File :-(, x, )
Code Name Suzy Q !7WxxdK9NZo
Hello all. Some of you may or may not remember my asking about the ease of care of hermit crabs a week or so ago. Anyway, I've done my research, and come to the conclusion that hermit crabs are shit, consuming much too much time, money and effort. That, and I imagine they also smell like ass. I've now turned my attention to the other two widely available crab varieties, the red clawed crab (sesarma bidens) and the mini fiddler (Uca spp.). They seem to enjoy overall similar conditions, and I was wondering if they can be kept together. As you might have guessed, the employee at PetSmart was no help at all. Thanks.
>> Anonymous
how bout getting something aquatic? There are very nice lobsters available.
>> Code Name Suzy Q !7WxxdK9NZo
>>296458

Lobsters? Really? I was looking for something that I could take out and handle if I wanted, or that wouldn't bother me if I didn't. But lobsters kick ass. Do go on.
>> Anonymous
I've seen both in the same tank at Petsmart, but I really don't know if that's a good idea, since I've also seen green spotted puffers being kept together in one tank.
>> Anonymous
>>296463
I used to have pet crawfish. You can take them out and handle them, but you will probably get pinched. They are fun to watch and feed, though. If you give them toys they will catch them, then drag them into nests to try to eat.
>> Code Name Suzy Q !7WxxdK9NZo
>>296466

Do you have to catch them wild, or do they sell them?
>> Anonymous
>>296467
Buy them, the wild-caught ones are prone to parasites. Also, the captive bred variety can be quite beautiful, with spots, bluegreen coloration, and etc.
>> Anonymous
you must be poor as fucking hell to not afford hermit crabs.
>> Anonymous
On the contrary, hermit crabs are low-maintnance, low-cost pets. They do almost nothing.
Mini fiddlers also die easy if not given the correct environment and a specific salinity of salt water.
I've ahd both these pets and I'd prefer the hermit crab. I love to watch them eat popcorn.
>> Anonymous
>>296471
You must never have had pets. Hermit crabs actually do cost a considerable amount of money to keep happy and healthy. You don't just buy them for $.50 and plop them in a little half gallon plastic carrier until they die.

I'm not the OP, but I have had alot of experience with various crustaceans, and most people don't kow shit about hermit crabs.
>> Code Name Suzy Q !7WxxdK9NZo
>>296471

Not the crabs themselves, but everything that goes into it. Large tank, fresh foods, shit for them to climb on.. the list goes on. Sure, I could afford a few of the little 'uns, and keep them in one of those cheap-ass kritter keepers, but no, I like to really devote myself when it comes to my pets, and I could see hermit crabs costing $500+ easily.
>> Anonymous
>>296478
I'm glad you're one of the good and dedicated pet owners, not some dumbass who wanted a souvenier from his beach trip. The idea that a pet who didn't cost much shouldn't have costly upkeep is fucking retarded and pisses me off.
>> Anonymous
http://www.interaquaristik.de/catalog/aquaristikbedarf-hummer-krebse-c-181-1.html?sessID=2a33c07b394
6743d0c98fe89fcbdef29

Only can give you a german site for lobster sale.
But the pictures and latin names should give you an idea of the variety.
>> Code Name Suzy Q !7WxxdK9NZo
>>296474

You say you've had both, could you describe your experience with the fiddlers? Oh, and I've read stories about what hermit crabs are like. Don't you try and trick me with your popcorn.
>> Anonymous
offtopic but the OP's picture is pretty awesome looking.
>> Anonymous
>>296494
This link says pretty much everything I was going to post.
http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/rarespecies/a/fiddlercrabs.htm
I hope it helps, they're very cute little guys.
>> Anonymous
>>296502
Forgot to add this link
http://www.2ndchance.info/fiddler2.htm
>> Code Name Suzy Q !7WxxdK9NZo
>>296502
>>296504

Much obliged, friend. Google be damned, I knew /an/ was the right place to bring this sort of question. I really do wish I could have kept hermit crabs, but I'm just not ready. Oh, and of the two, which do you prefer: red claw or fiddler crabs?
>> Anonymous
>>296508
np

