# Freshwater crabs



## hornet (Jan 16, 2011)

Does anyone here keep freshwater crabs, find them in the wild or have any experience with them at all? I am going to be having a crack at keeping and breeding them in the near future and just want to learn a bit more about them


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## Dannyboi (Jan 16, 2011)

The brown backed fresh water crab is a beautiful species from what I remember they live about 2 years and require heating as well as access to land. My brother was able to keep his in our 6ft tropical tank with plants that grew to the top so it could climb. It only ever ate small fish like neons and would generally eat algae wafers when given. Mind you the amount of plants we had to replant. The going rate is about 25 bucks each and you can find them at any decent aquarium store.

---------- Post added 16-Jan-11 at 01:22 PM ----------

Plus if you get more than one you can say that you have crabs ahah


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## hornet (Jan 16, 2011)

i already have crabs lol. Around here they wont require heating, i know they desired temp range is 20-28c. Thanks for your input, those are things i want to know, diet, also interactions with other crabs of the same species, captive behavior. Did your brothers spend more time under or above water? I'm getting a few for free from a fiend up in the NT, he offered to collect me a bunch as he is very keen to find out more about their captive maintenance and breeding, he just doesnt have the time to work with them


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## Dannyboi (Jan 16, 2011)

A majority of the time was spent below the water only surfacing occasionally. In general I think you need a fair bit of room to house males together as in pet shops they rip each others claws off. Other than that it was pretty friendly. But if you are going to put it in with fish no Labidochromis they eat the eyes out. Also be aware that they do shed and this will look very much like a dead crab so be sure to remember that before breaking down going oh no my crabs dead.

---------- Post added 16-Jan-11 at 01:34 PM ----------

We never breed ours as we just had the one male gender is easily shown by the flap.


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## hornet (Jan 16, 2011)

i'm planning on keeping all mine singly or in M/F pairs to minimize cannibalism and only fish they will be housed in will be rainbow fish in a paludarium


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## Radar (Jan 16, 2011)

We actually have a population of them out the front of my work depot, in the drainage channel that runs along the front fence. They are found in all the drainage channels along the sides of the highway north of Townsville that I have bothered looking at. A couple of years ago before I knew this I was actually looking for a local species of T that lives in the same area at roughly the same height above water and ended up digging up a highly annoyed crab...
They appear to occur at pretty high densities in these area's, maybe 4-6 burrow per m^2, and they must be capable of dealing with pretty rubbish water quality, as the depot is in an industrial area beside a truckstop, yet the addition of 15W30 to their diet doesn't appear to have affected them.


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## SteveNT (Jan 16, 2011)

Up in the Top End here there are many species, many undescribed. The most amazing ones I came across were from a place near Boroloola. The carapaces were 100mm across. I only saw dead ones, it was the Dry Season but the traditional owners told me they "sleep" for the Dry under big rocks in the creek bed, and yes, good tucker too. 

I was in Kalkaringi (just north of the Tanami Desert) last December where the TO's said there were none in the area. We went out to some springs and there was a very robust 50mm crab feeding on a cane toad carcass. It was cream coloured with red legs and a purple triangle on the carapace. Stunner. The TO's were more surprised than me so my guess is that they are cryptic and probably nocturnal but the lure of a feed of rotting frog legs was too much for this bloke.

I have kept a robust white species from the Depot Creek area but they are very intolerant of each other and you quickly end up with one, usually a big claw male. 

I have also collected a smaller genus from the Adelaide River area for a friend and they are still going 18 months later. They are all omnivours and opportunistic with it. We have left our dinner plates in the shallows in some creeks and the crabs have left them spotless by morning.

Sorry I dont have the names for these species but I will do some homework and dig them up for you.


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## hornet (Jan 19, 2011)

Any pics guys?


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## REPTILIAN-KMAN (Jan 19, 2011)

i found a big one on my dinner plate once but quickly got riped apart and swallowed !!!

tasty fellas to !!!


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## waruikazi (Jan 19, 2011)

I've found a few wild ones.


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## hornet (Jan 19, 2011)

very nice, the one your holding is dead yes? Lovely round carapace on it. Cant wait to get hold of some


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## waruikazi (Jan 19, 2011)

Yeah think it was dead.


