how many emerald crabs can I have?

squishifishi · 03/22/2013, 04:51 PM

I reeeealy like emerald crabs and I'm wondering if I can put more than one in my 2.5 pico tank. I could get all girls if that will keep them from fighting.
Thanks!

Fish_Kid99 · 03/22/2013, 08:08 PM

Do you have any fish in the tank or is it just going to be crabs?

squishifishi · 03/22/2013, 08:16 PM

well, I tried a clown goby but It had ich on it soI gave it back. now I'm kind of paranoid about ich which I can't treat with inverts and coral so yeah, I'll probably be sticking with shrimp, crabs, snails, and softies.

I just adore flat crabs. They are what got me into fishkeeping a year ago but my fw ones escaped so now I've got this saltwater tank! I just have the one girl emerald now and some snails and shrooms.
Thanks!

Fish_Kid99 · 03/22/2013, 08:31 PM

It depends on how big they get. You could probably get by with at least 2.5 full size crabs.

squishifishi · 03/22/2013, 08:34 PM

two and a half crabs...?
anyway, they stay pretty small, 1.5 inch I think.
could I mix crab species, like a pompom, emerald, and porcelean all together? or would they eat eachother.
I'm planning to stick with emeralds though as they are locally available.

Fish_Kid99 · 03/22/2013, 08:39 PM

I'm sorry lol. I had that number on my mind. The max size of the crabs is 3 inches but 2.5 (told you lol) is a lot more common in tanks. So i would put 2-3 in.

squishifishi · 03/22/2013, 08:51 PM

see, THAT makes a lot more sense! hahah.

Fish_Kid99 · 03/22/2013, 08:58 PM

Lol yeah it does!

alexander_ktn · 03/23/2013, 02:09 AM

I'm not sure if one or more emerald crabs might not start eating sessile invertebrates in this size of a tank... I would try one first and observe it for a few weeks/months. Same goes for the decorator crab.

There shouldn't be a problem but you never know what they do when they get bored or hungry...

You could also look into commensal crabs like the Acropora crabs and Lissocarcinus - they are quite colorful and should do okay in a tank without fish even if you don't have their specific host corals to hide in.

squishifishi · 03/23/2013, 04:18 PM

I was more worried about them killing eachother...I'll feed them and I'm not keeping zoas so I'm not to worried about them.
Acros are really pretty but kind of exspensive and hard to find.
Any idea why liveaquaria says minimum 30 gallon for those guys?
.
I've had my emerald, Bitsy, for about 3 weeks now. my favorite thing is how she grabs onto my tool when I feed her.
THANKS!

Fish_Kid99 · 03/23/2013, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by squishifishi

I was more worried about them killing eachother...I'll feed them and I'm not keeping zoas so I'm not to worried about them.
Acros are really pretty but kind of exspensive and hard to find.
Any idea why liveaquaria says minimum 30 gallon for those guys?
.
I've had my emerald, Bitsy, for about 3 weeks now. my favorite thing is how she grabs onto my tool when I feed her.
THANKS!

I think it's just because its considered 1 inch per gallon and their max size is three inches but you'll be fine keeping them in a pico

squishifishi · 03/23/2013, 08:20 PM

ok!
I think I'll go with maybe one more and then just some dwarf hermit crabs too.
I don't really like hermit that much, but they're a good, inexspensive cuc.
thanks for the help!

JohnnyHT · 04/01/2013, 07:25 PM

1 crab per 18 lbs of LR. - per Reef Cleaner

" Emerald Crabs are somewhat territorial, and will spar at times with other emerald crabs if kept in too high of number for their available space. In general, you shouldn't have more than 1 Emerald Crab per 18 pounds of rock in your aquarium."

sail33 · 04/01/2013, 07:35 PM

I've got three in my 72 gl. I haven't had any real trouble with them although one did attack the serpent star for a chunk of raw shrimp.