I love red claws, they're so adorable. But both are wonderful to watch. I'd just do some research and see which appeals to you the most.
>> Code Name Suzy Q !7WxxdK9NZo
So just to be clear.. they can't be kept together, right? Between the two, I'd have to choose the fiddler because of the delightful way they waved at me in the pet store.(though I'm sure that was some sort of territorial threat on their part)
>> Anonymous
>>296531
its how they find a mate
>> Anonymous
I didn't see your previous thread so I'm not sure what questions were answered, and I'm no good at the different species, but here's what I know (from selling them in a pet store).
- Take a 10 gallon tank (5 gallon is fine if you just want one or two), on half of the bottom of the tank put sand (the kind for reptiles, about $10 a bag), and on the other half, put wood chips/mulch. Bury two dishes in the bottom, so that the crabs can get into them without climbing over the ledge. One should have food, the other should have pebbles in the bottom, with a sponge on top. Keep the water level in the dish with the sponge below the sponge, because hermit crabs drown easily. They just need to be kept warm and have light during the day. They also like to climb, so a fake plant or two works well. Keep the sand part wet, and the sponge wet. Good luck~
>> Anonymous
>>296600

Sponges aren't necessary. The only purpose they really serve is keeping the humidity up. When I kept hermit crabs, I had two deep bowls, one filled with freshwater and the other one was saltwater. The bowls were as deep as my largest hermit crab so that it could be submerged completely if it wanted to. I put some rocks or a stick or something in the water so that they could climb out easily. It worked fine for me. I didn't use a sponge and not a single one ever drowned. The longest I kept one alive was about 1 and a half years, but I gave it away to someone more devoted to the hobby than I was. Honestly I don't think they are worth it. They are actually really complicated animals and are almost impossible to breed. Each crab you buy is another one taken from their environment. That crab is never going to breed and is destined to die like every other hermit crab sold. It's a real shame these things are sold as they are.
>> Code Name Suzy Q !7WxxdK9NZo
I'm thinking of tank settup now, does anyone know if fiddlers like to climb?
>> 4tran
>>296481
Get a catfish from a local lake. It's much hardier than any goldfish you can buy from Petco/smart.
>> Anonymous
>>297596
They love climbing over and under things, even small trees and shrubs in the wild.
>> Code Name Suzy Q !7WxxdK9NZo
>>297635

Allrighty then. That's another area to the shopping list. I'll assume fake plants and the like are okay, I hear they eat the live stuff. Also, I plan to keep them in a sort of half water half land settup, not too much water, but enough to soak in. My next question is: do they require some sort of pump for water circulation? They make small ones for turtle habitats. Also, does such a small volume of water require a filter? I've only evr had experience with fish.
>> Code Name Suzy Q !7WxxdK9NZo
*ever
>> Anonymous
its good to get a filter no matter what the size of the tank is. It keeps the ammonia down and reduces the amount of water changes you'll have to do. Depending on what you're feeding them, they can make a mess pretty quickly.
>> Code Name Suzy Q !7WxxdK9NZo
>>297776

Hmm... that's a drag. The small size filters are $60 at PetSmart. Oh well, I suppose it can't be helped.
>> Code Name Suzy Q !7WxxdK9NZo
Side Note: I just tested the water quality of my male betta's tank, and also of my 4 female bettas' tank, and they're both just about perfect. Fuck yes they are both just about perfect.
>> Anonymous
>You don't just buy them for $.50 and plop them in a little half gallon plastic carrier until they die.
actually i think that most hermit crab owners do ;_;
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
Get one of these. They're affectionate for crustaceans and love to be handled.
>> Anonymous
>>298212
also, they're GREAT in aquariums!

Fucking mantis shrimp.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
>> Code Name Suzy Q !7WxxdK9NZo
>>298212

You can keep these as pets? For real and for true? Oh, do go on.
>> Anonymous
>You can keep these as pets? For real and for true? Oh, do go on.

