new fiddler crab - questions

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 10:38 pm

well the guys dance too, but I think they will be fine. they are sooo cute! they run for cover teh momentthey see me ~ they are really fast!

well if I have any more questions I won't hesitate to ask!

kayla_d · Post by **kayla_d** » Wed Dec 28, 2005 8:14 am

I have 2 males also. I cant find females anywhere.

NaRnAR · Post by **NaRnAR** » Wed Dec 28, 2005 9:14 am

Same here...no females anywhere. Although bf said Pet Ranch *shudders* has fiddlers...I told him the only way Id even consider getting fiddlers from Pet Ranch is if both of mine were dead...its an ickyicky place for crabbies.

I finally got to see BOTH Spook and Bob this morning! Since fall started they havent really been out and about doing their dancing thing...but this morning they were both out basking and Spook danced for me *gushes*...such cute little buggers!

Im thinking of upgrading them as well...put them in a 10 gallon tank with a better, less noisy filter...they are still in that 5 gallon, but are doing well. Im thinking of making them a tunnel system under their sloped sand with PVC pipes.

kayla_d · Post by **kayla_d** » Wed Dec 28, 2005 10:32 am

Mine have not been dancing either..they have been hiding and moving kind of slow since fall. The other day they came out and danced and seem to be getting more active.

I wonder if in the wild they slow down this time of year...maybe a predator hunts them and they have to hide or something.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Dec 29, 2005 5:20 pm

Narnar, I have a quick question. I am trying to talk my hubby into letting me get a few fiddlers. On your blog you talk about cycling the tank. Does this need to be done before we get the crabbies or can it be done after? Im gonna try to figure the cycling part out, lol. Thanks in advance!!

Angela

kayla_d · Post by **kayla_d** » Thu Dec 29, 2005 6:58 pm

Im not Narnar but here is what I think about setting up a fiddler tank.

Well I got the crabs then cycled the tank. I would cycle the tank and then get the fiddlers. When you pour the water into the sand and then scoop it to make the shore its a real muddy/sandy mess. I think it took a couple days for the water in my tank to clear up and I went thru one filter it was so clogged up with sand.
If I did it again I would set up the tank let it set for 2 days then add the filter let it cycle 24 hrs then add the fiddlers.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Dec 29, 2005 9:50 pm

K, heres another question for you all. I just talked to a guy that has a reef tank, and he said to cycle you have to have something live in it, such as fish, live rock, or live sand. Is that true? Sorry, Im very new to this type of venture and I have no idea on how to cycle, lol.

Angela

NaRnAR · Post by **NaRnAR** » Fri Dec 30, 2005 9:57 am

I agree with Kayla, If I got to choose again (which I do here ina bit when I set up their new tank) Id cycle and then put in the fiddlers. But mine did fine when the tank was cycling with them in it...I just made sure to do a 1/4 water change every other day (I have a 5 gallon tank w/ about 1 1/2 gallons of "ocean").

My main worry when my tank was cycling was the ammonia peak, which took about 2 weeks (i think) to reach and then the tank was completely cycled.

To cycle a tank you put all the sand/toys/hideys in, pour in the water, turn on the filter and let it go! I bought an ammonia monitor ($7) b/c bf said that once the ammonia peaks and goes to normal the tank is cycled. I read in a fish magazine that water gets its bacteria from the air. So the bacteria fall in the air and into the tank and these are the beneficial bacterial that will help cycle the tank and maintain a stable water environment.

--I think it cycles faster if you have something living in the water like a fish or something...b/c then the water doesnt have to acquire the bacteria thru the air.

The other thing you can do to move along the cycling is take 1/4-1/2 cup of water from an established salt water tank (if you know of one that you trust) and add that to your water. That is the recommended way of cycling a new tank if you have another tank that is running and is similar to the new one.

So either or I suppose, fiddlers live in a wide range of habitat on the shore..im sure they encounter seriously gross water there as well. Mine didnt seem to mind at all, I just made sure they had clean/fresh dishes of fresh and salt water to wade in while the tank cycled with them in it. Just make sure you have a filter in the tank or youll be cleaning it all every couple days

Hope that helps!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Dec 30, 2005 10:49 am

Thank you so much Narnar!! That helps a bunch!!!

