Keeping Asian/Japanese Shore Crabs

[NYCMAN]

I live in CT, on the long Island Sound. There are billions of Asian shore crabs in the pebbles on the beach during breeding season. I was thinking of grabbing a few and putting them in a marine fish bowl in my house. No filtration, aeration, heating etc. Low tech. I have successfully kept and bred white cloud minnows as such. Thing is I have massive reef and freshwater tanks to supply frequent replacement water. For the crabs I can either use my tropical reef tanks water or a fetch from the sound. I would aquascape the bowl to look like the beach. Would this work with proper maintenance, or is it hair brained? The key is maintenance of the water quality which would be aggressive. My understanding is that these crabs are invasive and pretty much indestructible and can handle wide swings in salinity and temp, so thinking water parms are flexible.

 

[Peace River]

I live in CT, on the long Island Sound. There are billions of Asian shore crabs in the pebbles on the beach during breeding season. I was thinking of grabbing a few and putting them in a marine fish bowl in my house. No filtration, aeration, heating etc. Low tech. I have successfully kept and bred white cloud minnows as such. Thing is I have massive reef and freshwater tanks to supply frequent replacement water. For the crabs I can either use my tropical reef tanks water or a fetch from the sound. I would aquascape the bowl to look like the beach. Would this work with proper maintenance, or is it hair brained? The key is maintenance of the water quality which would be aggressive. My understanding is that these crabs are invasive and pretty much indestructible and can handle wide swings in salinity and temp, so thinking water parms are flexible.

I have also bred white cloud minnows and also had the privilege of visiting their original habitat in Bai Yun Shan (translated: White Cloud Mountain), Guangzhou, China.

I have also collected and kept several North American native inverts (although not the Asian shore crab specifically) and I agree that you have a reasonable plan and I also agree that the water quality and regular water changes are key. Let us know how it works out!