fiddler crab molting (shedding) shell in my new crabquarium

[aloyalblue1]

How cool to have actually captured this event on video! CONGRATS! I have had several mini crabs in my 75 gallon freshwater fish set-up, but yours is much better for them, from the mini's perspective... nice job! My tank is mainly for fish, but the minis have access to air via several hanging plant structures. A sandy beach is ideal, but mine seem very happy with their environment as well. I have some rather unique and rare items posted too! Stop by and take a look if you get the chance!

[SCDarkness]

question why are my fiddler crabs turning white?

[Momobeans2010]

I'm so glad to see that that's the normal coloring for them when they're shedding. I looked in my crabs "tank" and saw him under water looking that color, and thought he was dead. My second thought was to look it up to see if he was just molting. How long does the molting process normally take, and where did you find all of that wonderful sand? I'm having a really hard time finding any around where I live.

[ratcrib]

@Momobeans2010 Sand is from Yuma, AZ. I actually am in Phoenix, AZ, where one can find inactive or dry riverbeds with fine, awesome desert sand.

The molting process takes a few hours from start to the hardening of the new underlaying shell.

[Momobeans2010]

@ratcrib So, basically if he doesn't come out of that state by tomorrow night, he might be dead?

[bulmer24]

do you really need put in a new aquarium

[ventusdude88]

sometimes i cant find my fiddler krab in my aquarium. does it turn into a rock or something like that?????

[TheKeyWestKid]

front flip

[gmanbaseball5]

ha ha! my favorite part was 4:05 O.O

[allaboutfish1996]

oh and they would be in a 20 gallon long

[ratcrib]

@allaboutfish1996 no - i've learned my lesson and don't keep them anymore.

[allaboutfish1996]

i have some fddlers and some red clawed crabs and i have a question. right now i have 2 10 gallons, one has 3 female fiddlers and one has a male and female red claw. now im wondering if i can keep

1 male red claw

1 male fiddler

1 female red claw

and

4-female fiddlers. it has ALOT of hiding places. i mean the filter alone has a bunch of caves.will this be ok? ill have land and brackish water.

[hunterziegelmann]

@ng31200 Turns out, national park had no open reservations so i couldn't catch any since we only went noto public beaches... All the crab there are never up in the day.

[singinlover1]

yuck.what do i do if my hermit crab gos nekkid!?

[AandW100]

crabs are the worst pets ive had mine for 3 weeks and the female is preggo and the admonben is so nasty when she moves it shes going to give birth any day now =( then im going to have to watch them eat thier children. fun. plus they stink too!

[MPSecare]

i love fiddler crabs they are like "yo come here".

Its funny to watch them eat with their tiny hand.

[hunterziegelmann]

I'm gunna try and catch a crapload of these and get some natural salt water because we have an empty 50 gallon tank that has seen the death of 18 fish...

[ratcrib]

@hunterziegelmann please don't. you should leave animals in their natural habitat. if you love nature and animals, and want those crabs to live a full, healthy life, do not remove them from their environment. the reason for them being alive in the first place IS their environment. If it wasn't for those exact conditions, they would not exist. IF you take them and put them in a small jail (aquariums cannot replicate the necessary conditions for them) they will die a slow and painful death.

[MPSecare]

@hunterziegelmann you can get them at pet stores!

[hongsa123]

the chicken nugget wasnt poison the part of the antana broke of a it cant smell any more...

[fanningwilson]

@hongsa123 chicken nuggets are 10 times outta 10 treated with Ammonia (unless you go to like a farmers market) too kill all the bacteria from a lifetime spent rolling in their own feces.... So yeah chicken nuggets are poison, I would recommend possibly less processed food for your aquarium friends.........

[hongsa123]

i feel sad my fidder crab died today at 5-15-11 i gave it so much care i only had it for few days i gave it food everything! well it lost part of the antana i dont know how to spell that cause one antana touch and the other smells stuff well it losts its smell and they eat dried up chicken nugget yet i still feel sad :(

[ratcrib]

@hongsa123 that's how you know the stuff in the chicken nugget is poison. we are much more resilient than little crabs, our bodies can handle a lot of abuse and punishment - but that doesn't mean we should eat whatever. it will all come back to us when we are older. do you want to lay on a hospital bed for the last 20 years of your life or be on dozens of drugs, or you want to live like normal?

[n3iljay3]

@ratcrib You Planted a California Fan palm to your Crabquarium?

[1320carlover]

@hongsa123 My fiddler died 3 days ago too thats crazy i had bought two and the male died the day b4 i was about to move them into their own habitat.

[quan631]

@hongsa123 ame here mine died 2 years ago and i only had it for a week

[hongsa123]

ummm why wont you like get more fiddlers cause it seems to be alone in the tank

and the tank is big

[ratcrib]

@hongsa123 there were 5 in there and the tank is only 20 gallons.

