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	Crab killing fish?
redthanatos Fingerling Posts: 23 Kudos: 20 Votes: 0 Registered: 17-Jul-2006	So i got this crab who is pretty shy and keeps mostly to himself... however i have had 3 dead fish in 4 days and him holding on to them and eating them... now im not sure if they died and he was cleaning up or if he is killing them cuz he now has gotten vicious. the fish killed were 2 platies and a dwarf gourami.. all adult... i figure its not water quality cuz some of my weaker species, like my ottos or corys would have gone first... let me know if this is common crab behaviour thanks Sean
Posted 26-Oct-2006 19:14
redthanatos Fingerling Posts: 23 Kudos: 20 Votes: 0 Registered: 17-Jul-2006	by the way... hes been in the tank for a long time and no problems.... only recently... so hes not a new addage
Posted 26-Oct-2006 19:15
So_Very_Sneaky Ultimate Fish Guru Posts: 3238 Kudos: 2272 Votes: 201 Registered: 10-Mar-2004	Crabs will often kill and eat fish. This is why they are usually not recommended to keep with live fish that you want to keep. Many fish, like gouramis and guppies and platies sleep on the gravel or near the bottom at night. Crabs could easily make a snack of them. Also, Id be concerned that the crab doesnt have a way to come out of the water. Most crabs need land to exit the water on. Crabs in fish tanks = big no-no imho. Come Play Yahtzee With Me! http://games.atari.com Http://www.myleague.com/yahtgames
Posted 26-Oct-2006 19:30
paul_219 Banned Posts: 71 Kudos: 47 Votes: 4 Registered: 25-Dec-2005	Yeah ofcourse crab eats fish. Once i went to my LFS he had an red crab in the aquarium and he put a goldfish for him as a bait. I ask it about it. He told me he was feeding the crab, so i was so sad seeing the fish been Eaten by the silly crab. BUt he told me it has been for several day and the crab wasent getting close to the fish. I dont know what happened then but i guess the fish is RIP.
Posted 26-Oct-2006 21:01
PurestDJ Hobbyist Posts: 64 Kudos: 21 Registered: 12-Feb-2006	I used to have two red crabs and they would occassionally munch on some of the fish, then one day I came home to find one of the crabs eating the other one! Crabs are not for the faint hearted or squemish.
Posted 02-Nov-2006 14:06
jasonpisani Ultimate Fish Guru Posts: 5553 Kudos: 7215 Votes: 1024 Registered: 24-Feb-2003	I wouldn't mix Crabs & Fish & i think that the Crab is the culprit. http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/ Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970. http://www.maltaaquarist.com
Posted 02-Nov-2006 15:54
pizpot Big Fish Posts: 382 Kudos: 82 Votes: 1 Registered: 01-Oct-2002	I put 3 feeder guppies with my moon crab. Now he has 100 baby friends. Man, crabs have personality. When his shell is hard he is not shy at all. I was changing his pool water today and he let me touch his claw with my finger. Never seen him try for a guppy though. He does try to catch his food in the air when I feed him though. If you get one, feed it at the same place every day. Then he will go there and beg, and you will know whether his food will rot or be eaten.
Posted 07-Mar-2007 06:58
Natalie Ultimate Fish Guru Apolay Wayyioy Posts: 4499 Kudos: 3730 Votes: 348 Registered: 01-Feb-2003	Guppies are generally considered too small for for a Moon Crab to even bother with. They will eat larger meaty foods though, and they also like to eat plant matter as well (at work the Moon Crabs would eat an entire bunch of Anacharis in a couple hours). Be careful with your fingers around it though, the assistant manager at the store where I used to work got his thumbnail pinched in half by a Moon Crab when he was unpacking them. I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.
Posted 07-Mar-2007 07:30
pizpot Big Fish Posts: 382 Kudos: 82 Votes: 1 Registered: 01-Oct-2002	I guess if one crab can eat another, then those claws must pinch darn hard. I mean eating king crab is tuff. At least if the guppies are happy, I know the water is good--considering how much he eats when not fasting. I've put java moss in, and sometimes he wears it around... like camoflauge.
Posted 07-Mar-2007 18:07


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