View Full Version : Crabs in a full tank
FireHead
06-02-2007, 12:24 PM
Hello i am new to this board. I know of some aquarist and breeders who have kept red claws in full community tanks with success for a longtime. I have seen the red claw crab live in a salt water tank(full) with a hawkfish wich i would not advise. I have worked at a few Pet stores over the years as I do now and we sell the fiddlers and redclaws but allways suggest allow the crabs to climb in a tank not full. But I was wondering has any one else has expeiernce with crabs in a full tank of water.
I tried it a few weeks ago and he died the very next day. :-(
fballguy
06-03-2007, 2:35 AM
They won't last long. Fiddlers and red claw crabs need to be able to breathe air from time to time.
KidInTheHall
06-04-2007, 2:26 PM
I wonder since the crabs can climb quite well do they sell a platform that you can place in the tank that will float on the water and provide a dry area for the crabs?
fballguy
06-04-2007, 2:54 PM
I don't think so, but such a structure would not be hard to make. If you find a piece of driftwood or a rock the right size, you could just keep the water lever 2-3 inches lower than usual and position the driftwood/rock so there is some area above the water.
mellowvision
06-04-2007, 3:39 PM
one of mine spends at least 70% if not more of it's time out of the water. fballguy is on the money, they dont NEED much space to float, a raft with a climbable anchor would be enough... but they seem to like to roam
on thing I've been thinking about a lot, and would like to try, is to create an underwater air beach... imagine a half sphere of acrylic with the open side down, and a platform inside with gravel, all suspended in the tank, with an air bubbler keeping it full of air. like a seafloor station. the crabs could enter through the bottom and chill out... you could grow moss and duckweed in it... the crabs like both
DarkSoul
06-04-2007, 5:16 PM
one of mine spends at least 70% if not more of it's time out of the water. fballguy is on the money, they dont NEED much space to float, a raft with a climbable anchor would be enough... but they seem to like to roam
on thing I've been thinking about a lot, and would like to try, is to create an underwater air beach... imagine a half sphere of acrylic with the open side down, and a platform inside with gravel, all suspended in the tank, with an air bubbler keeping it full of air. like a seafloor station. the crabs could enter through the bottom and chill out... you could grow moss and duckweed in it... the crabs like both
about 5 years ago i came up with the same thought, and it occured to me that the air in the dome would eventually become stale and unbreathable.
so, i figured if you put a few small holes at the top to allow air to slowly bubble out, and a small airstone, under the dome, it would give a constant flow of air for the crabs.
I never tried it, nor did i ever get crabs, but its something to think about.
mellowvision
06-05-2007, 11:35 PM
I'm thinking about having the dome be planted, to help contribute oxygen as well...
mellowvision
06-06-2007, 2:28 AM
I just posted this in the planted forums.. this is what I'm thinking about
pixl8r
06-06-2007, 6:57 AM
Depending on the air pressure coming out of the pump, you might want to use a smaller airstone at the top of the dome, to restrict air leaving the top of the dome. Then drill some holes where you want the water line to be, to make sure you have the amount of air that you want.
For some reason this underwater dome has me thinking of old SiFi showes ;)
mellowvision
06-06-2007, 12:59 PM
exactly, although I first thought about it watching the end of Lost... lol..
but yeah, a ring of holes around the perimiter will create a natural waterline, with small bubbles exiting whenever the air drops below the waterline... it may not even need an airstone at the top
red devil
06-13-2007, 7:43 AM
This bubble thing has got me thinking also...of cheese domes :) Do you think it would be possible to do the same thing for a turtle?
nickmcmechan
06-13-2007, 8:17 AM
fascinating!
aquaman#1
06-13-2007, 9:23 AM
Welcome to AC
cvermeulen
06-20-2007, 2:21 AM
FFS you guys stole my idea! I wanted to do a turtle tank, but full of water and came up with the same thing.
