Query On Freshwater Crabs

[TheRaven75]

Hi all. Just a quick question, i recently purchased a brown back freshwater crab here recently in Australia and was wondering what these guys are supposed to eat, The crab seems to wander around the tank just picking up bits and pieces of food left by the other fish in the tank. Should i supplement his diet at all with anything else.

Thanks in advance

[OrionGirl]

Most crabs are scavengers. I would make sure enough food is getting missed by the tank mates that the crab can be busy for 5-10 minutes after you feed.

Not familiar with this particular crab, but many crabs have a bad reputation of killing sleeping fish, or grabbing long fins, so you may want to monitor the tank closely for a while.

[thom336]

One of my Red Crabs recently shed its skin, and before I could get a chance to remove the old shell and all, the crabs were making a meal of it. I generally feed mine catfish pellets, they need calcium in their diet for their shells (I believe this can be found by eating the old shells), and I have heard they like banana..

[elgecko]

My RCC's eat sinking wafers, algae wafers, brine shrimp pellets, frozen bloodworms, live plants and peas. They expecially love Egeria densa, Brazilian Waterweed.

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

[superjohnny]

Nice tanks elgecko. I really like your crabs... very cool.

[thom336]

elgecko, those are the crabs I have. They only need salt to breed from what I can work out, as they are doing very well in pure FW.

Thom.

[Callidus]

Originally posted by thom336
One of my Red Crabs recently shed its skin, and before I could get a chance to remove the old shell and all, the crabs were making a meal of it.

I was looking into getting some Fiddler Crabs or Red Crabs and read that you should leave the skin in the tank for at least 24 hours,...... Because the crabs are supposed to eat their shells as they are the best source of calcium for the regrowth of thier soft 'under shell'.

If it has'nt been eaten in around a day then remove it but not before.

Please post another pic or so, I love these creatures.

[elgecko]

thom336,
How long have you had your RCC in complete frshwater? I might have to edit my crab page if I find out that people are having good luck with them in fresh water. What little info I found on the web was that they were brackish. I've had mine since early Jan. and been doing great.

[thom336]

I'll post some pics of mine as soon as I get a new light on the tank...its really dark in there at the moment. I'll have one on by Saturday, and will post pics by Sunday.

[thom336]

I'd say acouple of months. They were in FW in the shop, so I replicated the conditions.

[cdawson]

Originally posted by elgecko
thom336,
How long have you had your RCC in complete frshwater? I might have to edit my crab page if I find out that people are having good luck with them in fresh water. What little info I found on the web was that they were brackish. I've had mine since early Jan. and been doing great.

They may be doing good in FW but it's going to significantly shorten their lifespan in the end.

[dave76]

I had two rcc's in a 55gallon tank with several tank mates, they were peacful for about 6 months, other than fighting with each other. One of them declawed and removed several legs of the other one and it eventually died. Then, after this he began to go after my fish, I had 15 tiger barbs and 7 days later I had eight.

I found him very interesting as he would pop out of his lair and steal food from my pleco. But ultimately I had to separate him from the rest of the crowd and he was thining the population.

[thom336]

Its a risky buissness keeping crabs with fish, but as long as you keep the occupied, such as with defending their territory from other crabs, and give them plenty to feed on there should be few problems.

[dave76]

I see now that makes all the sense in the world thank you :)

[thom336]

Your welcome.