Fiddler Crabs

[FtwayneFish]

they wont burrow in gravel. it will cave in. and they wont burrow in sand that wet. it will cave in.

id do a more land setup. ive had healty crabs for years with only a tupperware dish of water separating my gravel and coconut stlye substrate. and they burrow in the dirt style. they also burrow in quite far and have connecting tunnels its really neat. they spend more time on land anyhow.

and if you read a bit online you can see they do this as stated above.

look at some hermit crab tank setups. more land than water and then you have a small saltwater dish.

mine are extremely happy, large, eating, molting.

 

[goldfish12]

Im gonna wait until after christmas and set the tank up. That way I can buy all the supplies. And I can get the fiddlers.

 

[tranceFusion]

they wont burrow in gravel. it will cave in. and they wont burrow in sand that wet. it will cave in.

id do a more land setup. ive had healty crabs for years with only a tupperware dish of water separating my gravel and coconut stlye substrate. and they burrow in the dirt style. they also burrow in quite far and have connecting tunnels its really neat. they spend more time on land anyhow.

can you explain exactly what you are using as a substrate? also, do you clean it?

 

[goldfish12]

Im planning on getting my fiddler crabs tomorrow. I have decided to go ahead and get the sand and use the gravel for one of my other fish tanks. When I was at Petco last week I picked up a two small bags of small river rocks and im gonna use those to go on the bottom of the tank where the water is. I also tested the rock I kept asking everyone about and its ok to use. While I was at Petco I also decided I'd pick up a small piece of driftwood. Its already cleaned and it sinks. I was wondering if I would be able to use it in the setup if not its ok. All I need to know is how to prepare the salt water and acclimate them and thats it. I just got my list together of the things Im gonna need and the things I have.

Materials Needed
sea salt
hydrometer
new test kit
thermometer (old one broke while the tank was being cleaned)
sand

Materials I Have
heater
filter
food
decorations
secure aquarium top
food bowl

I still don't know how many to get. Im gonna try and get all females that way there will be less fighting than with males. And is there a way to tell if your getting healthy fiddler crabs or not? Sorry about the long post but I have to be ready for tomorrow. And I will be getting pics as soon as possible.
:grinyes:

 

[goldfish12]

I picked up a new thermometer, a hydrometer, and a bag of marine salt. I mixed some of the salt with the water I had in the tank already. How long should I wait before testing the water with the hydrometer? I ended up getting the one that you fill with water. The directions they gave are a bit complicated so I'll need some help with that. The water is abit cloudy from the salt and I have the filter running in the tank to agitate the water. And someone told me that they dont need a heater and they are fine at room temp. Is that a true statement? In about 3-4 days I'll be getting a couple of fiddlers.

 

[flyte]

I have a 5 gallon tank with a fiddler in it.
I didn't have a heater in it when I first got him (the one I had broke) I added one in about a month or so later when the weather here started to get colder. He is much more active now, spends a lot of time digging around in the sand. My ghost shrimp are much more active as well.
I don't know about yours but my room temperature changes frequently. We are keeping the house slightly cooler than usual this winter because of oil prices. I'd get a heater for your crabs.
Good luck, they are really fun to watch..

 

[goldfish12]

Everytime I test the salinity with my hydrometer it always goes to the top and stops. I tested it in freshwater and it did the same. What is going on?

 

[tranceFusion]

you are using one that floats in the water or one you fill with water that has a needle in the middle?

the needle one will probably have a bunch of air bubbles all over the needle that makes it float up. i usually stick a pen or something down in there and knock them off.

not that you shouldn't test the salinity, but its worth mentioning that fiddlers, like most brackish species, are quite tolerable of salinity changes and varying salinities so you don't need to be exact.. in nature their salinity is constantly changing due to tides, evaporation, rain, etc..

 

[goldfish12]

I think I added to much salt. I did mixed another 2 gallons and tested the salitiny. And its between 1.008-1.010. Is that ok?

 

[tranceFusion]

that should be fine.. 1.005 is probably ideal, but you can just lower it with water changes over time.. when you change some of the water, just mix the new water to 1.003 or so that it is slowly dropping the salinity..