Fiddlers die

[smudge]

Hi, I keep loosing my fiddler crabs. I've gone through 7 now and don't plan to add any more to my 55 gallon community tank. Does anyone have any ideas why they die. All the water stats are good, I have rocks built up with a 12 inch by 12 inch peice of slate angled so the crabs can get out of the water when they want to. None of the other fish bother the crabs. I've seen the crabs eat and I always place their food some in the water and some out. So...... Any ideas?? Thanks.

 

[Alia]

Hi. I just bought one of these myself, and then I read that they need brackish water. Is that what you have? This is the site that I was directed to about fiddlers:

Fiddler

 

[CFC]

Eddie is right,fidlers do need salt in their water they can survive for a few weeks without it and then they die (i was once told that it is because they need salt for their shells to grow properly? ) IMO crabs crayfish and large shrimps should be kept in tanks specificly set up for them with no fish its fairer on the animals and any fish that they would be mixed with.

 

[Pondlady]

I had fiddler crabs in my freshwater tank and they did fine. I do add aquarium salt to the water, but not that much. I didn't even have a decent place for them to climb out of the water, they just climbed the ugf tubes and sat up there. I even had one female produce a batch of babies, but when I put her in a separate tank she died

I don't think their water requirements are as strict as fish, so I'm not sure what could be wrong. Are you SURE they're dying? The first time I had one shed its shell I thought it was a dead crab laying on the bottom of the tank. The crab showed up a week later, must have been hiding somewhere.

 

[EddieW]

Eddie is right

I'll take the credit CFC but I think that should have been

Alia is right

Cheers, Eddie

 

[CFC]

) Mabey i should read posts more slowly ) sorry Alia,cheers for pointing that out Ed

 

[Alia]

Alia here, back for more crab talk. I guess I've had my little crab for a week and a half, now. Those first few days, I thought she was a goner for sure. I started her in my ten gallon, which she promptly climbed to the open spot in the back of, then moved her to my 28 gallon for safety's sake. She took up residence under a "log" and then I read (on the site I mentioned) that they need brackish water for molting and shell regeneration (read the site for details, it's pretty well written).

So, as soon as I could coax her into a paper cup (nets are no good for crabs ) I moved her to her own little two gallon with a glass lid (no filtration or heat). I had added a little aquarium salt to the water, and she molted within a day. I was putting different kinds of food in there and the water got pretty cruddy, so I pulled the log out one night (she was hiding inside) and put in "fresh" water that I had added "instant ocean" to (for the salt, and the calcium, etc. to harden her shell).

Still, it was touch and go. I understand they are reclusive after they've molted because they are vulnerable. I was worried because I had never seen her eat anything at all. Finally, the other night she was both out of the log and eating, so I felt a little better. She is still pretty shy, but I've started thinking about setting up a terrarium tank for her, and getting a male. I think she'd be happier. I've seen the tanks at one of the pet stores, and they look neat. I wish I'd seen it that way before I bought her, but live and learn, right?

Hope you have better luck with your crabs in the future, smudge!

 

[Cian McLiam]

What are the tanks parameters exactly? Fiddlers do need access to land to be comfortable, prefer temperatures below 26C and are much more sensitive to nitrAtes than fish. They will also die if medication containing metal compounds such as copper are added to the tank, this also applies to most anti-algae treatments. Read the labels carefully.
They are more sensitive to water parameters than fish and have their own requirements that dont always suit fish either.
As you now they need water above pH7 and with moderate hardness to allow healthy moulting.

Ken