I'm posting this because I've read other threads stating their emerald "went Rambo" and attacked fish, zoas and other soft coral.
Just suggesting that you keep this in mind when reviewing your love affair. Not sure if I would be thrilled if an emerald " grabbed my tool" when I fed it ha ha.

squishifishi · 04/02/2013, 04:10 PM

hahah.
It's not like agressive, attacking while i feed. It's this fat little spihoning thingy and she'll just climb onto it and catch the food as it squirts out

.
I'm considering a pom pom crab instead, do you think this would be better, or worse as far as agression goes?

rssjsb · 04/03/2013, 08:37 AM

Pom poms aren't aggressive, but your emerald may attack it. They're fairly territorial.

squishifishi · 04/03/2013, 04:44 PM

emerald usually just sits in her special hole. she never even ventures off that rock. Could an emerald kill a pom pom?

accordsirh22 · 04/03/2013, 09:57 PM

i had read somewhere (doesnt make it true) that each crab needed ~18lbs of rock work, i doubt you'll even have that much in your tank. id say 1 at most, they move around a lot. try porcelains instead, they generally stay in 1 spot and filter feed

rssjsb · 04/04/2013, 08:44 AM

He already has the emerald. And to the OP, yes an emerald could kill a pom pom.

03/22/2013, 04:51 PM	#1
squishifishi Hopelesly Addicted Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 972	how many emerald crabs can I have? I reeeealy like emerald crabs and I'm wondering if I can put more than one in my 2.5 pico tank. I could get all girls if that will keep them from fighting. Thanks! __________________ ><(((((°>squishifishi! if I say anything stupid...blame autocorrect ;) I love my pico! Come see for yourself, check it out! just search for "pictures at last" in the nano forums:) Current Tank Info: 2.5g pico reef: 5-15hob filter, 10w led light,Stock;neon goby,Pom Pom crab,hermits, astrea, margarita, nassarius, micro brittles, shrooms,palys, xenia, galaxea, zoas,ricordea, litho,chalice,leather,pocci,.WISH LIST:sexy shrimp

03/22/2013, 08:08 PM	#2
Fish_Kid99 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Ohio Posts: 207	Do you have any fish in the tank or is it just going to be crabs? __________________ You know your addicted when you go to an aquarium and tell them how to run their tanks. Current Tank Info: 55 gallon green torch, nuclear green shroom, green hairy shroom, Astreas, Turbos, Hermits, Spider decorator crab (aka Cuddles), two scarlet skunk shrimp and two scissor tail damsels.

03/22/2013, 08:16 PM	#3
squishifishi Hopelesly Addicted Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 972	well, I tried a clown goby but It had ich on it soI gave it back. now I'm kind of paranoid about ich which I can't treat with inverts and coral so yeah, I'll probably be sticking with shrimp, crabs, snails, and softies. I just adore flat crabs. They are what got me into fishkeeping a year ago but my fw ones escaped so now I've got this saltwater tank! I just have the one girl emerald now and some snails and shrooms. Thanks! __________________ ><(((((°>squishifishi! if I say anything stupid...blame autocorrect ;) I love my pico! Come see for yourself, check it out! just search for "pictures at last" in the nano forums:) Current Tank Info: 2.5g pico reef: 5-15hob filter, 10w led light,Stock;neon goby,Pom Pom crab,hermits, astrea, margarita, nassarius, micro brittles, shrooms,palys, xenia, galaxea, zoas,ricordea, litho,chalice,leather,pocci,.WISH LIST:sexy shrimp

03/22/2013, 08:31 PM	#4
Fish_Kid99 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Ohio Posts: 207	It depends on how big they get. You could probably get by with at least 2.5 full size crabs. __________________ You know your addicted when you go to an aquarium and tell them how to run their tanks. Current Tank Info: 55 gallon green torch, nuclear green shroom, green hairy shroom, Astreas, Turbos, Hermits, Spider decorator crab (aka Cuddles), two scarlet skunk shrimp and two scissor tail damsels.

