# Crabs in the Aquarium



## Nature neil (Jan 15, 2009)

Hello one and all!
I am carrying out some research into keeping crab in the Aquarium for a post on my site, and i would like to know if anyone has kept any freshwater crabs? and if so how you got on with them?
Here are a few questions to get you started:

Did the shop offer a scientific name?
Did the shop offer any information / warnings?
Were the crabs kept in water only or could they leave the water?
Did you buy more than one?
Was it expensive?
Was it aggressive or disruptive in your aquarium?
Did you ever find out the real name for it?
Did it escape?
Did it become tame?
How long did you have it?
Was it on its own or with other fish etc in the tank?
Thanks very much for your help Neil


----------



## underdog5004 (Feb 26, 2009)

Nature neil said:


> Hello one and all!
> I am carrying out some research into keeping crab in the Aquarium for a post on my site, and i would like to know if anyone has kept any freshwater crabs? and if so how you got on with them?
> Here are a few questions to get you started:
> 
> ...



Here are the answers from the LFS I work at:
1. We know them as mini crabs, they look like little fiddler crabs
2. They need warm water, they eat dead/dying fish, unsure if they eat slow fish
3. They are kept in a water only tank, but they crawl up on top of the powerhead from time to time. We have sealed the top of the tank to prevent escapes.
4. We have about 10 in a 20G tank, with about 400 feeder guppies, they eat all the dead guppies, keep the tank clean.
5. They're about $2.99 here, unsure about other shops.
6. Not very aggressive towards the guppies, but guppies are pretty fast, so it's hard to say.
7. Haven't done any research on them, since I don't find them very interesting. 
8. As mentioned above, they are little escape artists.
9. Tame? Kind of like trying to tame a car or other mechanical device.
10. They die off after a few weeks (after doing some reading, I realise that I'm not keeping them correctly), but I'm sure with proper care, you can get many times that.
11. I've got about 10 crabs in a 20G tank with ~400 feeder guppies.

No problem, just glad I could help.

Tropical Crabs for Freshwater Aquariums: Mini Crab
Fiddler crab - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

^^ Good links to read for care and more info.


----------



## Nature neil (Jan 15, 2009)

Thanks very much. If you want them to survive a bit longer in the shop reduce the water levels and put a couple of bits of wood coming out if the water in the middle of the tank this will stop them escaping and reduce the mortality rate. Thanks again neil


----------

