info on freshwater crabs

First--you'll need to verify species. Very seldom are true FW crabs available for sale. Second--they need access to the surface, and a well covered setup. Crabs can survive for quite some time underwater, but they need to be able to get out. They'll climb up tubing and cords to do so, and end up getting all the way out--not good. Third: molting usually doesn't have any precursor signs. The animals just go into hiding, leaving an empty 'duplicate' somewhere in the tank, while the new shell hardens.

I wouldn't trust any large predator with a small crustacean.

OrionGirl said:

First--you'll need to verify species. Very seldom are true FW crabs available for sale. Second--they need access to the surface, and a well covered setup. Crabs can survive for quite some time underwater, but they need to be able to get out. They'll climb up tubing and cords to do so, and end up getting all the way out--not good. Third: molting usually doesn't have any precursor signs. The animals just go into hiding, leaving an empty 'duplicate' somewhere in the tank, while the new shell hardens.

I wouldn't trust any large predator with a small crustacean.

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Let me clarify - the two most widely available species (within North America), "gold fiddlers" (or related Uca sp.) and "red claws" (Sesarma/Perisesarma sp.) require a haul-out platform or water-accessible "land" region (or a submerged container providing access to trapped air [contingent on the inclusion of a circulatory air stone to preclude stagnancy], available commercially under the heading of "underwater island" or the like), and should be kept in water of at least light brackish salinity; water conditions notwithstanding, they would probably be consumed. Soapdish/Nigerian/rainbow/moon/patriot crabs (most prevalently in reference to Cardisoma sp.) are really best suited to a paludarium with a stretch of sand in which they may burrow [these crabs are capable of killing or maiming cichlids, if not consumed themselves].

There are a few species of true freshwater crabs that are available in the trade, as the "rusty crab"; the most 'cichlid-suited' species would presumably be the Malawi blue crab (an aggressive species that might conceivably be dispatched and consumed while molting).

On the whole, I would discourage the consideration of cichlids and crustaceans as cohabitants.

RobP said:

i think there soapdish crabs but i saw a pic and they dont look like them they are redish brown and are already about 2 to 3 inch in shell diamiter. they have eaten more feeders than my jacks have so far

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Would I be correct in inferring that you already have multiple crabs in with your jack dempseys?

Trade names are notoriously inaccurate, especially as applies to freshwater crustaceans, and may denote a broad cluster of species. Do your crabs look like any of the ones depicted here?

Heh, rfom the site Veneer linked too: "Soap Dish Crabs eat fish and anything else that gets close – including each other. You cannot mix them with anything. They’re beautiful and come in four colors: red, yellow, orange, and purple. Just remember that these colorful crabs are efficient killers. Keep them by themselves. They get their names from the way they’re shipped into our country. Each one gets packed into its own, individual soap dish. That’s the way their captors keep them from killing each other."

You might wanna take them back to the LFS and sort of let them know you don't appreciate being sold animals that will kill everything in the tank until only one remains... Maybe they should call this the Highlander crab? "There can only be one!"

I would avoid all freshwater custaceans. They are really diffiuclt to take care of. Most of them need land and water. I have never seen them at the pet store in a tank with land and water. The pet stores are very misleading and are either uninformed or just looking to make a sale.

I would stick with your demsey and try and take the crabs back or start a small tank for them. I ran across a really great book that talks about setting up tanks for all kinds of fish. There is also one chapter that is just about freshwater crabs. It shows a tank with more than half the tank being land. You might check out "The Complete Aquarium" by Peter W. Scott from a local library. Most libraries should have it since its a cheap book ($16.95) and its been around for a few years. It isn't out of date and has a lot of pictures.

The public library around here has a suprising number of aquarium books. You might stop by yours and take a look. It is free after all.

jonathan03 said:

I would avoid all freshwater custaceans. They are really diffiuclt to take care of. Most of them need land and water. I have never seen them at the pet store in a tank with land and water. The pet stores are very misleading and are either uninformed or just looking to make a sale.

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It's not necessarily true that all freshwater crustaceans are difficult to care for - some simply require different conditions than those found in the typical tropical freshwater setup (i.e. brackish salinity or "land" access); most others (namely, shrimp and crayfish) are quite adaptable, if perhaps best suited to species tanks. However, neither would I disregard the necessity of maintaining excellent water parameters; I would not place any real degree of faith in the "advice" of most lfs.

Make sure the aquarium is sealed TIGHT! Those little buggers will escape. I once lost one, and found the dead carcass months later in some clothes in a closet. Give 'em a spot of land to crawl out onto. But keep the tank hole-free.