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## gillsy (Jan 19, 2011)

I wonder if they'll go in with Keelbacks hmmm... I think an experiment will be in order.


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## Dark_Morelia (Jan 19, 2011)

I found this one in the Hawkesbury river, near where it meets the Nepean.
I dunno what species it was though, looks rather different to the ones up north.
It lived in a freshwater natives tank for many months before it disappeared, I think it escaped - I never found any remains in the tank.


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## hornet (Jan 19, 2011)

thats what they call a freshwater spider crab, not a true freshwater species though, i believe they spawn in salt water still


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## Dannyboi (Jan 19, 2011)

There are many fish that can live in salt and freshwater eg the Bull Shark, Bream and Mulloway. are their crabs in the ocean that can live in freshwater?


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## Tsubakai (Jan 19, 2011)

I bought two of the standard brown ones from a LFS. The male was first to moult and got eaten by his partner. She lived another two years in a twenty litre tank with a sponge filter. I didn't give her access to dry land very often and she seemed ok but when she did get access she used it quite a bit. She ate most of the different pellets I tried her on and some of the frozen foods too. I kept her on a 50/50 mix of gravel and crushed coral substrate and added about a teaspoon of aquarium salt per twenty litres. She was pretty robust and I was saddened when she died.


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## hornet (Jan 19, 2011)

one species in particular that found all over the east cost, from southern qld down to south australia is the freshwater spider crab which can live in fresh water but needs salt water to breed. Many fish, normally estuary fish can survive in both salt and fresh water


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## cris (Jan 19, 2011)

Dannyboi, i believe there would be a number of species that could live in freshwater but most tidal species seem to occur in areas with some salt. Mud crabs can live in freshwater, but im not sure how it would go in the long run. Most Aquatic species tend to do better with a bit of salt added anyway.

I have caught and kept 2 types of freshawater crabs, one type from out past cunnamulla and _Varuna litterata_.

The later species are the only ones i have kept recently, i still have at least one, maybe more in the ponds but im guessing they would have left or got eaten. Pretty easy to find by flipping rocks at low tide in the upper tidal areas of the Brisbane River(maybe not right now though lol). They eat anything, like most crabs and crayfish and dont seem to bother other tankmates (other than plants). Im not sure if they need access to land but i have seen them moving around on land and trying to move 'up steam' in my pond. Very escape prone, easily climbs stuff like air tubes silicone etc.


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## Dannyboi (Jan 19, 2011)

Yeah as I said our freshwater crab climbed plants. Whats the rules about catching crabs as pets over there?


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## hornet (Jan 19, 2011)

no restrictions here for taking them privately


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## Dannyboi (Jan 19, 2011)

But doesn't it count as fishing in a way? Here you can fish with only size and seasonal restrictions but I know interstate you need a permit to fish (Not all states)


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## cris (Jan 19, 2011)

Dannyboi said:


> Yeah as I said our freshwater crab climbed plants. Whats the rules about catching crabs as pets over there?


 
Things like Mud Crabs and stuff you eat have various restrictions, look up fishing regulations if you want details. The smaller types require a licence to collect commercially I think. Im pretty sure you can catch them for personal use without any permit, just no dealing :lol:


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## Dannyboi (Jan 19, 2011)

But you could breed them and then sell them?


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## waruikazi (Jan 19, 2011)

In the NT you are not allowed to catch any aquatic animals, except tadpoles, to keep as pets.


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## Dannyboi (Jan 19, 2011)

I think you would be able to catch mosquito fish. Since they are a pest.


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## Waterrat (Jan 19, 2011)

I kept and photographed few species over the years, they're great creatures.


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## Waterrat (Jan 19, 2011)

few more.


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## hornet (Jan 20, 2011)

very nice waterrat, if you ever come across any more i'd love to get some if you willing to send them down


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## Waterrat (Jan 20, 2011)

There is a guy called Bob, he collects freshwater "everything" and he comes across some nice crabs. You can contact him on 07 40320477 Cairns Ultimate Aquariums.
I got most of these from him. He is happy to lend them to me for a shoot but otherwise he sells them.
The one in the 4th photo is from Iron Range and the last one is the Blue crab from Christmas Island.


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