so, i'm setting up my tank and i have a dilemma... i would really like to get some fresh water crabs to sift through the sand, climb on the driftwood and just look cool in the tank... the only true freshwater crabs that live in deep water that i have found are asian.... there will be a texas and jaguar and i would really like to keep it a new world tank.... are there any south american crabs? should i just go with crayfish to keep it new world... my texas is psycho and im hoping she will put her aggression to the crayfish and crabs... maybe eat some too...thanks!
crabs with cichlids...
- Thread starter Gasha
- Start date
I don't know of any SA/CA crabs like what you are looking for, and I imagine that a crayfish would only last a certain amount of time with either a Jaguar or a Texas. When the crustacean molts it is left soft and vulnerable and at this point the cichlids make their move, they will even wait for the cray to molt for their moment of opportunity. I wouldn't try it unless you have a large tank with a lot of hiding places, but sometimes you just get lucky.
I dont know much about crabs, Gasha. Sometimes I toss in a few Fiddler Crabs in my tanks to get in the tight spots that I can't readily reach. They do a great job. But My fish usually eat them which is okay by me. The bad thing about Fiddler Crabs is that they need access to dry land too. They don't live long without it. That's not for a lack of trying. There have been plenty of times when I was watching tv with my wife just to hear her jump and scream about a spiders crawling on the floor! They turn out to be some of the Fiddlers that escaped the tank and tried to make a run for it through my living room. They climb up aeration tubes and escape. Find fully aquatic freshwater crabs if you can. I have had better luck with crayfish. They don't escape and they do a lot better job turning over the substrate. They still end up as food for my big fish too but they live longer. They are very vulnerable during molting and a several hours after. Other than that, Crayfish are the better bet in my opinion. Oh, watch out for Crayfish with small fish and while some fish are sleeping at night. Crayfish are really active at night, small fish will be eaten and sometimes bigger fish will be harassed as they sleep close to the bottom.
Gruff Master;4501949; said:
HAHA. Ive experienced the same thing. They are escape artists for sure. I kept them with Africans in the 80s and for the longest time I thought the africans were eating them at night, but they werent. The crabs would get out and our family cat would eat them. We ended up finding literally 30 or so large claw shellings in an air duct that was right near the cats bed...and we only went to see what it was when the smell got so bad. We had written it off as the cat smelling like the food we fed it.
Id like to keep crays in my CA tank, but I swear they are masters at catching fish at night and have done away with many young fish Ive had..so I avoid them. I am however, going to get 5 marbled crays (I think its the only animal known to clone itself) and use them for feeders for my bichirs, but they will be going in a 30g by themselves.
There is a crab that the arapaima eats in the wild but I don't know if they are available in the hobby.
I did some quick research on the Marbled Crayfish that you mentioned. Wow! I have never heard of them before. I have only seen one other example of cloning and that was a species of lizards. Marbled crays would be a great asset in terms of constant feeders. I may have to jump on your bandwagon and get a female or two myself. Gasha, this may work out better for you in terms of feeding. If they survived in your tank you would have a limitless supply of feeders.VRWC;4501974;4501974 said:
yea... i'm going to check out those marble crays later on tonight... that sounds cool.. i have no experiance with crays... but they aint killing a large texas or jag right??? also might throw a orange pike in the tank... they get a foot long... i don't want to overstock though so we will see what happens... if the jag gets too big for mine i have a back up home for him anyway...
VRWC, You'll probably get yours first. My wife is starting to question my recent tank additions. I managed to dwindle down to two running tanks. Now I have another empty one running in the garage with another one coming out of storage tomorrow. I'll have to carefully work in a tank for the Marbled Crays.
Gasha, You shouldn't have any problems with any crayfish bothering your Jag and Texas. They are too big to be considered food. They may get nipped at night if they settle at the bottom to sleep but nothing serious. Most likely the crayfish will end up being eaten long before they grow large enough to threaten your fish. Pikes are cool fish too. There's one at the store that I want but I have no more room for it. My tanks are being set up for specific fish now. Maybe later on I can pick a few up. I don't think it would mesh well with my stock anyway. Get some pics of the pike if you get it.
Gasha, You shouldn't have any problems with any crayfish bothering your Jag and Texas. They are too big to be considered food. They may get nipped at night if they settle at the bottom to sleep but nothing serious. Most likely the crayfish will end up being eaten long before they grow large enough to threaten your fish. Pikes are cool fish too. There's one at the store that I want but I have no more room for it. My tanks are being set up for specific fish now. Maybe later on I can pick a few up. I don't think it would mesh well with my stock anyway. Get some pics of the pike if you get it.