Just set up my new fiddler crab tank to be. I have read in the species index and it says the food should be placed in a shallow bowl....I was just wondering as to why as in the wild they would scavenge around for their food? The only reason I can think of is not foul the water as it may take them some time to locate it? Just curious as I doubt they have bowls in the wild ....any input from fiddler keepers would be appreciated.

Drew

Hey crabberdude, I think this one's for you...

Hey Drew nice to meet you!

I am by no means an expert on fiddlers, this is just stuff i have observed from keeping my crabs.
Feeding fiddlers is kinda tricky. they eat VERY slowly so it is hard to keep track of how much they eat. Keep a dish with food allows fiddlers to eat whenever they want and also keeps you from having to feed them everyday. I have tried to routinely feed my crabs but the food i put in for them always just poofs up after a few days in water then eventually like you said "foul the water." Keeping the water clean is something all of us aquarium hobbyist have to do and I guess dish feed just helps out in more different ways that you think occasianally I give them a piece of fruit, vege, frozen shrimp etc to give them variety. hermit crab food is probably the best kind of pellet food you can get for these guys. after observing my crabs for hours on end i notice whenever they eat they just crawl up to the dish, grab a pellet from the dish, and then scurry off to their favorite spots and eat it. sometimes they just stand on the dish and eat from it.

just remember your the crabs you buy from the lfs have probably been in captivity their whole lives and tanks do not have alot of area for them to scavenge, they are more than likely used to eating off a dish. you look like a pretty avid fish keeper yourself so you probably know this already but ill go ahead and tell you make sure they have land and water space. they are NOT exclusively underwater animals no matter what people say. and they will need brackish water ranging from 0.005 -0.010. also sand is the best substrate to use. and keep the aquarium water around 78-82 F. good luck! and send me some pics of your tank when it is completed! I always like to see other peoples tank layout especially fiddlers cause there are so few of us!

This post has been edited by crabberdude: Jul 10 2007, 05:22 AM

Most if not all fiddler crabs are actually wild-caught and have not been in captivity their whole lives. The only reason you would feed them using a bowl is to keep the tank cleaner - a lot of hermit crab keepers who also keep fiddlers use this method, mainly because it's the same way they would feed their hermits.

Hey Crabberdude,
Nice to meet you aswell and thanks for your response. I figured that was the reason for the bowl as they seem to eat at their own leisure. I havent picked up the crabs yet but my lfs keeps them in freshwater and underwater but doesnt use a bowl, those poor crabs. The tank is nice and ready for them. It is half beach half water all sand substrate with plenty of bogwood. And yes it is brackish, it is at 1.005 at the moment. (I think you meant 1.005-1.010). The temp is at 80 and steady. I think I am all ready to pick up my crabs thursday. May I ask how many males to females you keep? I am thinking of getting 1 male and three females form what I have read, although I may push it to 2 males and 4 females... Did you ever get your filter worked out? I found a small sponge filter and undergravel heater to be the easiest and most appeasing. Anyway thanks for your reply, and I will be sure to post pics for everyone when I pick up the crabs in a few days. Your not the only one with crabs anymore well until thursday lol....

Drew

This post has been edited by poopsydrew: Jul 10 2007, 06:49 PM

Thanks for correcting me. I'm still learning alot of stuff!

Yeah most sources will tell you to have 2-3 females for every male you have. And for a ten gallon 4-5 crabs should do fine. I wouldn't recommend no anything above 6 though. Males are territorial and will fight (they never hurt eachother though) over their territories. If you have only 1 male then you could probably get the rest females because females don't bother eachother. As for me I kinda rushed into things (slaps own face) and bought a bunch of males before finding out about the whole male female ratio ( I thought they looked cool). LoL I have 4 males in my tank which is kind of a no no. But they seem to be doing fine and are in good condition. It is funny to watch them approach eachother and wave their big claws at eachother. Big lesson learned for me! You said you were going to go 2 males and 4 females. I think this is fine for a 10 gallon. The females wont bother eachother so you only really have to worry about the males, and there is more than enought room for 2 males in a tank.

About my filter. I used to have this noisy internal aquatech filter with my gravel. Then I learned sand was much better to use for the crabs. THere was no way that filter could be in a sand aquarium cause the impact of the water would disturb the sand and it would also suck in sand. So I have been working on getting stuff to make the "super 5 minute sponge filter" (It does live up to its name......). It is very efficient for the amount of water in my aquarium which is about 1.5-2 gallons, is virtually silent, and doesn't agitate the sand. Here is a picture of my sponge filter


I don't have an undergravel heater yet. The temperature at my house ranges from 75-83ish which, according to resources, is ok. I will more than likely get one when I go to school though because my college is in the mountains and it gets chilly at night.

Glad you got your filter thing worked out Thanks for your reply and advice. Crabber keepers unite
I will post pics for everyone when I pick up the crabs thursday. thanks to all that replied.

Drew

I heard of keeping them in pairs in a small tank, like five gallons. One of my friends used to keep a pair in a three gallon.