Setting Up A Peculiar Vivarium/aquarium

[charliesmith1984]

I have decided that i want to try something new! having kept numerous species of fish in numerous set ups (nothing too big or advanced though such as discus....), I would like transform my last and only tank (having sold the rest!) into some form of vivarium/aquatic biotope having been inspired by page 94 in the latest PFK magazine.

Perhaps have half the tank full of water keeping a small amount of fish (approx 15 - 20 gallons would be available) and have a land/branched area where i could keep a non poisonous amphibian(s)!? My tank is aprox 30 UK gallons, measuring 30" in length, 18" in height and 15" in width.

Any ideas if this would work or what biotope I could base it on?? I was thinking amazonian but unsure of what frogs/small lizards would be available!

Any help or advice would be appreciated! I'll be visiting my LFS this week to see the guy in charge who is quite frankly a genius but there is no such thing as too much good advice!

Any help greatly appreciated!

Cheers

Charlie

 

[MadMan-JaMeS]

Red claw crabs need to be out fo water sometimes you could add a few of them

 

[charliesmith1984]

good idea but i thought they were brackish!? could be wrong, but ideally my set up would be freshwater.

Cheers

 

[Colin_T]

crabs eat fish

How about killifish. A couple of pairs of Aphyosemium killis would breed happily in the tank. Or maybe a school of Pseudomugil rainbowfish.
or my favourite, Splashing Tetras. You could have a bunch of plants with their leaves out of the water and the little guys could lay their eggs on the leaves.

 

[raptorrex]

crabs eat fish

How about killifish. A couple of pairs of Aphyosemium killis would breed happily in the tank. Or maybe a school of Pseudomugil rainbowfish.
or my favourite, Splashing Tetras. You could have a bunch of plants with their leaves out of the water and the little guys could lay their eggs on the leaves.

oh boy!!! colin have you ever heard of a redclaw crab eating a fish, well and killing it first? rainbow or fiddler perhaps, but redclaw no!!! but as stated they are brackish, and if you do a set up, in less than a 50g tank, there is not enough water to keep fish anyway. the normal rule is 2/3 and 1/3 to 3/ 4and 1/4 land water split. in even a 20 gallon tank, that is only a few gallons of water. not only is it too smaller an amount for fish, it is hard to keep cycled too.

 

[SJ2K]

How about some small tree frogs and maybe a species of newt/salamanda aswell?

 

[raptorrex]

How about some small tree frogs and maybe a species of newt/salamanda aswell?

frogs might be a good idea. though with newts, i am far from sure it is a good idea, the advice seems to be "keep them on their own". but i guess you have to try thing to find just what you can and cant do.

 

[RadaR]

crabs eat fish

How about killifish. A couple of pairs of Aphyosemium killis would breed happily in the tank. Or maybe a school of Pseudomugil rainbowfish.
or my favourite, Splashing Tetras. You could have a bunch of plants with their leaves out of the water and the little guys could lay their eggs on the leaves.

oh boy!!! colin have you ever heard of a redclaw crab eating a fish, well and killing it first? rainbow or fiddler perhaps, but redclaw no!!!

Er, yes, red claw crabs do eat fish. It's hard to grab them from mid waters and other high stratas, however fish that dwell of the bottom like corydoras and fish that sleep on the gravel at night (Neon Tetras) will readily be victims.

 

[raptorrex]

crabs eat fish

How about killifish. A couple of pairs of Aphyosemium killis would breed happily in the tank. Or maybe a school of Pseudomugil rainbowfish.
or my favourite, Splashing Tetras. You could have a bunch of plants with their leaves out of the water and the little guys could lay their eggs on the leaves.

oh boy!!! colin have you ever heard of a redclaw crab eating a fish, well and killing it first? rainbow or fiddler perhaps, but redclaw no!!!

Er, yes, red claw crabs do eat fish. It's hard to grab them from mid waters and other high stratas, however fish that dwell of the bottom like corydoras and fish that sleep on the gravel at night (Neon Tetras) will readily be victims.

really, have you ever seen this? though people give warnings, i cant recall anyone saying it had happened on here. crabs run whenever a fish get near, though they do display, before hiding. my tank is full of bottom dwellers including six cory a banjo cat, and the same is true of several people i know personally, not through forum, and not one fish in two years. lol and none have "true" dry area, just a ledge and a brackish bath. why would a critter that lives on land, and eats the detritus by the shore line hunt fish? it is not something it would ever do in nature. true they can nip on occasion, but that tends to be when they are cornered or threatened.

 

[Truck]

fill it about 8 inches you want a 1:3 ratio of land to water for them to chill out you could hav japanese fire bellied newts they do have toxins on there skins but as long as you dont swallow any of their water o touch your nose or eyes after handling water you will be fine

 

[RadaR]

crabs eat fish

How about killifish. A couple of pairs of Aphyosemium killis would breed happily in the tank. Or maybe a school of Pseudomugil rainbowfish.
or my favourite, Splashing Tetras. You could have a bunch of plants with their leaves out of the water and the little guys could lay their eggs on the leaves.

oh boy!!! colin have you ever heard of a redclaw crab eating a fish, well and killing it first? rainbow or fiddler perhaps, but redclaw no!!!

Er, yes, red claw crabs do eat fish. It's hard to grab them from mid waters and other high stratas, however fish that dwell of the bottom like corydoras and fish that sleep on the gravel at night (Neon Tetras) will readily be victims.

really, have you ever seen this? though people give warnings, i cant recall anyone saying it had happened on here. crabs run whenever a fish get near, though they do display, before hiding. my tank is full of bottom dwellers including six cory a banjo cat, and the same is true of several people i know personally, not through forum, and not one fish in two years. lol and none have "true" dry area, just a ledge and a brackish bath. why would a critter that lives on land, and eats the detritus by the shore line hunt fish? it is not something it would ever do in nature. true they can nip on occasion, but that tends to be when they are cornered or threatened.

Yes mate, I have seen it. My mates Cory got eaten by one.
But hey, if it works for you then by all means, carry on.

 

[raptorrex]

crabs eat fish

How about killifish. A couple of pairs of Aphyosemium killis would breed happily in the tank. Or maybe a school of Pseudomugil rainbowfish.
or my favourite, Splashing Tetras. You could have a bunch of plants with their leaves out of the water and the little guys could lay their eggs on the leaves.

oh boy!!! colin have you ever heard of a redclaw crab eating a fish, well and killing it first? rainbow or fiddler perhaps, but redclaw no!!!

Er, yes, red claw crabs do eat fish. It's hard to grab them from mid waters and other high stratas, however fish that dwell of the bottom like corydoras and fish that sleep on the gravel at night (Neon Tetras) will readily be victims.

really, have you ever seen this? though people give warnings, i cant recall anyone saying it had happened on here. crabs run whenever a fish get near, though they do display, before hiding. my tank is full of bottom dwellers including six cory a banjo cat, and the same is true of several people i know personally, not through forum, and not one fish in two years. lol and none have "true" dry area, just a ledge and a brackish bath. why would a critter that lives on land, and eats the detritus by the shore line hunt fish? it is not something it would ever do in nature. true they can nip on occasion, but that tends to be when they are cornered or threatened.

Yes mate, I have seen it. My mates Cory got eaten by one.
But hey, if it works for you then by all means, carry on.

humm that is interesting, you are the first. and whilst i understand your comment, its not just what works for me. if we can get an overview of the experiences of many crab keepers on the forum. it must be better for those who follow. incidentally, did you see the crab catch the fish. i would be very interested in how it was done and any other details.