29G Brackish

[YYWW]

I'm starting to reeeeally like the idea of keeping fiddler crabs! Do they reproduce in captivity?


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[sugarselections]

Love the tank. The fids are adorable, as always.

Although they have some beautiful colors/patterns, I now sadly have to avoid the larger nerites. Many of them are a bit too adventurous and try to escape. I've had much better luck with the olive nerites.

[wodesorel]

I'm starting to reeeeally like the idea of keeping fiddler crabs! Do they reproduce in captivity?

They're like hermits - lots of eggs when they're happy, but they hatch into zoea that need specialized marine conditions to survive. I've never found any solid evidence that hobbyists have been successful with breeding, but I believe it's been done in a lab before.

Although they have some beautiful colors/patterns, I now sadly have to avoid the larger nerites. Many of them are a bit too adventurous and try to escape. I've had much better luck with the olive nerites.

Mine are often above the water line or on the lid, and when there was land sections and a freshwater bowl they were often on and in both. It's really surprising how terrestrial they can be! Since the tank is locked down against fiddler escapes they can't get anywhere. I couldn't imagine trying to keep them in a standard aquarium. I had enough "fun" back in the day with apple snails that would get loose and go wandering to lay eggs. (The best was when one got across the room, climbed a foot up the back of the computer desk to lay eggs, and then crawled under the bed. She was fine that time, but she did die from cracking her shell in half on a subsequent escape...)

The weirdest thing is that I can't keep snails in any of my freshwater tanks. I've tried several apples and nerites since we moved here over seven years ago, and they all die within a month. For the longest time I thought it was something in the water that was killing them, although I was confused with how well the fids and hermits did, which meant it wasn't copper or fertilizers/pesticide residue. Given how long I've had the big nerite and how well the smaller one is doing, it seems to be the opposite - it's a complete lack of something in the water that the marine mix is providing them. Haven't been able to narrow down what that is though.

[wodesorel]

So... I brought home two more tonight. These are the two smallest I've ever seen. Look at how teeny she is!




And the two of them together:

[aussieJJDude]

Wow, those are the cutest and smallest fiddler crabs I ever seen! I think they will get lost in your 29g Wod! Maybe you might have to set up another 10g for another bunch of small crabs?

Will they get picked on by the other crabs though?

[soilentgringa]

Omg the one lady with the angry looking face!!! Lol so cute. On my phone it looks like she has angry eyebrows instead of eye stalks.

[wodesorel]

I need another tank like I need a hole in the head.

They're ladies, so they are fine. Females don't fight with each other, and the male will only fall all over himself for their attention. There were a dozen more cute itty bitty males I left at the store, because those would be doomed in a month or two when they got a bit bigger and became a threat to the other male's mating game.

[aussieJJDude]

I need another tank like I need a hole in the head.

They're ladies, so they are fine. Females don't fight with each other, and the male will only fall all over himself for their attention. There were a dozen more cute itty bitty males I left at the store, because those would be doomed in a month or two when they got a bit bigger and became a threat to the other male's mating game.

Ignoring the first part Wod, anyone could do with another tank... Unless you want a hole in the head?
See, you could get these two females & get a really cute itty bitty male in a 10g.... haha, a fiddler crabitat in miniature. It would be pretty cute and you have the perfect excuse!
Eg:
They would be doomed if you leave them at the store, but if you take them they will be doomed by your other males... Solution? Set up another tank!

[wodesorel]

So... the brackish tank is no more. One of my cats got sick into it overnight a few weeks back and by the time I woke up and found it, pretty much everything had died from the pH shock. I thought I had it sealed up well enough to prevent that problem, but liquid seems to always find a way.

It was a good run. I'll miss the fids and the tank but for now I'm finished - it was getting to be too much work and I had considered tearing it down and rehoming the crabs earlier this summer. I really wish I had.

The two survivors were one baby guppy and the newer of the nerite snails. I drip acclimated them to freshwater over a week and they are both doing great in the planted 7 gallon. I'm going to consolidate all my freshwater tanks into a 55 gallon shortly, and will get the guppy a few new buddies then.

All in all we lost a dozen fids, my 4 year old nerite snail, and about three dozen guppies. It was not a pleasant experience.

I had been working on a fiddler caresheet while the forum was down. I need to get some things worked out with my server, but I'm still planning on posting it once I get the photos together. Hopefully at least some good will come of my time with them..

[KellyCrabbieLove]

I'm sorry. *hug*

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[aussieJJDude]

Oh god! That's horrible. Hopefully the guppy and the nerite snail does ok in the 7g.
*hugs*

[IBlab crab]

Enjoyed reading about your experience with fiddlers,will miss reading here.Hope this thread gets stickyed or archived.Sorry for your loss
I would be interested in a care sheet that you mentioned posting.