03/22/2013, 08:34 PM	#5
squishifishi Hopelesly Addicted Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 972	two and a half crabs...? anyway, they stay pretty small, 1.5 inch I think. could I mix crab species, like a pompom, emerald, and porcelean all together? or would they eat eachother. I'm planning to stick with emeralds though as they are locally available. __________________ ><(((((°>squishifishi! if I say anything stupid...blame autocorrect ;) I love my pico! Come see for yourself, check it out! just search for "pictures at last" in the nano forums:) Current Tank Info: 2.5g pico reef: 5-15hob filter, 10w led light,Stock;neon goby,Pom Pom crab,hermits, astrea, margarita, nassarius, micro brittles, shrooms,palys, xenia, galaxea, zoas,ricordea, litho,chalice,leather,pocci,.WISH LIST:sexy shrimp

03/22/2013, 08:39 PM	#6
Fish_Kid99 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Ohio Posts: 207	I'm sorry lol. I had that number on my mind. The max size of the crabs is 3 inches but 2.5 (told you lol) is a lot more common in tanks. So i would put 2-3 in. __________________ You know your addicted when you go to an aquarium and tell them how to run their tanks. Current Tank Info: 55 gallon green torch, nuclear green shroom, green hairy shroom, Astreas, Turbos, Hermits, Spider decorator crab (aka Cuddles), two scarlet skunk shrimp and two scissor tail damsels.

03/22/2013, 08:51 PM	#7
squishifishi Hopelesly Addicted Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 972	see, THAT makes a lot more sense! hahah. __________________ ><(((((°>squishifishi! if I say anything stupid...blame autocorrect ;) I love my pico! Come see for yourself, check it out! just search for "pictures at last" in the nano forums:) Current Tank Info: 2.5g pico reef: 5-15hob filter, 10w led light,Stock;neon goby,Pom Pom crab,hermits, astrea, margarita, nassarius, micro brittles, shrooms,palys, xenia, galaxea, zoas,ricordea, litho,chalice,leather,pocci,.WISH LIST:sexy shrimp

03/22/2013, 08:58 PM	#8
Fish_Kid99 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Ohio Posts: 207	Lol yeah it does! __________________ You know your addicted when you go to an aquarium and tell them how to run their tanks. Current Tank Info: 55 gallon green torch, nuclear green shroom, green hairy shroom, Astreas, Turbos, Hermits, Spider decorator crab (aka Cuddles), two scarlet skunk shrimp and two scissor tail damsels.

03/23/2013, 02:09 AM	#9
alexander_ktn Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Austria Posts: 851	I'm not sure if one or more emerald crabs might not start eating sessile invertebrates in this size of a tank... I would try one first and observe it for a few weeks/months. Same goes for the decorator crab. There shouldn't be a problem but you never know what they do when they get bored or hungry... You could also look into commensal crabs like the Acropora crabs and Lissocarcinus - they are quite colorful and should do okay in a tank without fish even if you don't have their specific host corals to hide in.

03/23/2013, 04:18 PM	#10
squishifishi Hopelesly Addicted Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 972	I was more worried about them killing eachother...I'll feed them and I'm not keeping zoas so I'm not to worried about them. Acros are really pretty but kind of exspensive and hard to find. Any idea why liveaquaria says minimum 30 gallon for those guys? . I've had my emerald, Bitsy, for about 3 weeks now. my favorite thing is how she grabs onto my tool when I feed her. THANKS! __________________ ><(((((°>squishifishi! if I say anything stupid...blame autocorrect ;) I love my pico! Come see for yourself, check it out! just search for "pictures at last" in the nano forums:) Current Tank Info: 2.5g pico reef: 5-15hob filter, 10w led light,Stock;neon goby,Pom Pom crab,hermits, astrea, margarita, nassarius, micro brittles, shrooms,palys, xenia, galaxea, zoas,ricordea, litho,chalice,leather,pocci,.WISH LIST:sexy shrimp

