scarlet crabs

[cocoa_pleco]

what do scarlet crabs eat? i have a local listing where i guy has 10 turbo snails and 30 scarlet crabs at 2$ a piece. i want 3 snails and 5 crabs, but need to know what they eat.

[Drumachine09]

That is the first time i have ever heard anyone say they wanted crabs...lol

In my experiance with crayfish, they feed on dead fish, and detrius (sp) i think feeding them a rosey every once in a while would do. You can get dead roseys free at my lfs.

[cocoa_pleco]

what about algae? most of my LR is covered with red and brown algae because of the marine-glo light

[Fishguy2727]

If it is the scarlet reef hermit crab they are herbivorous. That means algae off the rocks supplemented with dried seaweed as necessary (or possibly New Life Spectrum).

Live food should only be fed when necessary (as in it refuses everything else). And feeding dead food to something is even more likely to introduce all sorts of things.

[cocoa_pleco]

yeah, dead food is too disease-riden. I have an abundance of algae, and will the crab take oiled romaine lettuce?

[Fishguy2727]

Oiled? I wouldn't do that kind of stuff, stick with dried algae and other foods specifically for saltwater herbivores, including New Life Spectrum if it will take it.

[cocoa_pleco]

jeepers, i cant spell. boiled, not oiled.

[Fishguy2727]

You wouldn't need to boil it and the foods listed would be much better.