Fiddler craps need saltwater?

[yohojones]

Fiddler crabs really need brackish water and a place to dry off? My friend has had one for several months completely fresh and submergered.

I just got one the other day and he seems happy enough. He dances on my seashells and climbs the plants.

I don't want him to die but i don't want my pictus and tetras to die either. Will a little salt hurt my freshwater fish?

Yoho

[ChilDawg]

Will someone change the unfortunate title of this thread? It did grab my attention, though, I'll tell you that!

[yohojones]

This is my first tank. The guy at the pet store said nothing about brackish water. I was just looking for a little information.

Yoho

[OrionGirl]

There are versions of fiddlers that don't need BW, but most will benefit from having some salt in their water. And yes, they do need a bit of land that they can climb out of the water. If it's not available, they will try climbing airlines and riser tubes to get out. A well covered tank is needed as well, to prevent them from escaping.

Sorry--I can't make edits in BW--the p will have to stay until Mono can get in and change it.

[RENEGADE]

rotfl:D :D :D i didn't nocie till OG's post lol! i have a RCC and shes doing fine without salt

[Shikkapow]

Originally posted by OrionGirl
. And yes, they do need a bit of land that they can climb out of the water. If it's not available, they will try climbing airlines and riser tubes to get out.


The best Idea I ever saw was at a LFS that took a clear plastic box and inverted it in the front corner of the tank (presumably to show them off might be better in the back)
and placed a tiny airstone under the box with a very small "exhaust" hole drilled in the top. put a rock on the box and you have a dry area for the crab, while it is still submerged. Im sure it takes trial and error to gt the out hole the right size to keep a steady amount of air, but it looked really nice

[yohojones]

Well... He's escaped. He's done this before and then turned up in the tank again... but this time he's been gone for several days. The tank cover fits almost perfectly around my filter and heater so I have to assume he phased through the glass somehow.
If he did escape I don't imagine he got far because the cats watch the tank all day long.

Yoho:(

[OrionGirl]

I had a newt get out--don't know how, since I have the tank completely covered. Found him 2 days later--rinsed the cat hair off and he's fine. Near as I can tell, he must have escaped during a feeding. It happens.

Of coure, they can also cram themselves into some pretty tiny areas. The crabs I had convinced me to just be patient, as they would disappear and I would tear the tank apart to find them. Happened weekly.

[Shikkapow]

Orion...... changing topics... newts in brack or fresh?

[OrionGirl]

Newts in fresh. They can't handle salt--it would dessicate them quickly. I have a 5 gallon tank with about 3 inches of water (same footprint as a 10, just half the height), about 1/2 inch of laterite, plants and rocks. A shark pump and a small powerhead with a sponge, heater pad. They've done great, eat anything, very cute to watch. :)

[thom336]

Probably completely off topic...but I have 3 Red Crabs in completely submerged conditions, and they climb up onto the brace bars occasionally - but have never escaped. Perfectly healthy though.

Thom.

[RENEGADE]

as long as they can get out of the water then they WILL. mine just chilled behind the top of my heater

[dethjam316]

how much "chillin" can you do so close to the heater?

ok, i'll stop now.

speaking of newts though...i used to have a couple fire-bellied newts, and i must admit that i'm not sure how this species has survived. i had them back in high school, and my mother used to comment that natural selection should have weeded them out millions of years ago--- they could NOT find food in the tank, wouldn't eat ANYTHING unless it was fed to them with tweezers.