Fiddler Crabs and shrimp? will they get along?

theshrimp_123 · Post by **theshrimp_123** » Sun Nov 07, 2004 11:30 am

Just wanted to know. and if they do, are there any completly freshwater crabs because fiddlers are brackish.

Post by **Mustafa** » Mon Nov 08, 2004 7:18 am

Depends on the shrimp. I have never kept crabs with shrimp, but my guess is that they will opportunistically eat anything that is small enough to fit into their pincers. On the other hand, they might actually get eaten by some predatory Macrobrachium shrimp.

Having said that...fiddler crabs are usually amphibious, i.e. they need to get out of the water a lot. I know that many pet stores sell them in tanks where they are forced to stay under water all the time, but that is not how they naturally live (they are forced to stay under water at the pet store).

There are a lot of Freshwater crabs in the world, but you'll be lucky to see any at your usual pet store. There are some very interesting ones from Lake Malawi for example.

Mustafa

renichms · Post by **renichms** » Wed Nov 10, 2004 4:33 pm

I've kept 5 fiddler crabs in my big tank along with tons of shrimp. The crabs never bother the shrimp, though the shrimp try to snatch bits of food from the crabs. Real fiddler crabs (males) don't use their large claw as a weapon. At worst, they'll try to wave or bat away stuff with it, never jab or pinch. The crabs are also more afraid of people than shrimp are. They eat a lot of the same stuff off the bottom, though crabs do also eat java moss, it seems.

RN