Angela

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 6:39 am

Aaryn, sorry to keep bothering you, lol. I just got a 10 gallon off of freecycle for the fiddlers but it has an undertank heater attached to it. Im assuming since the tank is going to be half water I shouldnt use the uth, right? I have an empty 10 for the hermies ISO that doesnt have a uth, so I could just swap them out. The new 10 did come with an aquarium hood light and a clamp light so that should work for the temps? Sorry for all the questions, lol. Thanks for all of your help!!!

Angela

NaRnAR · Post by **NaRnAR** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 9:26 am

Youre not bugging! I should tell Christa to change the name to hermit and fiddler crab association lmbo! Theres at least a handful of us here that have fiddlers....maybe we should make a fiddler crab assn. ???

Yea, I think if you use the UTH with an aquarium with water in it, it will crack the glass....so you can have it there if youdont want to swap tanks, just dont turn it on.

Yes the lamps should work for the temps. Im always running a lamp for them to keep the water warm and so that they can bask (the lamp shines into the water and onto their basking rock..which is now their eternal food source lol..full of algae on the top!) I have a 5 gallon and I run a 75 watt night-glo and a 60 watt Day-glo (Im pretty sure its a 60...theyve had 75 watts and they do fine with those as well). Just gotta keep an eye on the temp if you keep your house warm during the winter...we keep the apt. at 73...but the bedroom where they are at is around 70....they just need to have a cool area and a hot area, like the hermies.

Oh and Kayla!! Mine are dancing!!! I cleaned the tank yesterday (sucked poop out with a turkey baster, rinsed off toys/plants, changed the filter, and re-arranged the tank) and for some reason they are both out dancing away! Perhaps the change in scenery and a tidy tank (they had made quite a mess) is the reason mine werent dancing. I went to bed last night at like 11:30p and they were STILL dancing and basking on their rock...silly buggers!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 10:26 pm

I think a fiddler crab association would be great, lol! I sure appreciate all of your help with this! The hubby is going out tomorrow to get the air pump, filters and ph tester, then I should be able to set up the tank and get it cycling. The pet store that sells the fiddlers still have them so hopefully Ill have some new guys in a few weeks. I gotta go out and get them some good food that they will enjoy and a turkey baster so that when they come home with me everything is ready and waiting. Thanks again for all of your help!!

Angela

kayla_d · Post by **kayla_d** » Thu Jan 05, 2006 1:05 pm

NaRnAR

Mine like to bask, so if you have a way to do that you can get a lamp and a Day-Glo for them to bask in...Mine have a clamplamp that sits facing down on their screen lid that has a 75 watt bulb in it...

How close to the screen do you have the light? I have a 10 gallon tank I afraid the heat from the light would crack the tank glass.

NaRnAR · Post by **NaRnAR** » Sat Jan 07, 2006 11:44 am

woohoo!! Youre gonna love these little guys!

I went and looked at Pet Ranch at their fiddlers, so sad, I might have to get that last one...their tank is dark, no filtration. Im not sure if the water is salt. Theres one lonely bugger left.

Kayla, here is my tank. Its a 5 gallon witha screen/mesh lid and the lamp sits directly on the mesh. The lamp in on 24/7 and has been on that lid since April and has never melted the mesh. I think the highest watt Ive had on it is 75 Day-Glo. ThenI have a piece of plexiglass sitting on the other end to keep in humidity and to keep out my kitty lol!

Here are the boys! Bob on the left, Spook on the right

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 1:22 pm

Hey Aaryn!! Here I am with a few more questions, lol. First of all, it looks like the filter you are using in the exact same one I have. However, the hubby told me I couldnt lay it down like that, and it had to be up, so the crabbies have plenty of water, lol! Does it work ok laying on its side like that? 2nd question. The hubby (again) is totally concerned about the water not being warm enough for the crabbies. Actually this is a good thing since hes really starting to get involved in this! Besides a light, do you know of any other ways we can heat the water? I know we cant use an UTH on it. The hubby said he kinda remembers aquarium heaters that look similar to test tubes that you can stick down into the water. I dont think hes talking about standard aquarium heaters but something else. If I were to find something like this, would it be ok? Would the crabbies know not to get onto it if its too warm? Ive ordered the fiddlers from the one store here that carries them and am hoping they will be in the end of this week. Im getting really excited! Thanks for all of your help!!!

Angela