hermies and fiddlers?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 9:43 pm

I have been keeping hermit crabs for years, and just recently had the idea to attempt to put some fiddler crabs in with them. If I were to make a pool at one end of the tank (3-4 inches deep - getting gradually deeper toward the end) would it be possible to put fiddlers in with them? I know that they like to crawl around on land some too, so would the sand I have as a substrate now be okay for them too? Would they cause problems with the hermies? Any and all suggestions are welcome!

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Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 12:44 pm

I am sorry I can't remember where (maybe under New Crabs), Anish and some other members have discussed how their fiddler's and hermits are doing. It seems they definitely can be kept together. If I find where those discussions are, I will come back and edit this. I was thinking about trying it myself some day.

aquav · Post by **aquav** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 4:25 pm

Check out these pictures.
[Link no longer works]
You do have to be signed in to see them.
I have had four fiddlers in my 40 breeder for about two months now. So far everything is going very well. Everybody gets along.
Just make sure that you keep the fiddler pond brackish.
Here is a website that has some info on fidds.
http://www.freewebs.com/fiddlercrabcare/
Joel has a link to a great site, I don't have it, but maybe if he reads this post he can let you know.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 5:19 pm

thanks for the pics! your setup is really awesome - I'm definitely going to do the exact same thing (except on a smaller scale - I don't have a 40g breeder tank at my disposal at the moment...ha ha)

aquav · Post by **aquav** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 6:15 pm

Thanks! I am lucky to have a husband that puts up with me buying stuff for the hermies...he just shakes his head

The plastic container I use as a pond works really well. I have thought about getting a piece of plexiglass and sloping it with aquarium sealant like many other people here have done, but I am worried about leaks. With the container it is not a problem.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 9:16 pm

aquav wrote:Thanks! I am lucky to have a husband that puts up with me buying stuff for the hermies...he just shakes his head
The plastic container I use as a pond works really well. I have thought about getting a piece of plexiglass and sloping it with aquarium sealant like many other people here have done, but I am worried about leaks. With the container it is not a problem.

Hi

Thank you for the info. How big is the platsic container? I wonder if my 30G could hold one?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 9:48 pm

I need to up the size of my tank before I'll have room for a pool (unless you think there's room in a 10-gallon). Would a 20 gallon long tank have enough room for, say, 5-8 hermit crabs and a couple of fiddlers if I were to "utilize the vertical room and add a second level?

eregel · Post by **eregel** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 10:37 pm

I've got 4 small fids and 14 micro and tiny hermit crabs in a 20L. I moved them all in on New Years Eve, and so far everyone's getting along great! Here's a link to my original post, I think there may be more photos under Pictures.

It CAN be done, you just need to be real careful that the substrate stays dry enough for the hermies.

Xena · Post by **Xena** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 9:17 am

This brings up a question; I was in a pet shop and in with their hermit crabs they had a few crabs called "soap dish crabs"...they looked fiddler like, but honestly I thought they were quite ugly and they were mean little guys. I usually can go there and pick around looking for E's in the sand but when I tried, these bad boys literally came after me. I am wondering if they would eat the little crabs?

aquav · Post by **aquav** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 10:56 am

Thank you for the info. How big is the platsic container? I wonder if my 30G could hold one?[/quote]

The container is about 12 X 6 inches and about 4 inches deep. It might be a little tight in a 30 g, but that depends on how many crabs you have. Just make sure that you have enough substrate area for at least 50% of the crabs to be buried at one time.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 3:22 pm

aquav wrote:Thank you for the info. How big is the platsic container? I wonder if my 30G could hold one?

The container is about 12 X 6 inches and about 4 inches deep. It might be a little tight in a 30 g, but that depends on how many crabs you have. Just make sure that you have enough substrate area for at least 50% of the crabs to be buried at one time.[/quote]

Ok thank you. I think you are right - I will wait until I get a bigger tank. I have 12 crabs in the 30 and don't want to cut them back too much. By the way, since the fiddler crab water is brackish, does that take place of the salt water I put out for the hermits or do I still need both?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 3:50 pm

Xena wrote:This brings up a question; I was in a pet shop and in with their hermit crabs they had a few crabs called "soap dish crabs"...they looked fiddler like, but honestly I thought they were quite ugly and they were mean little guys. I usually can go there and pick around looking for E's in the sand but when I tried, these bad boys literally came after me. I am wondering if they would eat the little crabs?

Weird! I've never heard of those. What to they look like? they were in with the herms? Maybe they were part of the loss prevention team?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 4:00 pm

On the note of fids, I stopped at a pet store a couple of days ago to pick up a couple more fids and I found something in with the fids that I thought was pretty cool. I looked him up and I thing he is a red clawed crab? He's really cute and full of attitude. He doesn't bother any of the other crabs in there. I am prepared to move him if I have to but he's kinda fun. The girls in the pet store were afraid to pick him up (or the fiddlers for that matter). So, I had to get them myself. He was like a little psycho ninja with those claws! He did get a hold of me once but it wasn't too bad. He's pretty cool!

Xena · Post by **Xena** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 5:31 pm

anish wrote: Weird! I've never heard of those. What to they look like? they were in with the herms? Maybe they were part of the loss prevention team?

I found out they are also known as Patriot Crabs. Check out this link:
http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Bugs,%20Patriot%20Crab.htm

From what I can summise they are also ind of vicious...

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 9:26 pm

oh, Halloween or moon crabs aren't recommended as tank mates for hermies, they're quite aggressive apparently.