Fiddler crab carrying eggs. Viable in a tank??

Vyache

Vyache

Large Fish
#1
Oct 22, 2002
378
0
0
47
Redding, Northern California
www.vulturesroost.com
#1
What a trip. :eek: I was setting up my new canister filter and found one of my fiddler crabs on top of a powerhead. It was a female and there were all kinds of eggs under her little flap on her underside. I was just wondering if they will hatch in the aquarium. Will they grow to be little crabs quickly or do they go to sea and become part of the plankton raft? If they form locally I need to move her to a breeder tank. I'll do some google research but Tell me if you know anything about fidler crab reproduction.
 

Vyache

Vyache

Large Fish
#3
Oct 22, 2002
378
0
0
47
Redding, Northern California
www.vulturesroost.com
#3
I didn't find anything specifically about the type of fiddler crabs I have (gold fiddler crabs I think), but everything I have found on simular species says they got to sea for their larval stage. I just wasn't sure because the female is carrying the eggs around with her. Hmm. Well I suppose something in the tank will eat them.
 

N

nonamethefish

Large Fish
#4
Oct 22, 2002
338
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34
#4
The young of most species are raised in brackish water.or in the ocean. You might try raising the larvae on planktonical foods.but so far no one hasd succeeded and written about it.
 

C

colesea

Superstar Fish
#5
Oct 22, 2002
1,612
0
0
NY USA
#5
Yeah, the larva is very tiny and therefore needs tinier foods to eat, aka plankton. And the only way to get that is doing a plankton trawl with fine micronwoven mesh netting. Fiddler crabs do need to spend their time in the sea to developed. They are not true freshwater crabs to begin with, they are estuary creatures that should be maintained in brackish to totally marine conditions. Nor are they completely underwater crabs either, but intertidal species that live on land just around the tide lines. During high tides they can plug up their holes and survive, but they do have to breath air at some point.

Also, be forewarned, that it may not be eggs she is carrying. There are several species of protozoan/bacterial parasites that attach to the female crab just as eggs would. This makes the crab believe that she is pregnate, and she cares for the bacteria as she would eggs. This eventually will wear her out as the parastite takes advantage of her undersides as a food source. This is a disease that is devestating much of the blue crab and stone crab market.
~~Colesea
 

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