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| FAQs on Freshwater, Terrestrial
Crab Foods/Feeding/Nutrition
Related Articles:
Fresh to Brackish Crabs, Freshwater
Crustaceans, Invertebrates
for Freshwater Aquariums by Neale Monks,
Forget Crawfish Pie, Let's Make a
Crawfish Tank! By Gage Harford
Related FAQs: Freshwater
Crabs 1, Freshwater Crabs 2, & FAQs on:
FW Crab Identification,
FW Crab Behavior,
FW Crab Compatibility, FW Crab Selection,
FW Crab Systems,
FW Crab Disease, FW Crab Reproduction,
& Fresh to
Brackish Water Crabs,
FW Crustaceans 1, FW
Crustaceans 2, Terrestrial Hermit Crabs,
& Marine:
Hermit ID,
Hermit Behavior, Hermit
Compatibility, Hermit Selection,
Hermit Systems, Hermit Feeding,
Hermit Reproduction, Hermit
Disease/Health, &
Crayfish FAQs,
Crayfish 2,
Crayfish ID,
Crayfish Behavior,
Crayfish Compatibility,
Crayfish Selection,
Crayfish Systems,
Crayfish Feeding,
Crayfish Disease,
Crayfish Reproduction,
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Re: unknown crab, fdg.,
sys., beh. 4/22/09
Neale,
I was mistaken when I said that the crab had eaten a nice piece of
cantaloupe.
<Banana! Land crabs seem to love banana, the softer the better! Also
try small pieces of white fish, ideally lancefish, which you can buy
in pet shops. These have bones in them, and the calcium there is
excellent for the crabs. Unshelled prawns, perhaps sliced along the
middle to make things easier, are also a good source of calcium.
Crabs are scavengers, and generally eat anything that's soft or
meaty.>
My wife had removed it as it was getting a bit smelly. The crab has
not eaten anything since we got her and has seemingly become very
weak.
<Review air temperature and humidity; these are essentially like
frogs in terms of care, and cold, dry air does them no good at all.
Turning the heater up in the water side of the tank can create more
warm, humid
conditions in the land side of the tank. Likewise, keeping the lid
more firmly secured will help, too.>
She has not moved much in the past 2 days. Maybe she's getting ready
to molt.
<You can actually check this: before they moult, crustaceans absorb
extra water. When picked up, you may notice they've both bulked up
and yet the shell is softer than normal, and may even yield a bit to
the touch. They feel less heavy for their size that you'd expect (a
tip you using when buying edible crabs, by the way). While the
following link refers to Land Hermits, in terms of generalities, it
would hold true for Land Crabs too:
http://hermit-crabs.com/molting.html
So, prior to moulting, the crab will puff up, become softer, tend to
hide away from light, and generally become inactive. Moulting starts
with the exoskeleton unzipping, and the crab sort of backs out of
its shell,
tail-end first.>
I hope so. We would not feel like very good stewards if she dies.
<I understand!>
Already lost one pet this week :-( One of our Fischer's lovebirds
had a seizure and died in my hands.
<Oh, sorry to hear that.>
Of course, I have zero history on the crab. Have tried feeding her a
variety of foods to no avail. Any suggestions? Thanks.
Quick
<Cheers, Neale.>
Soapdish Crabs, Fiddlers, Ghost Shrimp
hello:
please, I was wondering if y'all could help me. I have what was sold to me as a
Soapdish crab in a 2' x1' 6" tank with about 4 or 5 inches of fresh
water. Carl, as he is called, has a 2" wide body and is probably about 6"
across including legs. he has relatively short (compared to my fiddler crabs)
eye stalks and is a reddish brown color with orange legs and claws that have
reddish brown "designs". the tips of his claws are whitish gray. he has easy
land access but hardly ever comes out of the water. is that weird?
<Mmm, not necessarily>
he eats live minnows and frozen peas. anything else I could feed him for a
little more variety?
<Other meaty foods>
please don't say crabs eat anything, he won't eat carrots or broccoli. is it
safe to feed him hot dog?
<Mmm, no... too fatty>
he'll eat it and seems to like it but I took it away because I'm wondering if
it could be harmful with all that sodium. should I remove any left over fish
parts from the water?
<Yes, I would>
sometimes he just eats half a minnow and the other half just floats around in
the filter current. will it muck up the water or make it unsafe for him in any
way?
<Could. I'd remove all uneaten food>
I have had him for probably 8 months and he seems to be doing well. I just
want to know if you guys and girls have any tips to make him happier and/or
healthier. I read something on your site about iodine supplementation for
crustaceans? anything else?
<You could monitor, adjust biomineral (mainly calcium) and alkalinity... has
this animal molted while in your care?>
what is krill, where do I get it and how do I "soak it in vitamins"?
