SLeen
07-01-2011, 08:58 PM
so, a while back when I knew nothing about keeping crabs, I was talked into purchasing a Red Clawed Crab from my LFS. I kept him in my freshwater tank for about 2 weeks until he practically died. After a little online research and some emergency procedures, he was able to pull through and is doing fine now, about a month later. Around the same time, I was duped yet again by a DIFFERENT fish store into getting some fiddlers. I put them in the freshwater tank, but this time I took them out within a couple days and placed them in the tank with the RCC.
SO. Now the 3 fiddlers and the single RCC live together in a brackish water tank. The tank is only 5 gallons, but they all seem to be getting along in the close quarters. there is only one male fiddler and he and the RCC seem to want to have nothing to do with one another, which is preferable to them fighting. All 3 fiddlers have recently molted and are doing great. The RCC is a little shy right now, I am thinking he is getting ready to do the same.
So now that they are all safe and sound, I am thinking about changing the tank around a bit. It was set up in haste originally with little time for planning.
Here is how it looks now: [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
and here is a sketch of my idea:
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
Its amazing, I know. Basically I want to try and build up a little beach on one side, raised up on gravel and rocks and partitioned with wood and some more rocks.
Is this a good idea? The tank is pretty small and I would like to eventually get something bigger, but right now thats not really an option. So should I go for something like this or leave it the way I have it?
ANOTHER QUESTION: Recently all 4 of the crabs have been spending more time underwater, rather than climbing, which they previously enjoyed doing throughout the day. There have been some changes recently, a couple weeks ago, I swapped out a small piece of driftwood with the larger mopani wood thats in there now. AND the desk lamp I was using for a light died, so I bought a small uv lamp with a dimmer dial which I keep in a kind of medium setting. The temp in the water is usually somewhere between 74 and 79F. Are they hanging out in the water more because they have recently molted, or because the water is so warm they don't feel they need to get out much, or because they don't like the mopani wood? I miss seeing them climbing around. :(
SO. Now the 3 fiddlers and the single RCC live together in a brackish water tank. The tank is only 5 gallons, but they all seem to be getting along in the close quarters. there is only one male fiddler and he and the RCC seem to want to have nothing to do with one another, which is preferable to them fighting. All 3 fiddlers have recently molted and are doing great. The RCC is a little shy right now, I am thinking he is getting ready to do the same.
So now that they are all safe and sound, I am thinking about changing the tank around a bit. It was set up in haste originally with little time for planning.
Here is how it looks now: [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
and here is a sketch of my idea:
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
Its amazing, I know. Basically I want to try and build up a little beach on one side, raised up on gravel and rocks and partitioned with wood and some more rocks.
Is this a good idea? The tank is pretty small and I would like to eventually get something bigger, but right now thats not really an option. So should I go for something like this or leave it the way I have it?
ANOTHER QUESTION: Recently all 4 of the crabs have been spending more time underwater, rather than climbing, which they previously enjoyed doing throughout the day. There have been some changes recently, a couple weeks ago, I swapped out a small piece of driftwood with the larger mopani wood thats in there now. AND the desk lamp I was using for a light died, so I bought a small uv lamp with a dimmer dial which I keep in a kind of medium setting. The temp in the water is usually somewhere between 74 and 79F. Are they hanging out in the water more because they have recently molted, or because the water is so warm they don't feel they need to get out much, or because they don't like the mopani wood? I miss seeing them climbing around. :(