How to Keep Fiddler Crabs Alive and Healthy

Keep your fiddler crabs living healthy and active by ensuring that their living conditions are adequate and by feeding them properly. Fiddler crabs can be found at pet shops and are anywhere between 1 to 4 inches in size when full-grown. Care for your fiddler crabs properly, and they can live for up to two years or more. Plan out their living habitat before putting multiple crabs together, for not giving them enough room can make them aggressive. Start giving your fiddler crabs what they need to live active lives without illness and watch them begin to thrive.

Things You'll Need

  • Medium-sized aquarium
  • Thermometer
  • Water test kit
  • Water conditioner and additive
  • Heater
  • Crab food
  • Décor
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Instructions

    • 1

      Make sure your fiddler crabs have enough personal space. Keep your fiddler crabs in a medium-sized aquarium. Each crab should have roughly 1 square-foot of space around it. Overcrowding your aquarium can cause the fiddler crabs stress and make them become hostile.

    • 2

      Make the crabs' surroundings as close to their natural environment as possible. Fill the bottom of your aquarium with rocks, artificial plants and other small decor items that allow the crabs to burrow underneath. These provide hiding places for crabs as well.

    • 3

      Provide your fiddler crabs with essential nutrients. Place a pinch of dried or flaked crab food into the aquarium daily. Dried and flaked crab food is available from your local pet stores in numerous combinations. Feed the crabs sinkable food pellets if you see that other forms of food are not sinking to the bottom of the aquarium. Alternate between different types of food to provide as much nutritional variety as possible.

    • 4

      Change the aquarium's water regularly. Petco suggests that 10 to 25 percent of the water should be completely replaced every two to four weeks. Verify that all the aquarium's air filters are working properly daily as well.

    • 5

      Test the aquarium's pH levels with a water tester kit daily. Place the paper testing strip that came with your kit into the water, and then compare it to the chart that also came as part of the tester's packaging. Add water conditioner and additive when needed, based off of the results and tester kit's instructions.

    • 6

      Monitor the aquarium's temperature daily. Fiddler crabs require water temperatures between 70 and 82 degrees F. Raise or lower the power setting on your aquarium's water heater as needed to provide adequate warmth.