<Euphausiids... liquid vitamins... just putting a few drops on for ten, fifteen
minutes before offering...>
I love my soap dish crab(s) and would really appreciate any help y'all could
give as there is virtually zip on the web about them.
also, for anyone wondering, Carl (as with all Soapdish crabs, in my experience:
I have 2 males, I lost a female when she wondered into Carl's territory) is
extremely aggressive and will decimate anything it can catch, including other
Soapdish crabs of equal or greater size. does not play well with others. I've
even heard of one wasting an Oscar.
<Have seen this sort, level of "aggression">
oh, why might a fiddler crab in similar tank conditions up and die for no
obvious reason.
<Is a brackish water animal...>
a not too old/big male that seemed to be thriving was fine one day and upside
down dead by the filter the next. he shares the tank with 2 females and one
other male which doesn't currently even have its large claw. I don't suspect
foul play, I am afraid there is something wrong with the water or something. the
tank has been in operation for at least 6 months and has a good filter. I've
heard a terrible rumor about fiddler crabs just dying after a while in fresh
(not brackish) water but I've had a lot of these wonderful, mostly peaceful
crabs and this is a brand new occurrence. any thoughts? might the same thing
happen to Carl?
<What is the make-up of your source water? You may have hard, alkaline water
that "works" for both these species>
just one more thing, I promise. I employ a multitude of ghost shrimp as janitors
and I read on your website that it was easy to breed them. that is very exciting
to me, please tell me more!
I am so glad I found your website, I hope you can give me a few pointers.
thanks,
Scott
<Use your computer search tool/s... much written on Ghost Shrimp. Bob Fenner>
Re: Soapdish crab
hello again!
Carl has molted! about a week after starting the iodine treatments, Carl
(Thai freshwater- Soapdish crab) molted. could this be directly related to
the addition of iodine?
<Yes>
unfortunately, it did not go well for the big guy and he lost a leg and his
larger pincher.
<Evidence of? Likely a lack of biomineral (calcium) and alkalinity...
provided in foods, water...>
the next couple days were very tough for both of us, as he just sat there
and twitched and I was terrified that he wasn't going to make it. the next
day I came home from work to find him on his back and motionless. I nearly
lost my mind with grief until I noticed his mouth apparatus was moving. I
very gently touched the tip of his claw and to my great relief he sprung to
life, trying desperately to flip over. the poor guy just didn't have the
strength! he was still very soft, so I decided to let him be rather than
possibly injuring him by flipping him over. after a couple more days he
eventually started to consume his exoskeleton and move around the
tank. Carl's gonna be ok! whew!
now for the questions: I've noticed that since the molt his carapace and
claw look very strange- its a very dull tan-gray and none of his normal
patterns, like the "H" on his back, are visible. it just looks very worn,
or something. I know crabs will sometimes come out of a molt a different
color, but the way Carl's shell looks makes me think its related to his
traumatic molt. any ideas?
<Either lack of nutrition, water quality... or will develop color, pattern
in time>
Also, is it possible to over dose them on iodine?
<Oh yes>
should I add the drop only when I do a complete water change or anytime I
replace water that has evaporated?
<Best to do with (weekly) water change regimens>
keep in mind I have a 10 gallon filter in about 4 gallons of water, does
that make a difference as to how fast the iodine is getting used up?
<Yes>
One more thing: I really want to change my crab tanks to brackish but I have
read that once crabs are in freshwater for so long, they cannot be switched
to brackish. is this true?
<Not so. Bob Fenner>
thank you in advance.
Scott
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Halloween Land Crab – 03/17/07
Hi, thank you for taking the time to read this. I have what the pet store
called a Halloween Land Crab.
<Gercarcinus sp., maybe G. lateralis.>
He is not set up in some amazing aquarium, he is just in a plastic cage. I have
a water dish for him that's 2 inches deep that he climbs in and out of. The
bottom of the cage is filled with calcium sand and aquarium pebbles.
<Ideally, he needs a sand substrate deep enough and just damp enough to burrow
into, and needs enough saltwater and enough freshwater, each in separate
containers, deep enough to fully submerge himself - though the land area is by
far the most important.>
He has been doing really well eating bits of fruit such as apples, oranges,
pineapple and also an occasional guppy.
<Needs more meaty foods, preferably things like human-consumption shrimp (raw,
frozen and then thawed) and fish; krill, meaty fish foods, and also Nori
(seaweed) would be other important foods.>
But recently three of his legs fell off on his right side! What is going on?
<Likely he is very deficient in something that he needs - saltwater, perhaps, or
iodine.... Feeding the foods mentioned above, especially shrimp, krill, and
Nori which are rich in iodine, will be very important. Supplementing the food
with a reptile calcium supplement will be helpful, as well.>
He was not in a fight with another crab and I've never experienced him going
through the "shedding process"! Is he unhappy or sick? How can I tell what's
going on?
<sounds like a state of disease, not a normal molting situation at all.... I
would urge you to improve this critter's living space and food.>
If this is below what you guys do, then I'm sorry to waste your time,
<A question is never a waste of time.>
I just need simple answers and can't seem to find them anywhere.
<Thank you very much for searching for your answers, and for asking questions.>
Nick
<All the best to you, -Sabrina>
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