friendly than most crabs, but even they will take one if they have the chance.

 

[dizzied]

From my experience, fiddlers are fish friendly. My fiddlers had hundreds of chances to take a swipe at fishes but never had. Most of the bad experiences you hear about fiddlers probably stem from improper care.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

From my experience, fiddlers are fish friendly. My fiddlers had hundreds of chances to take a swipe at fishes but never had. Most of the bad experiences you hear about fiddlers probably stem from improper care.

Apparently fiddler crabs are brackish crabs, so if you have them in freshwater this is not good;

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=110112