You might have been wondering about having a few freshwater crabs and kept them as pets in your aquarium, well, wonder no more.
We have come up with answers to all of your questions regarding crabs. Whether you wanted to know about how are they supposed to be taken care of or which crabs should be the right fit for your aquarium, the answers are here.
Below is a 4 step guide to help you take care of your new crab friends.
Provide them a Suitable Habitat
It is the most essential part of the growth of any organism, and you need to provide a proper environment for this.
Simulating the environmental conditions similar to their actual and origin habitat is the key. Keep the temperature between 72-82 degrees F and have a tank of a minimum capacity of 5 gallons.
They should be provided with rocks and moss in their new living habitat and make sure they aren’t able to escape. It is advisable to tie a net at the top in order to avoid them from escaping the tank.
Choose Their Tank Mates
Choosing tank mates for freshwater crabs can be a difficult task and needs thorough research.
You need to make sure that if you are putting a few fishes in the tank they should not be harmful to your crabs.
On the other hand, you must also make sure that the crabs aren’t harmful to the fishes either. Because there can be issues of compatibility between different species.
What Do Freshwater Crabs Eat?
Crabs are mostly omnivorous and their perfect diet includes a balance between animal and plant food.
They sometimes like to eat algae and other such things as well. You can also treat them with steamed veggies but they should be cut into tiny bits.
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Give Them Space
Crabs live in water but also want to be set out of water for some time, you can provide them with a similar shore kind of area in the tank.
The crabs love to dig into the sand and pass their time on the land. Providing them this space would result in a good balance in their habitat that they always seek.
Top 6 Types Of Freshwater Aquarium Crabs
Panther Crabs
The black spots on the light and bright orange bodies make the panther crab one of the most beautiful crabs.
These crabs are very peaceful and calm but if only they are fed properly. These crabs also have the tendency to escape so you need to be careful.
Orange Clawed Fiddler Crabs
These crabs are known for their golden claws and they love to dig through the sand.
You’ll have to provide them with sand and also make sure to keep the lid of the tank always closed.
You would not want this crab to be running around in your house and this one can do it. They can climb up on anything and this ability helps them escape from anywhere.
Fiddler Crabs
There are few essentials that you need to take care of for these crabs and rest assured they are very easy to take care of.
A clean environment regular feeding is all that you need to provide to these little beautiful creatures.
They are compatible with almost all the species of fishes and crabs and they don’t cause any trouble nor do they get into. They love to play and hide and you need to ensure to provide many such hiding places in their habitat.
Vampire Crabs
The bright yellow eyes on a purple body give these crabs a unique and exotic look.
These are very rare to find crabs and can grow only to the maximum of an inch.
These crabs eat at night and hunt for any insect and thus the name. These can be kept in any aquarium small or big and made to live with small fishes.
You’ll have to very carefully take care of their eating routine and provide them their dose at night.
Thai Devil Crabs
Unlike their names, these are very friendly and peaceful species of crabs. Their maximum growth can be from 2”-3”.
These are some colorful crabs that you can surely have in your aquarium. You also need to make sure that you provide them with an area that has only sand and no water.
They love to dig deep into the sand and come out from beneath sand into the water. They also enjoy eating dry fruits, fresh vegetables, and fresh meat.
Red Claw Crabs
These crabs have a long life of five years and are very easy to take care of. These are some of the most popular and extensively petted types of crabs.
They are not so friendly neighbors and have a tendency of eating up many fishes and crabs, and you need to be very careful about that.
They also need some part of the tank to be outside water as they like to spend some part of their time on the land.
Hi, my name is Sean, and I’m the primary writer on the site. I’m blogging mostly about freshwater and saltwater aquariums, fish, invertebrates, and plants. I’m experienced in the fishkeeping hobby for many years. Over the years I have kept many tanks, and have recently begun getting more serious in wanting to become a professional aquarist. All my knowledge comes from experience and reading forums and a lot of informative sites. In pursuit of becoming a professional, I also want to inspire as many people as I can to pick up this hobby and keep the public interest growing.
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