03/23/2013, 08:20 PM	#12
squishifishi Hopelesly Addicted Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 972	ok! I think I'll go with maybe one more and then just some dwarf hermit crabs too. I don't really like hermit that much, but they're a good, inexspensive cuc. thanks for the help! __________________ ><(((((°>squishifishi! if I say anything stupid...blame autocorrect ;) I love my pico! Come see for yourself, check it out! just search for "pictures at last" in the nano forums:) Current Tank Info: 2.5g pico reef: 5-15hob filter, 10w led light,Stock;neon goby,Pom Pom crab,hermits, astrea, margarita, nassarius, micro brittles, shrooms,palys, xenia, galaxea, zoas,ricordea, litho,chalice,leather,pocci,.WISH LIST:sexy shrimp

04/01/2013, 07:25 PM	#13
JohnnyHT Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Mid-Atlantic Posts: 40	1 crab per 18 lbs of LR. - per Reef Cleaner " Emerald Crabs are somewhat territorial, and will spar at times with other emerald crabs if kept in too high of number for their available space. In general, you shouldn't have more than 1 Emerald Crab per 18 pounds of rock in your aquarium." __________________ 65G tall FOWLR / 40 lbs DR 20 lbs LR / 2" sand bed 25G wet/dry sump / bio-balls / Mag 7 T5HO white and blue w/moonlight LEDs

04/01/2013, 07:35 PM	#14
sail33 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Sunny St. Pete, FL Posts: 522	I've got three in my 72 gl. I haven't had any real trouble with them although one did attack the serpent star for a chunk of raw shrimp. I'm posting this because I've read other threads stating their emerald "went Rambo" and attacked fish, zoas and other soft coral. Just suggesting that you keep this in mind when reviewing your love affair. Not sure if I would be thrilled if an emerald " grabbed my tool" when I fed it ha ha.

04/02/2013, 04:10 PM	#15
squishifishi Hopelesly Addicted Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 972	hahah. It's not like agressive, attacking while i feed. It's this fat little spihoning thingy and she'll just climb onto it and catch the food as it squirts out. I'm considering a pom pom crab instead, do you think this would be better, or worse as far as agression goes? __________________ ><(((((°>squishifishi! if I say anything stupid...blame autocorrect ;) I love my pico! Come see for yourself, check it out! just search for "pictures at last" in the nano forums:) Current Tank Info: 2.5g pico reef: 5-15hob filter, 10w led light,Stock;neon goby,Pom Pom crab,hermits, astrea, margarita, nassarius, micro brittles, shrooms,palys, xenia, galaxea, zoas,ricordea, litho,chalice,leather,pocci,.WISH LIST:sexy shrimp

04/03/2013, 08:37 AM	#16
rssjsb Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 3,243	Pom poms aren't aggressive, but your emerald may attack it. They're fairly territorial. __________________ Robin

04/03/2013, 04:44 PM	#17
squishifishi Hopelesly Addicted Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 972	emerald usually just sits in her special hole. she never even ventures off that rock. Could an emerald kill a pom pom? __________________ ><(((((°>squishifishi! if I say anything stupid...blame autocorrect ;) I love my pico! Come see for yourself, check it out! just search for "pictures at last" in the nano forums:) Current Tank Info: 2.5g pico reef: 5-15hob filter, 10w led light,Stock;neon goby,Pom Pom crab,hermits, astrea, margarita, nassarius, micro brittles, shrooms,palys, xenia, galaxea, zoas,ricordea, litho,chalice,leather,pocci,.WISH LIST:sexy shrimp

04/03/2013, 09:57 PM	#18
accordsirh22 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Clarksville, TN Posts: 817	i had read somewhere (doesnt make it true) that each crab needed ~18lbs of rock work, i doubt you'll even have that much in your tank. id say 1 at most, they move around a lot. try porcelains instead, they generally stay in 1 spot and filter feed

04/04/2013, 08:44 AM	#19
rssjsb Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 3,243	He already has the emerald. And to the OP, yes an emerald could kill a pom pom. __________________ Robin