# rainbow crab



## ram_page (Mar 18, 2005)

hiya all,i have got a small rainbow crab,i was wondering whether it would survive in a cold water tank with other cold water fish,temperature of tank is bout 65-75 degrees. the crab spends most of the time out of the water so does it matter?


----------



## jan (Apr 24, 2004)

A long time a go I had a single one in a small 20 gallon tank. Here is some information that was helpfull to me in that time. I had this info still saved on my computer, so I don't know from what site it was comming from









Rainbow crabs are land crabs. They should be kept in a dry land tank with sand and a large deep water bowl (with rocks so that the crab can climb out) the water bowl should take up a quarter of the land space. Cardisoma armatum is the name given to Rainbow crabs; this breed comes originally from Africa where they live on beach coasts. This information is relevant to most land crabs that need to climb out of the water to breathe. If you have hermit crabs the vivuruim information is relevant with the only change being that they need a shallow water dish so that they cannot drown. Firstly, something which is very important is that Rainbow Crabs must not under any circumstances be kept with other crabs, even other rainbow crabs - yes I know aquariams keep them together but they shouldn't. Rainbow crabs may seem to get on well together when they are young but as they reach sexual maturity they will become very aggressive to one another. This breed are very solitary and will fight (even to the death) if put with others. The only time they are seen together is during mating. The problem is that aquariams tell people that they can be kept in pairs and that their crabs have never fought. Young crabs will not fight, but within a few months they will end up fighting to the death. Avoid this situation, do not get more than one crab

Another question I am often asked is whether or not a pet crab can be kept with fish in the tank, the answer is no! Crabs eat fish, so naturally by putting a crab in a tank with fish it will kill them, which is cruel so please dont be tempted to do this for the sake of making the tank look pretty.

Crabs are endothermic which means that they are cold blooded and require heat from another source. If they become too hot or too cold they will die. This is why either a thermostate or a heat mat is required with the tank, but there must be areas that they crab can escape to in order to lower its body temperature if it feels it needs to.

This breed can live for about 5-7 years and often crabs are at least one year old when they are bought. Unfortantely this hasnt been proved, and the crabs ages seem to vary. The temperature should be set at 24.5ºc with an underwater heater (if in a water tank) or a heat mat placed under the tank (not in! - very dangerous) if in a vivarium. If using a water heater a thermometer (in which you are gageing the temperature) should be set on the other side of the tank to ensure an even temperature (with rocks so that the rainbow crab can climb out of the water). If using a heat mat please ensure that the heat mat is underneath the tank not in the tank and that the heat mat is not the same length of the tank, the reason why is that the crab needs cooler places in the tank so that it can cool down, the heat mat can go at either one end of the tank or in the center.


----------

