# crabs and tropical fish



## kendal

OK my brother has just text my mum saying his girlfriend has bought him a minuter crab and a tropical fish. 

i know pets as presents not a good idea, but i wanted to know if they can really go together, i thought the crab would have to have to have a different tank. 

i have no idea what kind they are. just wanted some info, he says his girlfriend has looked into it and they can, but thought i would ask hear and go online and look it up myself.


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## Fishyfins

no, your perfectly right to think they cant. as a general rule, claws are not to be trusted in aquariums with fish, and there is a very good chance the fish will slowly start to vanish. most tropical crabs are nocturnal, and will take the fish at night when they are resting. the fish are basically sitting ducks. 

i dont believe there is any species that can live safely with fish. sure, you may find that it lives years in there without taking a single fish, but there is always the chance it will, and a good chance at that. it really needs to be in its own tank.


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## kendal

so far i have been told the crab is a red clawed crab, and the fish are small but i still don't know what type. his girlfriend got them from pets at home and apparently they were already in together. from the little information i have gotten out of my brother his girlfriend has done her research into them and has also been given advice for the staff at the pet shop.

i just felt i should look into it more as i know what my brother is like and he will eventually come to me and ask something that will stump me. 

we have owned fish before but they were fresh watter orandas i think. i know my mum has her eye on 3 that she saw recently but she is waiting for the new year before getting them. 

anyway the fact that they are tropical made me curious as we haven't dealt with that before. 
he is moving out so i wont have anything to do with them unless he goes on Holiday.


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## Fishyfins

yeah, the red claw is probably the most common freshwater crab to be kept in aquariums. Practical Fishkeeping magazine did an article on them some years ago. i would link it, but the site is down.

it basically just said to avoid them, as they are known fish-killers. as i said, claws are not to be trusted.

i really wouldnt listen to a lot of advise given by the shops. bare in mind that they arer after a sale, and when it comes to fish, a lot of petshops put profit before livestock, especially Pets at Home. in the pet shop i used to work at, well after i left, they put a load of red claws in with some fish and newts.... after a week, only the crabs were left 

also, just to mention, they can and will escape through any little hole, and so need very tight fitting hoods with absolutely no method of escape


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## kendal

got to meet the crab today, the two fish died but the crab didn't kill them. it was two wee tetras. 

they are considering getting another crab instead of fish but don't know weather to go for another red claw or a different one i have forgotten the name but it has a large claw and a small claw. (lol that description probably wont help)


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## Fishyfins

the other crab will probably be some sort of fiddler crab. i wouldnt advise putting 2 different crab species together in the same tank, as they will probably fight and kill each other. id stick to just the red claws, and obviously remove the fish. in the wild, they do live in large colonies, usually in damp holes in rock, so getting a few of them would be more benefitial.


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## kendal

yeah thats it Fiddler crab, my brother wants it but his girlfriend says that the red claws are more aggressive and would probably kill the fiddler. 


is it possible to sex a crab as i think they definitely wouldn't want them to breed if they got another red claw. 

thanks for all your advice i very much appreciate it.


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