i had 2 fiddler and 2 red crabs. key word HAD. i have a oscar,2 blue gill bass and a angle fish in the same tank. there all cool.. the 1 by 1 the crabs started to die. poo. i loved watching them. petco said my tank is sycling and only the strong will survive, there was food in the tank. do crabs need water and land? should i put them in a differant tank? help me. we love them and now they are gone. they are fun to watch.... i hope i did not drown them..
2006-09-23 11:12:16 · 8 answers · asked by squrrelgirl 4 in Pets ➔ Fish
Yes that is the biggest mistake crab owner do! They are semi terrisatal(sp?) and need dry land. you can buy floating docks for turtles they work great! Also make sure there is no way for them to get out of the tank they are very good climbers!!!
As for the other tank the oscar might eat them! Oscars eat anything they can get in their mouths!!
I also agree with Jolly the clown, pet store emploees are not well trained your best bet is to do your own research!
2006-09-23 11:23:23 · answer #1 · answered by pharfly1 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
yes crabs do need to be out of the water some of the time. in my 10 gal aquarium my fiddlers always found there own way to the surface though. jumping off high plants and scuttling sideways just enough as they sank to reach the heater or filter and climb up to the top (which was fine as long as they stayed under the lid). they tend to be resourceful but if you never saw yours up at the top then yeah, it could have been the constant submersion that did them in.
i'm not familiar with the conditions required by your other fish but i'll assume you had aquarium salt in your tank and that that is not the problem because those crabs can't live in strictly freshwater for more than a week.
2006-09-23 18:27:23 · answer #2 · answered by corin_li 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You need to put a ladder or something like that in the tank so they can climb up for a breath now and then. I have seen an inverted clear container weighted down put in a tank with an air stone and a rock in it so there was always fresh air for them to easily access. It looked really cool.
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2006-09-23 19:30:46 · answer #3 · answered by iceni 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Petco lies. It's how they get you to buy more pets. I don't know about all crabs, but many crab species do indeed need access to fresh air as well as an appropriate balance of chemicals in their water. I'd do more research next time, and never depend on Petco to tell you what you need to know.
2006-09-23 18:24:59 · answer #4 · answered by My Evil Twin 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
in all honesty the problem is both red crabs and fiddler crabs are not freshwater crabs, they are brackish water. no matter what you do they will continue to die if you have a freshwater set up. until you are ready to really set up a tank for brackish water species. they will live for a time in freshwater but its not really suited for them.
2006-09-23 21:23:52 · answer #5 · answered by old wise one ;) 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if u had them for more than one day you probably didnt drown them..
dont you remember where you got them and the environment they lived in
if the petco guy said it was the tank then why dont you believe him....the good bacteria needs to build up in the tank and kill the bad...hence cycling...
2006-09-23 18:18:07 · answer #6 · answered by kitty witty luvs u 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All I ever knew they needed to thrive is a nasty ho and a big bush. I recommend going to the pharmacy and checking with your local pharmacist. They have a cure for them honey!
2006-09-23 18:21:46 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 4⤋
wear cotton panties, they are more breathable
2006-09-23 18:21:02 · answer #8 · answered by shmidly 2 · 2⤊ 5⤋