# fiddler crab build!



## allaboutfish (May 18, 2011)

so im starting a 10 gallon fiddler crab tank with a waterfall. i have a couple of questions.
1.can i use this rock cave type thing from my bearded dragons cage? im scared it will leach out something or the paint will come of.
2.how many fiddler crabs should i introduce at once and in which order? my final stock will be 1-male 3-females. ill be using an already cycled internal filter from my 29 gallon but dont know how much bioload crabs have.
3.i dont know if anyone could answer this but would a crab like a beach with less water or rocks poking out of the water with more water?
ill be buying the salt, hydrometer, and possibly the fiddlers tomorrow or the next day. (ill be converting them to brackish since they are kept in freshwater but can someone give me a guide on how to do that exactly? im setting up the tank today so ill post pics and such when i get home.


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## Scuff (Aug 10, 2010)

A 10g may not be the best choice. Fiddlers are best done in a longer tank that allows you to create a gently sloping beach, with a nice flat surface. Their home in nature is basically sand flats with damp (not soaking wet) sand below a slightly moist surface, so reproducing that in captivity is key to keeping them alive, as is keeping excellent water quality.


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## allaboutfish (May 18, 2011)

i might upgrade them to a 20 gallon long in the future. (when my bearded dragon gets his bigger tank) but for now the 10 gallon is what i have. And for right now i have a huge rock sticking out of the water with a fake plant beside it and my filter with rocks covering it to make a waterfall. now im wondering ifthe filter should be making alot of surface agitation since it will be brackish in the future. if so i guess ill get a powerhead when i change it to brackish, or a bubbler.


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## allaboutfish (May 18, 2011)

here's a pic


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

I think they would enjoy it better if you had sand instead of rocks. I wouldn't put more than 2 in a 10 gal if you plan on using it for awhile.


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## Scuff (Aug 10, 2010)

susankat said:


> I think they would enjoy it better if you had sand instead of rocks. I wouldn't put more than 2 in a 10 gal if you plan on using it for awhile.


+1 they like digging in the sand, and it's gentler on the tips of their claws than rough rocks are.


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## allaboutfish (May 18, 2011)

im changing it to sand next week. and why would you do two? i was told i could do 4 1 male and 3 females


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

You might have been told 1 male and 3 females in a 10 gal, but it doesn't work out to well. I had 4 in a 15 gal and the male killed 2 of the females. It stresses them out and do do require more room.


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## Scuff (Aug 10, 2010)

They require far more room than a lot of people realize.


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## allaboutfish (May 18, 2011)

how many would be ok in a 20 gallon long?


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## Scuff (Aug 10, 2010)

I think the 3-4 would be fine in a 20L.


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## allaboutfish (May 18, 2011)

wouldnt i want 2 males 2 females? bc, i just read that extra females are killed off


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## Scuff (Aug 10, 2010)

And two males in that small of a tank will decimate each other.


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## allaboutfish (May 18, 2011)

a 20 gallon long is too small for two males? so should i do 1 male 3 females or would the females die


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## allaboutfish (May 18, 2011)

i ended up getting a red clawed crab only one bc i didnt know how to sex them. should i get a second on? i looked up a care sheet in the store on my phone and its the same care as the fiddlers from what i understand. ill probably upgrade him/ her to the 20 gallon since i really like him/ her so far. are they ok with 2 males or still aggressive? none were fighting in the tank so...... i also picked up some marine salt and a hydrometer. i named it Piere and ill post a pic in a minute. plz give any info thats different from fiddlers or anything they like and such.


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## allaboutfish (May 18, 2011)

ok so it the uploading thing's doing something weird and wont let me upload a pic from my phone so i guess ill do it on my computer when i get home.


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## allaboutfish (May 18, 2011)

here he/she is! do any of you have any ideas of how i can get it out of the tank to sex it?


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