You can, but don't expect to keep anything else with it.
>> Anonymous
>>296494

what happens with popcorn? I pictured a hermit eating popcorn and it seemed cute. Do they explode?
>> lollilops
>>298291
can you keep other mantis shrimp with them?
>> Code Name Suzy Q !7WxxdK9NZo
>>298291

Where do you buy them from? How do you keep them?
>> Anonymous
>Where do you buy them from? How do you keep them?

They usually sneak in on live rock, but you may be able to order one at an aquarium store.

Here's a decent article about them.
http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/msubpestmshrimp/a/aa110498.htm
>> Jukk's
oh fuck, my cousin got one of those Mantis Shrimp in his aquarium, killed all of his fish and we saw it once and I looked it up. read up on them and we were both "oh fuck". Wound up talking to a neighbor and he apparently mistook it for another species of shrimp. He called us pansies and said they were great to cook for food, stuck his hand in the tank to grab it and got welcomed with one of the nastiest open cuts I've ever seen on a human hand.

wound up just dumping 2 gallons of chlorine into the tank.
>> Anonymous
>>298318
What kind, caring, understanding persons you, your cousin, and neighbor must be.
>> Anonymous
>>298318
>wound up just dumping 2 gallons of chlorine into the tank

why didn't you just remove the rock and soak it in freshwater?
>> Anonymous
>>298295
They're powerful little monsters that smash apart every living thing you put in their tank including parts of your anatomy. You keep them by living in your bomb shelter and praying to your god for mercy.
>> Anonymous
>>298294
as food
>> Jukk's
>>298321
What was I supposed to do? let the mantis shrimp remain king of the fishtank?
>>298325
What? the chlorine was to kill the shrimp, which had already hatched and gone Predator on my cousin's fish.
>> Anonymous
>>298909
>What? the chlorine was to kill the shrimp, which had already hatched and gone Predator on my cousin's fish.

What does hatching have to do with anything? You could have simply removed the rock the shrimp was hiding in and soaked it in freshwater to kill it. Why nuke the whole tank?
>> Anonymous
>>298909
iirc, you can flush a mantis shrimp out using freshwater, catch it and toss it in another tank and try to sell it.
>> Code Name Suzy Q !7WxxdK9NZo
About the fiddler crabs... if I use sand as substrate, how do I clean it? Seems like most conventional means that you would use to clean gravel would get clogged up.
>> Code Name Suzy Q !7WxxdK9NZo
Actually, new question. Which is the superior substrate: calcium sand or playground sand? They doth look nice (calcium sand might look a bit better), but the play sand is rediculously cheaper. But, overall...
>> Kaptain LokI
>>299740

Use the calcium sand for any animal that lives in water that has a higher specific gravity than 1.002
>> Code Name Suzy Q !7WxxdK9NZo
>>299766

Hmm, you might need to explain this one. I've only ever owned freshwater fish, so...
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
>> Code Name Suzy Q !7WxxdK9NZo
>>299814

Also, where might I be able to purchase one of those specific gravity measurers? I forget what they're called(hydrometer, maybe?).
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
>>298212
>> Anonymous
>>What? the chlorine was to kill the shrimp, which had already hatched and gone Predator on my cousin's fish.

Yeah, but it also kills every living thing in the tank, turning your live rock into plain rocks full of decaying organic matter.
>> Anonymous
>>300503

Hygrometer. Any store than deals in saltwater fish should have them.
>> Code Name Suzy Q !7WxxdK9NZo
>>300620

Well, PetSmart certainly doesn't have any saltwater supplies, so it looks like I'll have to go to PetCo. I dislike my local PetCo. Now remind me, specific gravity is a measure of salt in water(salinity), correct?
>> Anonymous
>>300620
hygrometer measures humidity. A hydrometer measures specific gravity.

>>300640
PetsMart doesn't carry saltwater fish, but they do almost always have a moderate section for saltwater supplies (salt, aragonite, meds, food, etc)
>> Code Name Suzy Q !7WxxdK9NZo
I just thought of something else. If I get an appropriately sized tank, and filled it with enough water, could I keep some sort of fish or shrimp in it? Can ghost shrimps adapt to brackish water?
>> 4tran
>>300640
It's a measure of density, relative to plain water. This then indirectly provides a measurement of salinity.