[5bluefrogs]

My red claw crab shed, and it was so big. Now he's huge which is sad news to my other female crab considering my male grew another claw.

[ronniegranillo]

Hey, Fiddler Crabs don't get along do they? I came home, and the female smashed the males head and he died... Anyways, that's a beautiful set up! Do they require access to air? I put them in with a male and a female red claw crab. One more question, how do you put in the sand WITH a filter?

[raigekiman]

i like your aquarium just wish i did that to my crabs when i was little i just left a little bit of water with sand in there

[DisobeyJesse]

lol at music

[pikachu48]

The reason why nobody disliked this video is because they were all about to, but were suddenly pinched to death by Fiddler Crabs.

[ratcrib]

@pikachu48 why would you dislike this video in the first place? it's not like its controversial, or aspiring for some kinda reward, or anything. Just shooting what i loved.

[pikachu48]

@ratcrib I was just just following the whole, "This many dislikes blah blah blah" Thing. I'm actually very happy for you, I used to have a Crab named Steve, but he died. Poor little thing.

[PSTRIPPLEE]

@pikachu48 every video on youtube must atleast have 1 dislike or more. but since this video doesnt have one yet am going to make it happen care to join :)

[mbe102]

I wonder how they know when to do that...

[ratcrib]

@mbe102 they don't; it just happens, sort of like when we feel like it's time for a poop.

[wrxnm]

id be molting a lot if i was a crab then.

[poopykengsta]

my fiddler crab big claw is changing color so is it a good thing or not a good thing

[kwazhimself]

im fascinated by these little guys, theyre big pincher waving around looks so bad ass

[peffico]

I'm curious as to what kinda filter you have going for them.

[ratcrib]

@peffico

AQUA-Tech® 10-20

[liltatebmore]

really loving the habitat, how many gallons

[GrimReaper602]

what substrate did you use?

[ratcrib]

@GrimReaper602 no 'substrate', just 100% desert sand from Yuma (sanddunes)

[DisobeyJesse]

@ratcrib No way, your from Yuma? Me too, I have fiddlers :D

[BoringYPG]

@DisobeyJesse Whoa it's a party. I'm from yuma too. And have fiddler crabs lol.

[casha4]

what do you do with the shed after its done shedding do you take it out?

[ratcrib]

@casha4 you can if you want...they may want to nibble on them themselves though...

[Sputters]

@ratcrib I think you're actually supposed to let them nibble on it, and also, Yuma? o.O You near there?

[bhannon]

@ratcrib you should definitely leave it in there cause they shell gives the fiddlers a good source of calcium right after the molt

[OsoFierceTv2]

But why do they shed?

[ratcrib]

@OsoFierceTv2

To grow, to replace worn/damaged shell, and to replace torn-off limbs which re-grow fully within 2-3 moltings.

[OsoFierceTv2]

@ratcrib Thanks! But how they know when too?

[AngelicaMuffins]

i woke up today and found a redish colored fiddler crab and thought it was a baby hahahahaha!:D it was the skin!

[natalieandkit]

an amazing part of nature

[xxBeautifulxDeathxx]

Anyway, you do have a really nice tank. I appreciate the fact that there's a good amount of land for the crabs, most people have a lot more water than land and Fiddlers aren't good swimmers... the Petco here has all water, save for a small rock "bridge." And coincidentally, all their Fiddlers died. I suppose it didn't help that pet stores house them in Freshwater when they're Brackish water crabs...

[ratcrib]

@xxBeautifulxDeathxx excellent points. like i said earlier - it's best not to keep these types of animals at all. their place is in nature - not a tiny fishtank. they need: 1. Perfect 4 seasons/temperatures. 2. Movement of the tides. 3. natural nutritious sand/clay. 4. natural plants. 5. many crabs like themselves to mate with/fight off. 6. perfect salinity levels/Ph levels/nutrients in water. etc.

[nosyiam]

Do you need to provide freshwater for fiddler crabs to drink? thanks

[ratcrib]

@nosyiam

no.

[codyh1998]

is this a saltwater or freshwater crab? i imagine its saltwater but im not sure if my freshwater one will be doing that any time soon...

[ratcrib]

@codyh1998 all of these types of crabs need "brackish" water - meaning its not real ocean-salty, but not 'freshwater' either...an "in-between", sort-of.

but all crabs molt - it's their only way to grow in size, and to repair themselves. even if they loose all of their limbs, they all will grow back in a molt or two (2 months)

[BruLitusFogo]

do they can make their holes in this aquarium ?

[ratcrib]

no, they need real dark clay for that.

[AznPkerBro]

what is the crab eating

[ratcrib]

fresh guppy fish from my other aquarium.

[poisenmushrooms4u]

i have an empty 10 gallon tank you think i should make a fiddler crab setup or make another fish tank(i already have 3)

[ratcrib]

i actually discourage ANYONE from making a crab tank. one can not, on a realistic budget, have acceptable conditions recreated that will allow the crabs to truly enjoy their life.

