keeping blue crabs as a pet
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mcjjm
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« on: May 10, 2006, 12:40:57 PM »
I wanted to know if anybody knew if I could keep a blue crab in a tank with other fish?  I have 2 saltwater tanks one is a 29 gallon, which we are in the process of making a reef tank.  The other is a 75 gallon tank that has plenty of rocks, a snowflake eel, and a peacock lion fish.  I wanted to know if I could put a blue crab in one of the tanks, I know I can put a calico crab in, but I went to the beach and caught some snails, rocks with plants on them, and then two blue crabs, one male and one female.  I would love the advice if someone out here has it.

Thanks!
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CRABGUY
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« Reply #1 on: May 10, 2006, 01:39:11 PM »
http://www.blue-crab.org/forum/index.php/board,49.0.html

LOOK HERE THERE ARS A LOT OF POST COVERING THIS

THIS TOPIC WILL BE MOVED THERE SHORTLY

CRABGUY
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« Reply #2 on: May 10, 2006, 01:41:59 PM »
here is the best advice.  Bring one can of beer, vinegar, and some old bay to a boil in a steamer.  Place the male you caught in the steamer.  watch it turn orange.  25 mintues later ENJOY Cool Cool


THROW THE FEMALE BACK!!!!!
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« Reply #3 on: May 10, 2006, 09:36:42 PM »
Quote from: mcjjm on May 10, 2006, 12:40:57 PM
I wanted to know if anybody knew if I could keep a blue crab in a tank with other fish?� I have 2 saltwater tanks one is a 29 gallon, which we are in the process of making a reef tank.� The other is a 75 gallon tank that has plenty of rocks, a snowflake eel, and a peacock lion fish.� I wanted to know if I could put a blue crab in one of the tanks, I know I can put a calico crab in, but I went to the beach and caught some snails, rocks with plants on them, and then two blue crabs, one male and one female.� I would love the advice if someone out here has it.

Thanks!
I don't know if bluecrabs like a snowflake eel, and a peacock lion  fish to eatbut maybe they will
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« Reply #4 on: May 10, 2006, 10:47:37 PM »
crabs eat almost anything, even dead bodies.
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« Reply #5 on: May 11, 2006, 11:19:12 AM »
Every time they pull a body out of the harbor in Baltimore there are crabs
all over it... They get inside the body and go to town...... Yummmmmy

Yes Throw All Females Back !!!!!!!!!!

-Crabbylad
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« Reply #6 on: May 11, 2006, 04:20:52 PM »
My buddy kept one, just one, in a small saltwater aquarium, and within a month it had eaten every single thing in there, from fish to snails.  He planned on growing it big enough to eat, but it never did, and he let it go.
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tattoo
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« Reply #7 on: May 11, 2006, 11:39:41 PM »
If it ate my salt water fish it would be one dead crab, the heck with letting it go. do you know how much thse fish cost.  ?     
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mcjjm
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« Reply #8 on: May 12, 2006, 07:32:55 AM »
SALWATER FISH ARE VERY COSTLY, I'M NOT LOOKING TO HAVE ANYTHING HAPPEN TO THEM.  ESPECIALLY MY MATED PAIR OF CLOWN FISH, I HAVE ALREADY GOTTEN EGGS FROM THEM, NOW I'M JUST WAITING FOR THEM TO HATCH. 

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR THOUGHTS, I DIDN'T THINK THINGS WERE GOING TO WORK OUT SO I PUT THEM BACK YESTERDAY.
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« Reply #9 on: May 12, 2006, 11:37:07 AM »
I would never keep a crab as a pet cause this might happen:
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« Reply #10 on: May 12, 2006, 08:44:56 PM »
If the pet crab grew that big, that be one heck of a dinner. Grin Grin
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« Reply #11 on: May 12, 2006, 08:46:57 PM »
Quote from: tattoo on May 12, 2006, 08:44:56 PM
If the pet crab grew that big, that be one heck of a dinner. Grin Grin
\\


For who, the pet owner or the crab....Wink laugh laugh laugh laugh laugh
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« Reply #12 on: May 29, 2006, 12:21:02 AM »
Since I've been on this board - I've seen quite a few posts about keeping crabs in an aquarium.  I love the responses.

I'm just about tempted to prove to you folks......w/ pictures, that it is possible and looks kinda cool.

I have 3 different hobbys w/ one perhaps in the works (crabbing)

I grow herbs, 'maters, strawberry plants and peppers. 
I love to cook.
I am a saltwater aquarist.

I currently run 3 saltwater tanks.  I have a 90G saltwater reef downstairs.
http://www.thefreitags.net/reef/sump4.jpg

I have a 40G long breeder downstairs. 
(no pic)

I have a 35G Hex upstairs.
http://www.thefreitags.net/reef/algae.jpg

I have 2 20G tanks sitting empty.  I have a 75G tank sitting empty.  I've been in the hobby for 8 years and have more "equipment" than I know what to do w/.  I have lights, filters, pumps - Just for the curiosity of watching what happens - I might give this a go.

