FishProfiles.com Message Forums

I recently bought a red clawed crab, i'm just wodering why he/she spends most of its time under the rock? Should I have a way for it to get out of the water? and how can you tell the difference between male and female? Any other info anyone can provide would be greately apreciated

A quick note: red-claw crabs (typically Sesarma bidens [alternatively Perisesarma bidens) should indeed be allowed access to atmospheric air; they should be maintained in brackish salinity as well.

How frequently does your crab venture out from its rock? What level of lethargy does it exhibit?

Last edited by Veneer at 15-Mar-2005 20:29

The crab (nic named RED) only comes out when i'm not around to gather food, it seems to be very shy and sometimes i will walk into the room only to see it scurry back under the rock. Should i take RED out of the tank every now and again to let it scurry around under supervision, or is it ill advised to let it loose for fear of gathering bacteria?

The crab (nic named RED) only comes out when i'm not around to gather food, it seems to be very shy and sometimes i will walk into the room only to see it scurry back under the rock. Should i take RED out of the tank every now and again to let it scurry around under supervision, or is it ill advised to let it loose for fear of gathering bacteria?

Well, it should have continuous access to an external air source (either an emergent element of decor, a sloped "land" area, or what is commercially sold under the heading of "underwater bubble chamber" or the like) in order to respire properly. I would not advise letting your crab out to scurry about, even under supervision, as there is the risk that it could crawl under a home fixture and become desiccated [in addition to potentially gathering an undesirable - and probably detrimental - amount of dust, or coming into contact with harmful household chemicals, as traces of cleaning solvents or aerosols]).

If kept in water of improper salinity and/or without routine access to non-aqueous air, red-claws may suddenly plunge into terminal lethargy, characterized by near-total inactivity, detachment of limbs, and refusal of food, soon followed by death. Even if they may appear to do outwardly well in full freshwater (such situations are not unheard of with very 'hard' dissolved mineral parameters), molting complications and an ultimately reduced lifespan often ensue.



Last edited by Veneer at 18-Mar-2005 17:07

Thanks for the info, but how much is enough for salinity? I just put the recomended salinity in the tank that was written on the instructions, but that may not be enough since he is not very active.

What sort of salt did you use?

Salt I got at the pet store, the cristals are a litle big, but I grind them up before puting it in the tank.

I keep fiddler crabs and treat their water the same as I do for fish, dissolving the salt in the water before adding it to the tank.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Salt I got at the pet store, the cristals are a litle big, but I grind them up before puting it in the tank.

Standard "aquarium salt" (as sold as a general tonic for freshwater fish) will not cut it; what you'll need is a diluted solution of marine salt.

On second thought, what brand of salt did you obtain?


Last edited by Veneer at 21-Mar-2005 12:42