Is this a small fiddler crab? Or something else

[Rivunel]

Petco sold it as a hermit crab because my Petco is "great"like that.

 

[keddre]

I want to say fiddler, but I never have seen one so red. If so, I had one for about 3-4 years once, really low maintenance. Just note they are brackish water, like to bask, eat meaty foods, and need to be able to get out the water.

 

[Sycoticrealm]

I agree looks like a type of fiddler crab they are usually brackish water.
Idk if there is a saltwater only one or not.
I had some years ago in a 20L and they would breed a lot but never bothered to raise them if it even possible.
Easy crab and fun to watch.

 

[Rivunel]

Hmmm I have no way to let it get out of the water, neither did my Petco, and it's in my rock flower anemone tank.

They get to big pretty big don' they it' only a 20 gallon tank.

I any ledge I made for it to bask it could get out of the tank and my tank is at work my tank at home has a hawkish and a dotttbac so not the best chances there either.

 

[Kmsutows]

It actually looks very similar to some freshwater crabs... the one I'm thinking of doesn't have the big claw though

 

[Rivunel]

So fiddler crab... I have no way to give it a proper home I don't know any other reefers near me... ummm what do....

 

[Gareth elliott]

Flameback fiddler crab, native to australia. Requires an intertidal setup.

 

[keddre]

So fiddler crab... I have no way to give it a proper home I don't know any other reefers near me... ummm what do....

You can get a 10 gallon tank to setup just for him. Or alternatively, I got mine from PetSmart and the waiver I signed said I have 14 days to bring it back if I can't give it a suitable home. Maybe Petco has something similar?

 

[Rivunel]

You can get a 10 gallon tank to setup just for him. Or alternatively, I got mine from PetSmart and the waiver I signed said I have 14 days to bring it back if I can't give it a suitable home. Maybe Petco has something similar?

I may try to set up a 10 gallon but giving it back to Petco would result it being thrown into their dirtier saltwater tanks to die at least in my anemone tank he would die in clean water right?
Time to read up on fiddler crab care and hope my cats don't try to kill it.

 

[Rip Van Winkle]

If you want some advice on Fiddler crab biomes, just ask here and I'll answer. Fiddler crabs are native here along with mudskippers in a shoreline/mangrove type environment. Can be quite a nice setup if you want to take time to do that.

The ones here are completely saltwater although I've always heard they can be brackish. I guess when it rains the salt level lowers in their environment.

 

[ThunderGoose]

Hi, I have a small tank with some Mangroves that someone gave me. I've thought about setting up a mangrove biome. I'd love a quick overview of fiddler crab care. Can you keep them with a mudskipper? What type sand? How much water vs land?

Just don't tell The Husband I'm thinking about another tank!

 

[keddre]

Can you keep them with a mudskipper

yes

What type sand?

I used organic potting soil mixed with play sand

How much water vs land?

Mine was 50:50, but I forget where he spent most of his time.

If you want mudskippers, I would look at their care more than the fiddler's. From my experience, fiddlers are able to withstand almost anything, while mudskippers need specialized care.

I know it sounds weird using Tumblr as a reference, but this blog helped me back when I had a brackish setup -> http://thebrackishtank.tumblr.com/brackishfish

 

[Rip Van Winkle]

For fiddler crabs, when the tide goes out (usually for 12 hours before it comes back), they build a small tunnel in the sand, into which the escape when they feel threatened.
They leave just a little hole on the surface of the sand and they usually live in colonies rather than just a random or solitary crab on the beach. Where they make their homes is in mangrove areas. Looking at the http://thebrackishtank.tumblr.com/brackishfish link's background pic, it's shows the 'roots' of medium to small mangroves but that's with the tide in, as the 'trunks' are above the water line. When the tide goes out, the water level goes down and those 'roots' get exposed along with the surface of the sand. When the sand is exposed and that's when the fiddler crabs come out on the surface of the sand.

Mudskippers share the exact same environment,

So as stated above the best environment for them is an intertidal setup. If you look into some aquaponic systems, I believe they have fill/drain type mechanisms using a sump so it is possible to provide this kind of setup.

The mangroves here grow in a sand and clay substrate. Maybe 12" or so fine sand over a clay substrate underneath the sand.

 

[Rivunel]

So umm the fiddler crab has been in my tank since I made this post with no way to get out of the water it's still alive.definitely a fiddler crab?

 

[Gareth elliott]

The one claw larger than the other, confirms fiddler crab, a male. We dont have that species here but we have a species here on the east coast. certain bays, or beaches you can see them everywhere, if not them the hole they hid in.
It is possible they can fully breath underwater, but that is not going to keep them alive for long.
In lab experiments they were on a constant circadian rhythm to the tide.
The tide not only brings food, it creates their mating and daily ritual.

 

[Rivunel]

It's been over 2 months isn't that longer than it should still be alive? It's been eating algae in the tank..

 

[Kmsutows]

That doesn't mean it's happy or healthy