# My New Fidddler Crabs are Red, Is there a problem?



## Kitty Whiskers (Sep 28, 2009)

There was a new shipment of Fiddler Crabs at Wal Mart after I waited 3 weeks of for the store to get more. They were bigger than the size they usually get in, and they all had a lot of Red coloring. I have never seen Fiddlers that are red. They acted just fine, but I wondered if there is something wrong that caused them to be red. So I bought a Male and a Female Fiddler Crab to go in the Crabitat with my other Female Fiddler "Crabby Patty" at home. 

Over night, the Male turned a dark brown Marbled color but the Female is still Red colored. Is this normal or is there something wrong with my Fiddler Crabs?

Here is a picture that I took of the red Female Fiddler Crab today... Her back is red along with her front legs and claws. Even her mouth parts are very bright red :shock:...Any ideas?


----------



## Anitax3x (Aug 26, 2011)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiddler_crab

Apparently they are brackish meaning they need salt (marine)

And I'm not sure if they are fully aquatic either but I have never owned one before. Just something I found.


----------



## TheCrabbyTabby (Jul 7, 2012)

Fiddler crabs are semi terrestrial crabs. Meaning that they need both land and water within their habitat to thrive. They also require brackish water, meaning that you'll need some marine grade salt, found in the saltwater fish section, to make it. I like Instant Ocean myself for making my marine, brine, and brackish water. 

I would recommend that you use sand, play sand is best, for the crab substrate. Its not a must, but fiddlers feel more comfortable when they have a place to burrow into and rest. Just build it at a slope, slowly going down into a pool of filtered brackish water where they can molt. Fiddlers molt in the water, so the pool should be deep enough for them to fully submerge. A 20L is recommended for this because its easier to build the slope of substrate into the brackish pool this way.

Fiddlers are omnivorous, meaning that they will eat both plant and animal matter. You can feed them a variety of veggies and fruits, provided that they are either organic or thoroughly washed, and meats, provided that they are plain and unseasoned. You can also offer algae wafers. 

Fiddlers live for about 3 years and don't really breed well in captivity. Their spawned larvae need the currents and availability of microfuana and flora in the ocean to be able to survive. 

If the male is turning brown it might be the lack of any of the afore mentioned things.


----------



## Kitty Whiskers (Sep 28, 2009)

Yes they are already in a tank with a sandy dry land area and with marine salt water (2 teaspoons per gallon). So... any more ideas???


----------



## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

Anitax3x said:


> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiddler_crab
> 
> Apparently they are brackish meaning they need salt (marine)
> 
> And I'm not sure if they are fully aquatic either but I have never owned one before. Just something I found.


^
-
-
-
wikepedia is not always trustworthy, as random people can edit it.

Maybe the male is changing colors because he is ready to mate?:-?

I don't know really, i am no expert in crabs. They are cute but kinda scary at the same time... congrats on them!


----------



## Kitty Whiskers (Sep 28, 2009)

These are the only pictures that I could find that look like my new Fiddler Crabs...UCA CRASSIPES. But what I read about them is that they are from South Asia and Australia :-? I doubt Wal Mart would get those Fidders from there. Hmmmm this is confuseing :question:


----------



## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

Hmm. I can't answer your questions but I'm just subbing cos I'm curious as well


----------



## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Listen to Crabby she's got good advice.
If you're doing everything right, it's highly possible that you just have two subspecies, collected from different places. If they are those Asian crabs they still have the same needs, they are mangrove dwellers which are brackish.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------

