fresh water crabs

[PartyAnimal1UK]

i have a 15 gallon long, and was wondering can i keep a crab, the substrate is quartz gravel temp is about 22-24.. i have a swordfish, a mollie, a couple of platies and ballon molly, a corry 2 sucking loaches oh a two neons. any ideas, do they have a special diet or anything./

[Wippit Guud]

No real special diet. Special needs, though, they need a way to get out of the water for short periods.

[PartyAnimal1UK]

how would it if the water line is too the top

[dolphin7]

Try filling the tank partially & adding some rocks for them to crawl out of the water... also, attach a mesh to your tank so they won't escape. Mine went missing more than 2 weeks & I found it at the balcony, alive.

[tomm10]

I believe these little guys are happy in brackish water rather than fresh water. They may survive in fresh water but I would think it would at least lead to a shorter lifespan.

[MJMiller]

They will definitely get out... I almost stepped on mine because I thought it was a big freaking spider crawling around on the floor. I built a platform for mine that attached to the side of the tank up near the top and it could climb up the plants to get on it. The problem was the thing only sat up there and never went in the water.

Mine didn't last too long - I think I killed it when I added some product to kill algae to the tank. It was dead about 2 days later.

[Wippit Guud]

You might try a crayfish, which is completely aquatic, but the downside is the possibility of losing the fish to it (particualrly the cory)

[dolphin7]

Oh yeah, crayfish are vicious... they're evil... EVIL! It got my dwarf gourami & ripped off a huge part of its dorsal fin, which healed when I applied antiseptic to the wound for many days. But it was so horrible to see it suffer I gave my crayfish away.

However... most of the inhabitants in your tank should be able to dodge any of its wicked maneuvers... & I agree with Wipput that you ought to be particularly careful with the cories. (If you do decide on crayfish)

Lastly... you still need a mesh with crayfish... they are perfectly capable of utilizing the corners of the tank in climbing out.

[elgecko]

Here's a page I made with information when I was keeping them.

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

[bennylax3]

Could a crayfish catch a beta?

[bennylax3]

Could a crayfish catch a beta?

[blitzen25bm]

my crayfish took a chunk outta my arowanas fin. you can get those little rubber bands that people with braces have and put that over their claws grocery store style. they can climb intake tubes, heaters and plants. my bettas sometimes sleep at the bottom they can catch them then

[Wippit Guud]

Well, being that I have a betta in with a crafish, let me answer with "He sure as hell tries"

He's gotten his fins a bit now, but as a fish he's still bossing around the black neons.

[Oakley]

I am a little upset to find that the crabs are not freshwater as in our LFS there are loads of them being sold as fresh water, also the guys in the store did not mention that they would need to get out of the water at all.

Was thinking about getting a pair untill i read this thread. Thanks for the heads up, is it normal for a store to sell them like they are? or would this indicate a lack of knowlage/care from the store?
They say that they promote better care for the fish etc and also have a line on their info that states they do not sell dyed fish.
but they sell crabs in the wrong habitat?
It's not a general pet store, it is a "specialist" store.

[Wippit Guud]

Well, as they can survive in complete water for a couple of weeks, the LFS usually sells them before it becomes an issue. but the people who are selling should know they need to get out of the water long-term.

[PartyAnimal1UK]

my lfs had them completly emerged in water. i know now that they have to get out of the water, but i don't understand how they can last 2 weeks without breathing oxygen but no longer. i think i'll skip the crab idea, don't fancy waking up to be greeted by a crab sitting on my bed, it would scare me to death. how about shrimps, i'm looking for something very unusally any ideas on shrimps.special requirements e.t.c

[Catlid]

dont they make those little air pocket things for them? I think i saw that somewhere on here.

[matty150]

ive kept red claw crabs completely submerged and in freshwater for years without a problem.

[PartyAnimal1UK]

so why is everyone saying they need access to air. with them being totally submerged are they still escape artist

[RTR]

For years? Really? Interesting for these short-lived animals to live for years under any conditions. You should write up your water and handling exeriences.

[matty150]

i dont mean ive kept the same one for years pal, ive kept them as a whole for years without a problem....

[matty150]

as for conditions i keep them in with other tropical fish, temp 77F, ph neutral, no ammonia or nitrites, and no salt. i feed them tropical fish food also. ive also kept fiddler crabs under the same conditions with no problem. oh yeah and rtr there's nothing i like doing better than lying about how i keep rc crabs alive!

[RTR]

Sorry for the misinterpretation, but to me saying

"ive kept red claw crabs completely submerged and in freshwater for years without a problem."

meant that you had kept individuals alive for years, not that you had kept serial replacement crabs over a cumulative span of years. Now I understand.