fiddler crab low income houseing

[i got crabs]

hey everybody, i know fiddler crab care has been discussed on past threads and i have looked over those i have few more specific questions but i do apolgize if im asking the same questions over again. my family was recently in s.carolina so they brought me back 100 fiddlers. (there 5$ for 50) i set up a 50 gal tote with about 3 inchs of saltwater( i know brackish is better i will qradually reduce the salinity) the bottem of the tote is lined with huge flat rocks that extend out of the water so it creates a beach. there is more land then water and im adding a fine layer of gravel over and between the rocks. the only reason for the water being as deep as it is is to run a very small submersible filter. after reading nancys care guide for fiddlers im going add some sand soon. my major concern is the temperature. my room is around 65-70. will this be warm enough? how about lighting if any? any other sugestions would also be greatly appreciated. thank you in advance.

 

[i got crabs]

just an update, all crabs seem to be doing well. (um except for the 3 that have already met mr octo) ive been feeding them fine on romain lettuce, dried flake food, and the ocaisionall thawed shrimp. (although i think the shrimps are fowling the tank too soon so i may cut back on those.) my room got a little cold last night so im a little concerned still with the temp.

 

[cthulhu77]

The temp should be fine...and yes, stop with the shrimp. (whew! can't even imagine what that smells like!)

good luck on the fiddler tank, sounds like a great idea!

(and one happy octo!)

 

[i got crabs]

/(whew! can't even imagine what that smells like!)

not sooo goood! like wakeing up on one of the big party boats after a long night of deep sea fishing! but seriously thanks again greg. yea i wont worry about the temp but the water is definetly going to have to be changed by tommorow.

 

[tjohnson]

Yea temp should not matter thats close enought its all good, and you could even get away with 100% water changes I would imagine since they live on the land, you can really keep the water quality in top shape.

 

[squall7733]

Hmmmn Lettuce and flakes, sounds good. I'll remember that ! :P

 

[Nancy]

Don't forget the fruit - I put in little pieces of fruit (maybe a grape divided into 4 parts, or a strawberry in addition to the lettuce. These have to be changed out every day.

Also, try fluffy grains of popped popcorn. This was a tip from someone who keeps land fiddler crabs, and it works. They do seem to like popcorn.

It's got to be a healthy diet because we've had ours almost two years and they've grown, too.

Nancy

 

[Feelers]

How many crabs can you keep in an area happily? I have a sump and have made an area for a refugium specificially for live food. How many others keep the food in the same system as their tank?

Whats rougly the bioload for crabs and mussels? I know if they die they can be very bad, but alive are they a problem?

 

[i got crabs]

thanks again nancy, ill remember to add friut to the home shoping list. as for the popcorn...can it be store bought popcorn? you know the flavorless no butter big bags that some people buy for their rodents? or to feed the birds?

 

[DHyslop]

Now, the crabs need a place to climb out of the water, right? I can't just throw them into my 12" deep refugium and expect them to thrive?

Dan

 

[Nancy]

They can live in water for a couple of weeks, maybe longer, but it's not the way they normally live. Yes, they need something to climb out on unless they'll be octo food very soon.

I was surprised to find that the fiddlers I have don't stay in the water at all. They live in little tunnels in damp sand and come out at night to find food.

Nancy

 

[joefish84]

i just keep like 75 of them in the sump of my reef tank where they can climb up on the rock rubble down there. they also just eat the leftover food that collects on the rocks as the water level in the sump goes down kinda like tidal influences. dont ever feed them directly and they live just fine for like 4 to 5 months at a time and even shed shells often. so if you have a reef tank just make a section in your sump where they wont get into pumps and put in some rubble and they will be fine