So tell me, who's got crabs?

[Laughncat]

Hey all, I've been wanting to ask for more info about crabs (and other crustecians as well) and I figured now would be as good a time as any. I've been surfing around google looking for info and I did some fact reading on AquariumFish.net, but I want to know more. I'd like hear some personal experiances from those who may have them or who may have had them in the past.

From what I've been reading, there seems to be disagreement on whether they are worthwhile pets or not due to the fact they may be unsuited for an aquaruim lifestyle. There also seems to controversy over whether they can be kept with fish or not. It is possible to set up an aquaruim that suits both a crabs needs as well as a fish's? Will a crab clash with most fish? Some of the info I'm getting says that they won't bother fish, other info states that they like to nibble on fish fins I've also heard that they can be real escape artists...

I really like the the look of the little guys and gals when I go into the pet store. They all seem so grumpy (but in a cute way...like my cats ) I really like the fiddler crabs and their big ol' claw, although I will admit, my interest was originally piqued by a lone blue crayfish I saw at an LFS. It's color was absolutely beautiful.

Any light you all could shed on this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[andyt_uk]

i have wondered the same - i am on a mission to add something 'different' to my tank - cant get any snails or frogs anywhere near me - but one of the LFS does sell small crabs - not sure what variety - but i was initially put off because they keep them in shallow water with rocks they can climb out onto - which is impractical for my setup - but if they can live totally aquatically - by that i mean with no need to leave the water then i may be interested..


in my search for an 'alternate' to fishes i have even taken on the challenge of keeping a lizard! obviously in a dry tank and not with my fishes

 

[Chris]

I have a rainbow crab. It has a bright blue body, red legs and sort of pink claws and is gorgeous. They are sold in aquatic shops quite commonly now and are kept in large tanks of water with many others. This is however wrong. Rainbows are land crabs and should have more access to land than water. Although they seem to survive for long periods underwater it is not ideal and eventually they will die. I do put him in the aquarium now and then, but it just seems to stress him.
The other 'commonly' available crab is the red crab which has a red body and legs and much smaller. They can live more confortably underwater, although should have access to a bit of land, and are excellent escape artists. The other problem is that unlike the rainbows vegetable diet, red crabs are very keen on fish dinners!
Hope this helped.
Chris

 

[platypus]

Cheers for that Chris, that's very informative - I saw some rainbow crabs on my last trip to my lfs and thought they were so SO beautiful, looks like I should steer clear though.

 

[elgecko]

Here's a page on crabs that I made on keeping RCC's.

http/www.geocities.com/elgecko1989/crab.html

 

[Cian McLiam]

Hi,
I keep the Red Claw Crab, Sesarma Bidens or Gaectices Depressus depending on who you ask.
I have found they are excellent pets, once you can accomodate their needs. Most crabs are land based, the Red Claw can live under water indefinitely but will fare much better when they have access to both land and water. They likewise cannot live on land completly as they need to be submerged for the new shell to harden after a moult.
This is one of the interesting features of crabs, they wont grow in size in front of your eyes, instead they shed the old carapace when the new shell is almost fully formed underneath. This then hardens over time and within a day, they emerge larger and hungrier than before! The old shell looks exactly like a crab, a few shades lighter in colour...

They can live with fish, mine shared a tank with most of the fish listed below and more and I have never had casualties. Male crabs will fight amongst themselves, the best arrangement is one male and two female crabs. They become very shy and hide most of the day if they are kept on their own. They communicate by waving claws and banging the ground, its great to watch!

I have found they LOVE Hikari wafers for Cory's, bloodworms, brine shrimp and some veggies. Also some beech tree leaves that have withered and completely brown help them to fight infections and keep themselves healthy.
They require medium to hard water, a PH above 7 and some prefer but dont necessarily need salt in the water. The Red Claw is born in almost sea water but migrates inland as they grow older. If they are kept in soft acidic water they wont be able to grow a healthy shell and may lose limbs.
Like a lot of invertebrates, they are very sensitive to nitrAtes, more-so than fish so be careful here.

If you are picking a crab, look for one with clear eyes, ther should be a dark spot surrounded by lighter coloured tissue like a human eye.
If they are missing a leg or two, they will grow another at next moult which happens every 6-8 weeks in young crabs to 3-4 months for older ones.
Males will have larger claws but the sure way to sex them is by looking at the flaps underneath, males will be almost pointy at the front, where a females is fully rounded, almost reaching where the legs meet the body.

A good 'land' area for the average fish tank is a piece of cork with a plastic plant or some sterilised rope to climb aboard! They are very good at escaping but after spending some time in the tank are more inclined to stay put, mine stopped trying to escape after 6-8 months.

Like I said earlier, they are great pets and get up to some funny antics, my female Suzi re-arranged my carefuly laid out planted tank to a set-up more to her liking while we were having dinner the other night with freinds, they were still talking about it in the pub later on that night!

Good luck, if you need any more info, just ask!

Ken

PS heres some pics of my fellas!

 

[Juggernaut22988]

My cousin has some really small crabs

They are fun to watch because they move around so fast (always looking busy)

 

[Laughncat]

Thnaks for all the info so far, everybody. I think at some point, I'd defintely like to seriously look in to setting up a tank for one, but I don't think it will be anytime soon. The requirements to get it right, are a little bit beyond me as a beginner right now.

*sigh*

And they're such cute little buggers too