Hey procrabber - how much for 5 little live blue crabs? 

I'm thinking three blue crabs - in a 40G long - partitioned by glass dividers.  My mother owns a framing shop - glass and acrylic custom cut is no problem....so I could secure a covering.

Flame on.
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« Reply #13 on: May 29, 2006, 01:19:44 AM »
Try keeping THIS as a pet..... laugh laugh laugh laugh
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« Reply #14 on: May 29, 2006, 07:10:24 AM »
A crab in the tank will:  1- grow from 2" to 6" in 4 months if well fed, and 2- will eat everything except the glass.  they will pull anyhting apart that is not edible, like plastic plants.  They need to be in a special tank with nothing but rocks and sand  id suggest you use one of the empty tanks.  a crab in a fishtank is like bringing a violent elephant in your house.  I cant keep undersizedcrabs and bring them to you, but I may be able to get leftover research crabs that are small
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« Reply #15 on: May 29, 2006, 09:07:36 AM »
Quote from: procrabber on May 29, 2006, 07:10:24 AM
A crab in the tank will:� 1- grow from 2" to 6" in 4 months if well fed, and 2- will eat everything except the glass.� they will pull anyhting apart that is not edible, like plastic plants.� They need to be in a special tank with nothing but rocks and sand� id suggest you use one of the empty tanks.� a crab in a fishtank is like bringing a violent elephant in your house.� I cant keep undersizedcrabs and bring them to you, but I may be able to get leftover research crabs that are small

Did not mean to suggest anything illegal - by small I meant just legal size.  Maybe a female, male and a peeler of legal size?  Not sure if you are allowed to sell the peelers.

I would not even consider dropping a blue crab, after reading info about them, in my reef tanks.  Too much time, care and effort potentially to be wasted.  I'm hoping to get rid of a couple tanks soon - but would like to hold onto the 40G long.  I'd like to use that.  The benefit of the tank is the large surface area for a medium sized tank.  It is 48" long.  The gas exchange w/ slightly agitated water via powerheads is significant.  I have 30-40#fully cured rubble rock I use for creating frags of soft corals.  There is already a 6" several year old deep sand bed in the tank.

This whole thing may be just a complete waste of time, but sounds interesting.  I have the equipment.  The only cost I'd really incur is a little time and 3 live crabs from procrabber.  As I'm cooking dinner I can toss a little meat to them.  I'd think a blue crab under a deep blue actinic would look pretty darn cool. 
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Southward bound
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« Reply #16 on: July 02, 2006, 12:57:36 AM »
In the past I had a 100 gallon salt water tank. I introduced a small blue crab into it. THIS WAS A MISTAKE!! don't do it unless you intend to keep only crabs in there.

1) the crabs grow very fast and will eat everything in the tank and I mean everything.

2) the one I put in my tank brought a bunch of microscopic buddies that did I number on my balanced pristine tank. They bring diseases into the tank so watch it.
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« Reply #17 on: July 02, 2006, 10:14:33 AM »
Here are some things that I've learned so far:

I set up a 55 gallon brachish water tank with a sand bottom. I had the tank set up very nice with plants, rocks, oysters, some clams, minnows, etc. Very nice and interesting tank to look at.

Everything was fine while my blue crab was small.

Things took a turn for the worse when my blue crab reached about 5-inches. I noticed the plants kept getting uprooted, one or two of the oysters were eaten, etc. Not too bad, but very annoying.

When the crab molted and became a 6 1/2-inch jimmy, that was the end of my beautiful tank. All of my plants were uprooted (the crab likes to dig in the sand for food.) Even the rocks and other inanimate objects would not stay put. One day a big rock would be on one side of the tank, the next it'd be on the other side. All of the clams and oysters got eaten. My aerator tube (a tube that is stuck to the side of the tank that blows fine bubbles) got destroyed by the crab. Even the intake tube for my power filter got destroyed (I had to move the intake to near the surface). At this point my tank is a barren wasteland. My aquarium is now a tank with sand, one blue crab (he's over 7 inches now) and 9 minnows. That's it. No plants. No rocks. No nothing. It's not pretty at all. But, I the crab is almost a year old now and I'm going to keep the tank going until he dies. I'm hoping that I can keep him alive long enough to become 12" point to point!! His next molt will put him close to 9".  Grin
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« Reply #18 on: July 02, 2006, 02:33:05 PM »
And the moral of this story is when you have a 5 in. jimmy that molts in to a 6.5 in softshell,it's time to move him from the nice aquarium to a nice hot frying pan  Wink
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« Reply #19 on: July 02, 2006, 04:13:16 PM »
Quote from: R D on July 02, 2006, 02:33:05 PM
And the moral of this story is when you have a 5 in. jimmy that molts in to a 6.5 in softshell,it's time to move him from the nice aquarium to a nice hot frying pan� Wink
Grin Grin Grin Grin Grin..ahahahahahahahaha man down ahahahhahahahahaha Grin Grin Grin Grin..i need a softshell sammich ahhahahahahahahahahahah  Grin Grin Grin Grin
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