Want A Crab

[Nick Bramley]

i thought of having a red clawed crab but been told they need a dry area, s there a crab that doesnt need a dry area and can live in the water constantly?

Thanks, Nick

 

[OohFeeshy]

I've heard of people acclimating marine hermits to brackish, obviously this depends on your SG and the species in mind though.

 

[geo7x]

I've heard of people acclimating marine hermits to brackish, obviously this depends on your SG and the species in mind though.

thats pretty high end brackish though, so much you might as well go SW lol

 

[raptorrex]

i thought of having a red clawed crab but been told they need a dry area, s there a crab that doesnt need a dry area and can live in the water constantly?

Thanks, Nick

no i don't beleave there are any, brackish or freshwater aquatic crabs. that seems to be the preserve of Salt-water. all need land, whatever the LFS/Website says.

 

[nmonks]

No, there are hundreds of freshwater and brackish water crabs that don't need land. There just aren't many traded as aquarium pets.

Some hermit crabs are tolerant of brackish water despite being sold as marine inverts and will certainly go down to 50% seawater (~SG 1.012) and possibly less. Clibanarius tricolor a.k.a. blue-leg hermit crab seems to be the species most easily obtained and identified. Not all hermit crabs are tolerant of reduced salinity though, so identifying your crab and then doing the research is essential.

I've kept European shore crabs, Carcinus maenas, in brackish water aquaria and they will tolerate both high temperatures and low salinities (down to about 25% seawater, but ideally at least 50% seawater). While hardy and quite handsome in their way, these are very, very aggressive and predatory animals and can only be kept with much larger fish that are not stupid enough to get nipped. Regardless, if you can collect your own specimens, this opens up your options significantly.

South Asian horseshoe crabs, Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda, are a better option. They are hardy (provided you feed them regularly) and fairly small compared with other horseshoe crabs. Obtaining them is difficult but possible. Don't confuse with American or East Asian horseshoe crabs, which are brackish tolerant only to a certain degree and probably need subtropical to coldwater conditions anyway.

There are a bunch of freshwater crabs in the African lakes such as Platytelphusa armata and Potamonautes platynotus. These are, I believe, fully aquatic. The frequency with which they are traded is not known to me because I don't follow the African Rift Valley cichlid hobby much.

Cheers,

Neale

no i don't beleave there are any, brackish or freshwater aquatic crabs. that seems to be the preserve of Salt-water. all need land, whatever the LFS/Website says.

 

[Dave Legacy]

South Asian horseshoe crabs, Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda, are a better option. They are hardy (provided you feed them regularly) and fairly small compared with other horseshoe crabs. Obtaining them is difficult but possible. Don't confuse with American or East Asian horseshoe crabs, which are brackish tolerant only to a certain degree and probably need subtropical to coldwater conditions anyway.

no i don't beleave there are any, brackish or freshwater aquatic crabs. that seems to be the preserve of Salt-water. all need land, whatever the LFS/Website says.

Neale,

How can I tell the difference between South Asian Horseshoe Crabs and the other species? I've been interested in keeping one for some time, but I haven't been able to find them suitable. Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda might be a good fit for my 200g... but how do I identify one?

Also, will it dig up seagrass? Will it eat my hogchoker sole?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[nmonks]

I believe that the tail has a circular cross section (like a big knitting needle) while the tail of Limulus is more angular with flat sides. East Asian horseshoes (Tachypleus spp.) are as good as never traded, so you aren't likely to see them.

They sound ideal for aquaria. I was reading something today that records them 90km up river in freshwater in the Hooghly River. Apparently, they eat pretty much everything and can be kept in labs for long periods, so an aquarium with proper filtration and healthcare should be ideal.

Yes, they'll almost certainly dig up seagrass. No, I don't think they'll eat fish. Mostly these things eat worms and the like. They very small mouthparts.

Cheers,

Neale

How can I tell the difference between South Asian Horseshoe Crabs and the other species? I've been interested in keeping one for some time, but I haven't been able to find them suitable. Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda might be a good fit for my 200g... but how do I identify one?

Also, will it dig up seagrass? Will it eat my hogchoker sole?

 

[Dave Legacy]

Thanks, Neale! Any of what the growth rate is like for horseshoe crabs?

 

[nmonks]

Absolutely no idea. Probably not very great. I came across a pretty cool web site today. Perhaps e-mailing these people specific questions might be useful?

http/horseshoecrab.org

Cheers, Neale

Thanks, Neale! Any of what the growth rate is like for horseshoe crabs?