# Crabs?



## minisambora (Jul 31, 2011)

Ok so as some of you may know I wanted to put crabs in with my african cichlids (acei, yellow lab, red zebra, and eventually kenyi) and people said they weren't a good idea because when they molt the africans would eat them. However, I found a place that sells feeder fiddlers for like 75 cents a piece so I would be ok with buying a couple of them every month or so to look good in my tank and when they molt they become a nice treat. However, I would like to know if the fiddler crabs would hurt my africans. My africans are only about 2.5-3 inches long so I don't want to do it and then have my fish killed. What do you think. Thanks


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Yes, the crabs could eat the fish while the fish are sleeping...


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## blackedout (Sep 21, 2010)

i had a few crabs in my tank last year, and they didn't last more than two weeks before they were both eaten.


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## The King Crabb (Jun 28, 2011)

I don't see it ending well. Either way one of them will get injured.


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## master chi (Jan 3, 2010)

just for fun. there are crabs indigenous to lake malawi. I'm not saying they would work well in a small tank. but how cool would it be to get a couple of those cool blue crabs.I bet if you had a monster tank it would be fine.but seriously who has a monster tank.


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## LadyCinder (Jun 28, 2011)

lol moster tank i seen an 800 gal tank on ebay a week ago


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

master chi said:


> just for fun. there are crabs indigenous to lake malawi. I'm not saying they would work well in a small tank. but how cool would it be to get a couple of those cool blue crabs.I bet if you had a monster tank it would be fine.but seriously who has a monster tank.


I've had these, though only for a short time. These crabs need to be able to get out of water and are very capable of catching and eating fish. Neat looking though.


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## iwade4fish (Jan 5, 2009)

Crabs eat sleeping mbuna, ask me how I know.


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## The King Crabb (Jun 28, 2011)

How do you know?


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## eeztropheus (Jan 10, 2010)

I put crabs in my mbuna tank once and they all climbed out of the tank during the night I was finding dead crabs all over the house for a week...


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## The King Crabb (Jun 28, 2011)

eeztropheus said:


> I put crabs in my mbuna tank once and they all climbed out of the tank during the night I was finding dead crabs all over the house for a week...


 :lol:


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## iwade4fish (Jan 5, 2009)

Mine got eaten...


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## SullyNJ (Nov 1, 2007)

I had them also. They are cool to watch. My fish bit there eyes off. Also like mentioned they will find a way to climb out.


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## dtune21 (Dec 16, 2003)

I have tried crabs, lobsters, crawfish and frogs over the years and they either get eaten or crawl out of the tank and you find them dead....


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## Dominateprimate (Aug 27, 2011)

I've never thought of crabs in my tank but I have a blue lobster thats been in there ever since I've had the tank. It's a 55gal and been up for about a month and a a half now and he's been doing fine. I got him for free and he started killing my mollies so i put him in with my cichlids to see what would happen and everyones doing fine; I even have 2 clown loaches about 1.5-2 in long and they're even doing ok. So you might try some larger crayfish.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Dominateprimate said:


> I have a blue lobster thats been in there ever since I've had the tank. i put him in with my cichlids to see what would happen and everyones doing fine.


Has he molted yet with the cichlids?


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## Dominateprimate (Aug 27, 2011)

Yeah twice and i put him in with only one of his claws he lost the kther in a fight but its growing back now i was surpeised when he survived the first time but he is pretty good sized about 3.5-4in


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## master chi (Jan 3, 2010)

Fogelhund said:


> master chi said:
> 
> 
> > just for fun. there are crabs indigenous to lake malawi. I'm not saying they would work well in a small tank. but how cool would it be to get a couple of those cool blue crabs.I bet if you had a monster tank it would be fine.but seriously who has a monster tank.
> ...


 So I would need the monster tank that has some kind of built in shore for the crabs 

My local zoo and aquarium has an ocean setup like that. when you first walk in you see the beach then as you walk around and down the beach you can see underwater from the sideview. Following along will eventually take you to the deeper water ,where the sharks swim.

A tank like that for cichlids would be amazing in the backyard.

I once saw a post by someone who made a concrete tank in what looked like his basement or garage.

That would be the ideal setting ,since predators would be less of an issue. Still the Idea of an African Beach in your basement would be fun.Though too many crabs crawling around would be weird.


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## catfish crazy joe (Oct 30, 2011)

I would look into the Tanganyikan crab (plathytelphusa sp.) they don't look as good as fiddler crabs but they might last longer with the mbuna because i believe they get a little bigger than fiddler crabs.


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## Dominateprimate (Aug 27, 2011)

did this post rise from the dead just for Halloween? :lol:


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## catfish crazy joe (Oct 30, 2011)

:lol:


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## Mikeabildgaard (Dec 4, 2021)

blackedout said:


> i had a few crabs in my tank last year, and they didn't last more than two weeks before they were both eaten.


Did you have a few or just 2? "Both" cant be a few


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