The only real challenge to it that I can think of is balancing your pump against the airstone on top of your little cave or dome. You don't wan the water level to be too high (small airspace) but you probably don't want bubbles to escape around the side of the dome (large ugly bubbles disturbing your tank.)
I guess the way to do it is go way overkill on the airstones you want to release air from the cave, but put them at the level where you want the waer to be... so you get bubbles coming into the airspace, forcing the water level down until it gets large enough to let air out the airstones at the desired water level.
I might have to do this... just to do it.
Not to mention it would be cool to throw some red claws in my 200gal I'm building...
red devil
06-20-2007, 5:57 AM
I was thinking...if you did this it might be a good idea to include a battery operated air pump as part of the air bubble, in case the power goes off. The one thing that has kept me from doing a river type biotope or using amphibians is that you can't fill the tank to the top. Rule number 3 says always fill the tank to the point where the water line is hidden under the trim, so if there is a scale line it is never seen. A scale line that is never seen never needs to be cleaned :)
pixl8r
06-20-2007, 4:52 PM
Red Devil,
After rereading your original post, I was reminded of something. Red claw and fiddler crabs don't get along with each other as well as they do with their own species. In particular, they really go after the other when one molts.
JHRavensfan77
06-21-2007, 3:48 PM
I was thinking...if you did this it might be a good idea to include a battery operated air pump as part of the air bubble, in case the power goes off. The one thing that has kept me from doing a river type biotope or using amphibians is that you can't fill the tank to the top. Rule number 3 says always fill the tank to the point where the water line is hidden under the trim, so if there is a scale line it is never seen. A scale line that is never seen never needs to be cleaned :)
I don't think a battery back-up would be required as the crabs do not need constant access to the air. Even if you lost power for 2-3 days the crabs should still be ok until power was restored. Thoughts?
mellowvision
06-21-2007, 4:17 PM
you're right JH, they would be fine if the bubble filled up with water.... but the design I am working on wouldn't fill up if the pump failed... the air might get stale but would remain.
Andrew225
06-26-2007, 1:07 AM
Well, from what i've read...
They either do need air.
Or they actually don't.
Honestly, i've read, on multiple occasions, both. I've actually got a crab in a full water tank right now, i had only read the 'don't need' articles. He's got a Rainbow shark, some angels, and quite a few others for company. been a week, and she comes out at night and in the early morning.
mellowvision
06-26-2007, 1:24 AM
if you saw how much time mine spend out of the water, you'd feel bad for not giving them land.
Andrew225
06-26-2007, 1:25 AM
Yeah....I'm thinking about setting up a brackish tank, with a small sand bar...If (when) I do, i'll move her over and get her a mate.
mellowvision
06-26-2007, 1:29 AM
be sure and post pics of that!
bluekrissyspike
07-04-2007, 11:22 AM
i hope one of you guys actually builds this dome... it sounds totally awesome
cvermeulen
07-04-2007, 11:32 AM
I keep waiting on one of you guys to do it. I'd go ahead myself, but I have a feeling my other tank inhabitants will make short work of any crabs I put in there, so it'll likely be a waste of time :(
pixl8r
07-04-2007, 5:04 PM
Same here. My crayfish or fresh water prawns would dine on crab legs :P
Maybe after I get some fuzzy claw macros, I'll get another 10g and dedicate it to crabs. I would do fiddler crabs, just because I like the 'crab dance' that you can make them do. :)
PufferFan
07-15-2007, 4:24 PM
lol i had this idea too except it was squar and was built into the corner of the tank
pet-teez
08-22-2007, 4:10 PM
A 90% full 75g tank and used cork bark/driftwood to let them get above water level.
I've attached the only photo I could find so far from back then, it was before I added cork to the surface, they would climb up the driftwood on the left side. The lighting looks terrible on the photo but it was fairly strong.
This is as full as I would put a fiddler crab in, they do not go in fully aquatic enclosures. In nature they spend most of their time out of water.
-Cassie