fiddler crabs and shrimp

cro117 · Post by **cro117** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 9:19 am

hi, does anyone know if fiddler crabs are compatible with shrimp. also, can anyone give me any info on the species listed as watermelon crab in this link:

http://www.aqualandpetsplus.com/Bug%2C% ... ab%20I.htm

they are listed under mini-crabs and are said to be small. thats all i could find on them, i couldn't even find a scientific name. would being smaller make them more compatable with shrimp?

shrimpboyLA · Post by **shrimpboyLA** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 1:52 pm

As far as I know these crabs can't be submerged all the time so they probably would not like to be in the same tank as the shrimps.

cro117 · Post by **cro117** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 3:45 pm

the tank will have both land and water. there should be about 10 or 12 gallons.

Veneer · Post by **Veneer** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 6:37 pm

In addition, fiddler crabs should be kept in brackish conditions.

cro117 · Post by **cro117** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 7:19 pm

i have succesfuly kepped fiddler crabs before, but i didn't mix them with other species. thats why i was asking if they got along with shrimp. they will eat anything they can catch but don't seen to harass things thay can't. so, as i see it, it would be a gamble to put them in the same tank. i don't like gambling with live animals and was just wondering if anyone has keeped them together.

if anyone has ever had or heard about a watermelon crab i would apriciate any info. at this point im not even sure if it is an uca species or not. so i definatly wont mix shrimp with them until i can find some info on them. other names might be, blue devil fiddler, blue/red fiddler, or, maybee, orange fiddler.

jonathan03 · Post by **jonathan03** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 7:14 pm

If you plan to keep crabs in your tank, you must have land. If not, they will find a way to escape. They are very good a climbing on the cords of heaters and any other way out of the tank. They are often found several feet away from the tank hiding in your house if you don't have land for them. They really need a terrarium, not an aquarium.

They need land because they are unable to breath underwater. They trap a large bubble of air in them but it only lasts for a limited time. Many pet stores sell them as aquarium pets when they really aren't.

cro117 · Post by **cro117** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 1:53 pm

as i said, i have kept fiddler crabs before. the terarium has the mesurments of a 30 gallon tank though it is a 20 gallon because it is short. it has 10"x12" land and 20"x10" water that is 6" deep. i estimat that there is about 8-10 gallons of water in the tank, which will be about 1.002 to 1.005 salinity, though im still working on that. there should be enough water in the tank for about 6 shrimp. my only question is if fiddler crabs prey on shrimp?

jwarper · Post by **jwarper** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 1:44 pm

Fiddler crabs WILL kill and eat shrimp that are smaller or equal to their size. I had several ghost shrimp I mistakingly placed in a tank with a female fiddler crab. Fiddlers are scavengers and will make a meal out of whatever they can find!