crabs in a community tank?

[Shotgun]

hey all. i was looking through my local aquatic store and i wanted to try something different. i was wondering if a pair of mini-fiddler crabs or glass crabs would be ok for a community tank. Also, what type of terrain do they need? do they need a way to get to the surface of the water?

one thing is that some chemicals, such as liquid algae distroyer, say not to use them in tanks with crustations.

im compleatly clueless about crabs in community tanks.

HELP!

[James0816]

Not familiar with glass crabs but for fiddlers, they will require access out of the water from time to time. I've seen some DIY underwater habitats for them as well. Basically amounts to a bowl upside down and an air stone. Some were pretty creative.

I would question the compatibility in a community tank. Depending on the tank mate...could wind up dinner...the tank mate that is.

[Shotgun]

oh, well if i make a species-only tank for glass or fiddler crabs, how big would the tank have to be? say that there are only two crabs.

[James0816]

Originally Posted by shotgun13249

oh, well if i make a species-only tank for glass or fiddler crabs, how big would the tank have to be? say that there are only two crabs.

A 10g will be just fine.

[Shotgun]

any other tips on how to care for them? what type of filter should i use? substrate? water type? (pH, hardness, etc.) habitat?

THANKYOU SO MUCH!

[James0816]

Originally Posted by shotgun13249

any other tips on how to care for them? what type of filter should i use? substrate? water type? (pH, hardness, etc.) habitat?

THANKYOU SO MUCH!

One of the main things that most chain stores don't tell you is that they are actually a brackish water species. When we had ours, they were in a 10g. I used river bed gravel. They love to pick through it. You can get a little creative with their tank. Put some small plastic plants in there and they'll climb through them. Pretty neat.

I also used a standard HOB for the filter. What I did was to create a waterfall effect with rocks. Worked well. Take some bigger rocks like slate to provide them some cover.

[Shotgun]

Yeah, I heard that they are brakish water species. What kind of filter should I use?

[James0816]

Not that it matters much, but you should determine if you are going to do a species only tank or try to keep fishies with them.

There are several small 10g filters you can use. If you go with species only, you can set up a small canister like the ZooMed 501 or Tom Rapid Mini. Have it spray down on the gravel. Small HOB's can be made into waterfalls. This as well would provide a nice effect.

[Shotgun]

what type of fish could be compatable with these crabs?

[James0816]

Can't say that any of them really are "compatible" as if the crab can catch it..it's dinner. I know some have kept guppies with them to provide a source of lunch. So, unless you have a large tank and can get creative, I wouldn't put any fishies in with them.