Red Claw Crab

[sky-raptor]

I am a newbie and need some tips .... I have a Biology project, where I have to get a freshwater crustacean (crayfish, shrimp, or crab) and I picked a red claw crab. Is that a good decision? It has to live from now till September.

I didn't want the shrimps because they dont look that "hardie" and crayfishs are just way to active.

So that leads me to crabs, and is a red claw crab easy to maintain and live for a long time? I did some research and found out they like to stay out of the water for air and can escape? Would a 5" water level be safe? Also, what types of filters do you use? I want the water to be as clean as possible and if possible, do no water changes at all.

Also, cost is a factor too. I am in a group of total of four, so the filter prices cant be tooo outrageous.

 

[Veneer]

I'll address your crustacean-specific questions first:

I am a newbie and need some tips .... I have a Biology project, where I have to get a freshwater crustacean (crayfish, shrimp, or crab) and I picked a red claw crab. Is that a good decision? It has to live from now till September.

Red-claw crabs (Sesarma spp. and similar genera) are not suited to long-term captivity in fully freshwater. Since red-claws require at least slightly brackish salinity, store-bought specimens are quite often moribund.

I didn't want the shrimps because they dont look that "hardie" and crayfishs are just way to active.

Honestly, those are somewhat invalid conclusions. With proper husbandry, cherry shrimp (Neocaridina denticulata sinensis var. "red"), for instance, are as resilient as many mass-produced community fish. As regards crayfish, in what manner would activity level be problematic? Many species are, at any rate, rather sedentary.

So that leads me to crabs, and is a red claw crab easy to maintain and live for a long time?

Only under correct environmental conditions.

I did some research and found out they like to stay out of the water for air and can escape? Would a 5" water level be safe?

Red-claws require a haul-out platform for access to air. Escape efforts are common.

 

[sky-raptor]

Found out that red claw crabs, do like a little bit of salt in the water. What kind of fliters provide excellent filtration in a 10 gal tank?

 

[sumthin fishy]

In this setup you wont be running a hang on back due to the low water level. If the single crab is the sole inhabitant, I wouldn't worry about "excellet" filtration. A simple UGF or sponge filter will work for this application. Doing no water changes is akin to doing no scoopping of a cats litterbox, so you loose there. With a half full 10 gallon, you only need to change out mabey 1-3 gallons perr week and that will take very little time. Make sure to use dechlorinator with the new water. As it has been pointed out, this is not a purely FW animal. You should check with the bio-teacher to see if you can still use it and house it in brackish water. If it is a go, you should post in the brackish forrum for tips on slowly reaclamating it to brackish. Note that brackish is MARINE salt and not NaCl(sodium chloride, table salt, or "freshwater aquarium salt" all the same)

 

[Beeker]

Just to address your issue about waterchanges, there is no way that you can keep a living creature in an enclosure without cleaning it. You MUST change the water and clean out the tank to keep it healthy. If you don't, it will not live long.

 

[graphicdesign_r]

I'd comment, but I don't want to get embroiled in a Red Claw Crab argument.

OK, OK, I'll comment. Mines been in fresh water and has had no visible problems for 8 months. Has molted twice. I do (minimum) 40% water changes once every two weeks now. I add a small amount of aquarium salt monthly (for the benefit of my whole tank). Also swims sometimes from plant to plant and is very active, eats well, spends hours on end out of the water on his branch.

From my understanding this crab is commonly found in coastal estuaries in asia and will comfortably tolerate water from fresh to brackish, but prefers brackish water for spawning.

 

[Veneer]

I'd comment, but I don't want to get embroiled in a Red Claw Crab argument.

OK, OK, I'll comment. Mines been in fresh water and has had no visible problems for 8 months. Has molted twice. I do (minimum) 40% water changes once every two weeks now. I add a small amount of aquarium salt monthly (for the benefit of my whole tank). Also swims sometimes from plant to plant and is very active, eats well, spends hours on end out of the water on his branch.

From my understanding this crab is commonly found in coastal estuaries in asia and will comfortably tolerate water from fresh to brackish, but prefers brackish water for spawning.

Perhaps collection from distinct populations may be at hand, but, in full FW, all the red-claws I've had succumbed to "creeping death" (and quite abruptly, at that) within three months. Out of curiosity, what brand of aquarium salt is this?

 

[graphicdesign_r]

Doc Wellfish's A.K.A. Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. It claims to "Reduce stress & add electrolytes, Improve gill function, Use with most remedies to improve disease recovery, Made from evaporated sea water (ooh), Professional aquarium salt for freshwater fish"

Just threw some in now actually. It says "rounded tsp for each 5 gallons as a tonic", but I don't use that much, maybe half that 1 time a month (and with 40% water changes every 2 weeks that doesn't make for "brackish" conditions by a long shot.

I've never had ANY disease, unless you consider snails a disease :rant: but they're being starved out right now since I decreased my "daytime" and cut feeding... I was having problems adjusting to how much to feed since I gave away the iridescent & pleco I rescued.

 

[graphicdesign_r]

For the record, I'm not suggesting RCC is the way to go on this project. Unless you're experienced and have a very well maintained tank (water quality with inverts is KEY, no chemicals, no chlorine, hard water is bad <esp. copper...green stains on your sink = BAD> etc.) you're giong to have a hard time keeping them alive.

All invertebrates are the "canaries in the coal mine" when it comes to water quality. One of the main reason I keep Ghost Shrimp (other than the fun watching them get ripped up by Wimpy & Popeye) is as an early warning device. If they all die at once I know I need to immediately do something about the water. This came in handy a week or so ago when my wellpump was replaced and the guy added bleach to "shock the well" (I guess it's common practice but I didn't know, I've replaced that pump myself before and never done that myself). Well shrimp started dropping and guess what? I went out and got distilled water & decholr and saved the rest of the tank (I hope there could still be fallout!).

I'd go with a crayfish. Hardier, cheaper (mine was free from a brook I was fishing for trout in), and fully FreshWater (no controversy there). More likely to escape than the crab, also appreciates a space out of water to explore (I like leaving food for mine on the driftwood poking out of the water... he always acts so surprised when he finds it).

 

[graysilm]

Red claw crabs are also called one armed bandits. Where I live we have millions of them, and I have seen them in completely salt water, and also in water that I believe is almost completely fresh, miles upriver inland. These crabs are usually completely submerged at high tide, and are completely dry at low tide.