fiddler crabs

[omgitskacie12]

any opinion on putting them in your tank? i have wanted one or long time and found some online that look really nice and im thinking about buying one or two of them for my tank, do you think they will kill everything?

[ayla]

They really aren't fast enough to catch fish, but I don't recommend them for a regular tank setup. They need to be able to get completely out of the water when they want to.

[omgitskacie12]

well i have a fake plant in my tank that goes completely out of my tank (i dont have it completely full) where it could go out of the water.

[tsunderl]

Thread moved to this forum so you can get more advice.

[ayla]

Also keep in mind that they are escape artists. They can climb air tubes, filter intakes, even the silicone in the corners of your tank. They can even hang upside down on your lights or lid and walk that way if they can get any kind of foot hold. If there is any possible way for them to get out, they will.

Other than that, I don't see a problem with having them in a community tank. They appreciate a bit of salt.

[yim11]

Also keep in mind that they are escape artists. They can climb air tubes, filter intakes, even the silicone in the corners of your tank. They can even hang upside down on your lights or lid and walk that way if they can get any kind of foot hold. If there is any possible way for them to get out, they will.

Other than that, I don't see a problem with having them in a community tank. They appreciate a bit of salt.


Exactly! Had one that got out, couldn't find him, about a year later discovered him in a guest room under a dresser.

[EAST_TX_RN]

I don't recommend them in a fish tank. They need more salt than freshwater fish can tolerate and will eventually die. They are are great escape artists! Found one under my living room sofa when I vacuumed!

[tsunderl]

Keeping them with mollies should be ok since mollies do ok with a bit of salt.

[omgitskacie12]

i also have guppies and platies in there, the crab is tiny right now so i figures he would be okay, but if anything i can get another tank and use it for him

[AndrewH]

I'm thinking all the liverbearers are ok with a little more salt than most the other freshies. So I don't see too much in the problem with tank mates.

I also stopped keeping them after the 4th one got out after I uttered the phrase, "Now the tank is sealed and there's no way for the crabs to get out". Famous last words!

These little guys go well beyond escape artiest! I'm talking 20lbs rocks on top of the tank lids, vacuum sealing the tank, & saran wrap everything and you'll still find these little boogers carpet surfing frequently.

If I were planning to keep fiddler or red claw crabs again, it would be a custom built tank specifically dealing with them escaping, though I'm not sure I could confidently come up with a fool proof tank.

[omgitskacie12]

I'm thinking all the liverbearers are ok with a little more salt than most the other freshies. So I don't see too much in the problem with tank mates.

I also stopped keeping them after the 4th one got out after I uttered the phrase, "Now the tank is sealed and there's no way for the crabs to get out". Famous last words!

These little guys go well beyond escape artiest! I'm talking 20lbs rocks on top of the tank lids, vacuum sealing the tank, & saran wrap everything and you'll still find these little boogers carpet surfing frequently.

If I were planning to keep fiddler or red claw crabs again, it would be a custom built tank specifically dealing with them escaping, though I'm not sure I could confidently come up with a fool proof tank.

roflmaoroflmao

[cichlidkeeper]

all panels would have to eventually slop inward- youd hear them falling back in the water all night!

[ayla]

I've successfully kept them in regular aquariums with no escapes, so it is possible!

[AndrewH]

all panels would have to eventually slop inward- youd hear them falling back in the water all night!

I was thinking simply adding a lip sloping down into the tank might work, but then again these little guys seem to have wings.

I've successfully kept them in regular aquariums with no escapes, so it is possible!
:eek: Well I could keep 'em in a standard aquarium too if they didn't have any legs, but other than that I'm at a loss :wha:.

Hmmm, maybe some fishing string tied to one of the rocks/driftwood and to one or two of each crabs' legs?

Superglue? Nah wouldn't be a long term solution...

Flypaper? Not good with water.

I give up, how'd you do it? :confuzeld:

[cichlidkeeper]

superglue fishing line to his leg and tie it down! 6 inches in each direction away from the driftwood roflmao

[ayla]

I give up, how'd you do it? :confuzeld:


I had a full glass lid, no gaps. Internal submersible filter with packing tape along the entire back where the lid met the frame , closing up the very tiny space made by the filter cord going in. There was literally no gap anywhere for them to get out.

They will get out of a tank with an HOB filter every time.

[AndrewH]

I had a full glass lid, no gaps. Internal submersible filter with packing tape along the entire back where the lid met the frame , closing up the very tiny space made by the filter cord going in. There was literally no gap anywhere for them to get out.

They will get out of a tank with an HOB filter every time.

Ah, that's what I tried (minus the packing tape - good idea), but the little boogers would go though the HOBs :eek:

The new tanks I'm ordering have the normal RR overflows, but also have a 3rd hole for cords. Should be able to get a good seal with this type setup... grrrrr now I'm going to have to get some more crabs for the new tank.

[ayla]

one of my all time favorite setups was a species tank 20 long with 2 male and 3 female fiddlers. The males' claws were nearly 2 inches long. It was so cool watching them create and defend territories.

I had the tank about half full and had several places for them to get out of the water. Given the choice they will actually spend at least 30% of their time out of water. The males pick a spot, climb up and wave their claws around. The females pick a male, climb up next to him and hang out in between eating.

Of course, trying to figure out how to climb out of the tank so they can dry up in your closet dominates every fiddler's day-to-day routine. :D

Moral of the story - Species tank is really the best way to go with these guys. You really get to see their full range of behaviors much moreso than in a community tank.

[AndrewH]

Do you think the fiddlers or red claws would do ok in a pond setup during summer? How would they handle winter (heat lamp work for them)?

[ayla]

I wouldn't try them in a pond, personally. Even if you could keep them from escaping, which seems doubtful, there are other issues.

In the wild, they dig burrows in sand or dirt, quite deep actually. They will dig straight down from a flat surface or go in through the side in the case of an overhang or cliff. I've observed them in south Texas. I would imagine that when the going gets cold, they hang out in those burrows. So while they are native to our climate, the conditions in your backyard during winter would probably not closely mimic those at the gulf in estuaries and on the shorelines where these guys naturally live.