Not Doing Well With My Crabs :(

[Crabbymike]

Helloo, ive been keeping red clawed crabs for some months now, about 2 months ago i introduced a dalmation mollie and a black mollie, the 1 crab that came out the most i called fearless, the evening i put the mollies in the tank, the next morning i found her down the back of the castle i have dead, now there was alot of fish poo on the ground and i think she was molting and this might of lead to the death. So 3 weeks ago i bought my first male and he looked very gd, today is cleaning day and i noticed he was under the filter for nearly a week and i could see he was pale so i left the tank an extra week, still looked clean but he has died now, something is just not right. To add i find that the food i put in (novo crab, algae wafer and fresh veg) doesnt seen to get touched so could it be my water is not right ?

things i change on week routine, take 50% water out, take filter out and clean, generally clean the tank. i take the uneaten food out every other day, got a heater too.

Any help would be much welcomed, mike.

 

[StandbySetting]

I'd suggest trying Permethrin, you should get better results, pro tip for next time, don't go doing your business with dirty chicks!

 

[Tuxyu3]

Just to check- do you treat the water with conditioner before adding it? Do you clean the filter under tap water or in tank water? Do you temperature match water?

 

[Crabbymike]

Urm no, i havent been advised to use a conditioner, i clean it under tap water and then wipe it dry. The water i put in is room temp, i dont have the mollies anymore took them out after a few days. Whats permethrin ?

 

[gregswimm]

Treat crabs like fish for the most part except the red claw crabs need to come out of the water. Cycle your tank, the water should be free of ammonia, and low nitrates. Keep your salinity at a gravity of 1.002-1.010. As with most crabs meaty foods should be provided along with some vegies. Whole foods quickly spoil the water and should not be left in for more then a few min, especially in a new tank.

A rule of thumb - most if not all crabs are omnivores, and if it lives/goes in the water dechlorinate the water.

How do you clean your filter? You generally only have to clean the mechanical media monthly but always keep your biological media intact.

You really need to do more research on the animal before you decide to keep it

 

[Crabbymike]

Well i did research but i didnt find much on the crabs, it seemed other people did slightly different things and i did put another topic on here asking questions.

To be honest i dont know how to check the salinity at a gravity of 1.002-1.010, i dont know what u mean ?

i havent be able to get the water tested yet, i will be soon tho. it says above how i clean it, id say i clean every month.

i have land for them to come out on too, i really thinking of giving up and moving onto fish...

 

[raptorrex]

Well i did research but i didnt find much on the crabs, it seemed other people did slightly different things and i did put another topic on here asking questions.

To be honest i dont know how to check the salinity at a gravity of 1.002-1.010, i dont know what u mean ?

i havent be able to get the water tested yet, i will be soon tho. it says above how i clean it, id say i clean every month.

i have land for them to come out on too, i really thinking of giving up and moving onto fish...

sadly, i'd suggest your last paragraph is the way to go.

fish and crabs are not a good mix. they need different enviroments.
crabs not only need land, they need more land than water.

I'd suggest you get everything, you need for your stock, before you start to buy.

 

[gregswimm]

Well i did research but i didnt find much on the crabs, it seemed other people did slightly different things and i did put another topic on here asking questions.

To be honest i dont know how to check the salinity at a gravity of 1.002-1.010, i dont know what u mean ?

i havent be able to get the water tested yet, i will be soon tho. it says above how i clean it, id say i clean every month.

i have land for them to come out on too, i really thinking of giving up and moving onto fish...

Get a hydrometer and get an API masters test kit (chemicals not strips). You will want ammonia to be zere, nitrites to be zero and nitrates to be under 20ppm. For a declorinator, I recommend seachem prime (what I use, good stuff). The crabs should take pellets, feed lightly for the first few months and feed at night to help prevent the food from sitting around.

Some reading material-
http/www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/braccrabs.htm

 

[scotty]

i heard calamine lotion does the trick