These pets are a bit crabby but quite entertaining

BY

Alyssa Landau
Columnist, The Friday Flyer

These omnivores are scavengers, have large claws and can grow one to four inches long. Of course I speak of the freshwater crab!

These little guys are incredibly fun to watch and add a nice flare to any aquarium. They are pretty interesting creatures and, with their big claws and oddly-shaped eyes, they make a great conversation starter.

Below, I will discuss what is needed to keep one of these crabs happy.

First off, the average life span of a freshwater crab is two-plus years; of course the better you take care of it the longer it can live.

Diet: Freshwater crabs thrive on a diet of live, frozen, pelleted and flaked food. Examples: brine shrimp, bloodworms and sinking pellet food. Food that dissolves quickly is good for the crab because they are scavengers and will eat what they can find on the ground. It is best to feed a good variety to ensure the crab gets adequate nutrition from a multitude of sources.

When you are feeding your crab, make sure the food sinks down to the bottom (algae and protein-rich pelleted foods are ideal) and make sure frozen food is thawed in water.

Habitat: If you are keeping a crab in just an aquarium, a 10-gallon size is ideal. You will also need air stones in the tank to allow the water to be oxygenated. This will let the oxygen flow more freely within the water and ensure the crab has enough air.

If you wish to have more than a crab in your tank, purchase an appropriate sized aquarium to house your variety of species. Make sure there are either rocks or branches creeping along the wall of the aquarium and have the top of the rock peek out of the water because crabs thrive on spending time perched out of the water and on the rock or décor of choice.

Make sure the pH levels in your water are ideal as they are essential to the well-being of your crab. If you are unsure whether your pH levels are safe, pet stores offer free water testing.

Fun fact: Make sure you don’t have snails in your tank because crabs have been known to eat them (they are scavengers, remember?) Also, since crabs are amazing climbers, make sure you seal up any holes or tubing because they will find a way to get inside them!

Maintenance: You will have to do monthly water changes, but only 20 percent of the water. Any more than that and it will disrupt the beneficial bacteria ecosystem inside the tank. If the good bacterium is gone, the more likely the crab will not survive.

When you change the water, make sure you have water conditioner; this takes the heavy metals and chlorine out of the water and makes it safe. However, you can also use room temperature bottled water as that offers the same thing for your crab.

Fun fact: If you see your crab lying on its back, don’t be alarmed. It is probably molting; which is a fancy way of saying it is shedding its skin. The crab will be just fine!

Compatibility: If you do decide to house fish with your crabs, make sure they are not aggressive fish. Fish, for example Cichlids, can be very aggressive and will fight the crab for their dominance over the tank.

Make sure you get fish that are community or schooling fish as they are going to cause the least amount of tension inside your tank. No one wants their freshwater aquatic life to live in a constant power struggle.

If your tank is large enough and has enough hiding places such as rocks, décor and plants, then you are well on your way to avoiding any problems with stress to the freshwater crabs.

You should also be on your guard about putting frogs and small fish in your tank because the crabs could very well catch them and eat them. Again, if you have enough hiding spots, this problem will be diminished.

Hopefully you have learned enough to become interested in owning your very own freshwater crab! They are very entertaining creatures – just watch them move back and forth and strike their claws out in the water. A crab will make a great addition to any aquarium!