red claw Crab

[ger87410]

Are there any algae eaters that can go with a red claw crab?

 

[utahfish]

what kind of tank are you keeping your crabs in? If it's brackish then no plecs or ottos as they dont like salt. rainbow sharks can be acclimated to brackish and are quick enough and aggressive enough to take care of themselves. they dont eat alot of algea but are a good cleaner fish. other than that would need to know more about your tank set up.

 

[utahfish]

anyway read that he is in a 55 gallon with some guppies and other fish. red claws do better in brackish water as they need the calcium in the salt when they molt. they also do better in a tank where they have access to land. they are very territorial and need lots of hiding places and places to clmb like drift wood or rocks. they come from mangroves where they will be seen all over the mangroves out of the water and in the water. They also prefer sand over gravel but either is fine. i have two in a twenty gallon partially filled tank. with sand drift wood lava rock and a few plants. their are also two algea eating shrimp in the tank with them for algea maintanence as the salt is also good for them when they are molting. i read on here alot how people have a red claw in their community tank with fish, and really they shouldnt be sold in the fish store with the fish. they do better in an environment friendly tank where their specialized needs can be met. but the fish store never tell you much about them and tell you they'll be fine. I guess it's up to you though. i just wanted my crabs to have the best home possible instead of sticking them in a tank where i know they'll be stressed most of the time. good luck in whatever you decide to do. also if your guppies start disappearing chances are your crab is eating them as they will if they can catch them.

 

[ger87410]

Something has been puzzling me. How do you get calcium from sodium chloride? It's not the right chemical. The guppies aren't disapperaing, they're multiplying.

 

[utahfish]

your right aquarium salt doesnt contain any calcium in it im wrong my bad. i remeber some one telling me the same thing when i asked why crabs need salt in the water, and they told me it was because the calcium helped them with their molting. i never actually thought about it but your right. Any way from my experience the crabs do better in brackish water. the salt helps keep out disease and is benficial during molting as crabs are very susceptible to disease when they have molted. the salt also helps harden the shell because it drws the moisture out hardening the shell quicker. which is good cuz the longer his shell is soft the longer he is vulnerable to disease and attacks from other fish specias whatever. anyway, i hope this helps. also i'm aware that your guppies are probaly multilplying quite reguarly, horny little guys. Anyway like i said before good algea eating tank mates for crabs are algea eating shrimp as they have close to the same water parameters as crabs as the alst will be beneficial to there molting as well. amano shrimp are good. rudolph shrimp are kinda cool because they swim more than most shrimp, cherry shrimp are cool but hard to find and tiger shrimp are cool as well if you dont mind never seeing them.

 

[ger87410]

Thanx for the replies and clearing that up. I knew it wasn't from the salt. Calcium from hard water maybe? Whatyathink? I never see my 3 ghost shrimp that I have in there. How are bamboo shrimp?

 

[utahfish]

never had bamboo shrimp but i think ghost shrimp are useless. theyre so hard to see and they dont eat much algea. I really like the rudolph shrimp. they look cool and they swim around alot so you see them more and they clean up algea pretty quickly. alot of people like amano shrimp as well. I guess what ever you find to do the best works.