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Tell me about fiddler crabs!

2K views 8 replies 3 participants last post by  Tazman 
#1 ·
Lol, first time on this forum, I've always been on the betta part of the site :D
Does anyone on here keep these wonderful crabs?
I want to get some, I got a 20 long today (30 x 12.5 x 12.5) and I want to know some stuff about them, to decide if I should get some instead of filling the tank with fish.

I know they need brackish water, but marine salt seems expensive, does this add up to a lot cost wise over time?

How many could I keep in my tank? Male:Female ratios?

Photos of some set ups if anyone keeps them, I know they need sand, water, and some land that they can crawl on easily.

Do they need high filtration? Do you need to preform the nitrogen cycle before adding these crabs?

Anything else I should know about them.

Thanks :D
 
#2 ·
It does not cost too much if you get the righ stuff but if your worriede about cost and want inverts you could get a colony of shrimp. In a 20 i'd get 3 females and 2 males. The don't need high filtration just a regular 20 gallon one. Also, you do need to preform a nitrogen cycle.
 
#3 ·
Good to know about the nitrogen cycle. Really wasn't sure about that.
I already got excited about putting fish in this tank though.
I will definitely get some fiddlers in tank #5 though! I want to import commando crabs in the future and they'd be good practice!
Thanks!
 
#4 ·
picture here of a setup, they need brackish tanks, so some salt.
 
#5 ·
The amount of salt mix you would need for water changes (not much), a 50g bag would last a long time probably although it might be cheaper to get a 200lg tub..that would last forever.

Just remember as well, you would need an extra heater, thermometer and powerhead to mix the salt mix.
 
#6 ·
I figured heater + thermometer.
Why is a powerhead needed for mixing?
I've never had one of those, it just circulates water right? .. Just making my first jump from betta to other fish so I'm still kind of new to all this "fancy" stuff.
 
#7 ·
You need to keep the saltwater mix stirring to make sure all the salt is dissolved...a cheap hydrometer or refractometer (check ebay about $40) for measuring the salinty is a must as well.

Ask reefing madness in the saltwater aquarium section, he has helped me out a great deal get my saltwater tank going...am sure he can help with a brackish tank setup.
 
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#8 ·
Thanks for the info!
I'm putting these guys off for a few months. Doing a soil based freshwater tank instead.
But I will head over to that section of the forum when I get my next tank for sure!
 
#9 ·
:thumbsup:
 
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