They have to have the perfect live soil, full of microorganisms to feed on, to bury into, the perfect water salinity, PH, etc, the perfect sunrise-sunset time, temperature, etc, etc.

[poisenmushrooms4u]

@ratcrib Well what do you prefer that i do then?

[xxBeautifulxDeathxx]

@ratcrib So what are you proposing? That no one ever gets a pet crab? I successfully raise Fiddlers and they're no harder to raise than anything else, providing you're not an idiot and actually know a little bit about the pets you're caring for (unlike the stores that sell them). Their water must be Brackish, yes, but the salinity can vary slightly as it would in the wild. It doesn't need to be "perfect", they're scavengers, and can eat insects, veggies, algae, etc. Temp is 75-85 F.

[xxBeautifulxDeathxx]

Sunrise-sunset time doesn't need to be "perfect," just keep it constant. They don't need to have live soil, small rocks or sand (real sand, not the fake stuff, that can be toxic if ingested) is fine. They can be perfectly healthy and enjoy their lives as long as they have a variety of food, a hut/cave in which to hide, mate, and molt, companions (they're territorial, so several males is not recommend... 1 male and a few females is fine), and a warm, moist, secure, clean environment.

[Cullini]

Hey m8 nice video, i just got my 2 first Fiddler crabs a while ago, and the male has just layed still for like 3 days now, i suspect he is going to "shed" anytime. did your crab do this aswell? if so how long did he lay still until he did it? is kinda worried he's dying or something...

[ratcrib]

poke it. if it's sluggish and don't respond well; it's dying.

nothing you can do but provide it some relatively good living conditions.

[Straw8899]

wow, thanks for sharing :D

[ratcrib]

thanks!

[MyTurtleCollab]

What plant do you use for the land?

and how do you water it? or do you just put the roots on the bottom and it just water it?

please answer asap!

Thanks

[ratcrib]

that is a very young palm tree in there, just planted into the soil. the soil itself comes from a local riverbed.

[MokuPueo]

This was posted on my birthday. cool

[hitman0910]

do they need new shells to mve into

i just bought one today

[ratcrib]

oh no. the one underneath just solidifies (hardens). and becomes the real shell.

they molt like once every 45-55 days.

[geckoguy3000]

can one crab live in a 12 inch by 12?

[TTLEGOProductions]

No, it's a little too small. Maybe a 15 inch at least. PetsMart is so stupid. They say Red Clawed Crabs can live in a one gallon, and fiddlers need 20 gallon and up, and they say the red claw is bigger, and they're the same size! But remember to add salt to the water, and to give them air access.

[hardcoreollie]

Fantastic video thanks for sharing ;)

[pitufo11124]

my fiddler just molted and now all i see is the exoskeleton??? no fiddler his big claw was on the oppisite side of the tank? looks like a murder scene in there!!! is it possible that my fishies ate the poor thing?? i have medium size fish and my fiddler was at least 3 inches tall.." he was huge"

[TTLEGOProductions]

Fiddler molted and his claw will com e back. I doubt the fish ate him. Or is your tank brackish and he has acces to land? That's another way it fell off.

[jessman445]

ok hard to come by in oklahoma how can u tell if there about to molt

[jessman445]

what kind of sand do you buy

[ratcrib]

sand is like air; FREE. Just make sure it is natural, go out, get dirt if you don't live near a river, lake or sea, and sift it with a sifter to get all the fine sand you want.

This sand came from a dry desert riverbed.

[LayZtheSOXROXER]

awesome  video

[Alan614628]

Song?

[Timasu]

Great video!

[ratcrib]

Thanks!

[fiddlercrabs1011]

nice video . awesome ive never seen them do that before!

[fiddlercrabs1011]

dude i thought my crab was molting in my tank but it just died lol. but im getting two new ones today

[dmanroks7]

died, lol?

[nooloo3000]

realy amazing and hte best thing is that when they die you can eat them love the aquarium and the crabs both

[sqeker09]

Dude, amazing!!! is this brackish water? how long have you had them and amazing capture and nice tank, how many you got in there? male/female.

I WANT TO SEE MORE OF THEM, KEEP THE VIDS COMING!

[Scraben013]

Holy !@#$

That aquarium is amazing!

BTW do fiddler crabs become lighter awhile before molting?

[ratcrib]

thanks! you realize it's only a small 10 gallon one, right?

Yes, you are right; the crabs instantly (about 1-2 hours beforehand) become lighter, because their new shell (and body) disattach from the outer, old shell. They also go into water, because it's easier to molt in a lighter environment; also safer.

[Scraben013]

actually i didn't lol

but its still a nice aquarium!

[goodtimes7alx]

It is nice to see the video with music. Real soothing. Nice contrast of change. It makes me think of new beginings :)