Red Burrowing Crab

[hinesassociates]

Does anyone have any experience with red burrowing crabs? I got one a week or 2 ago and he buried himself within the first hour completely under the sand. I have not seen him since. I am not sure if this is normal so I figured I would ask if anyone had any experience with them. Also I am not by the tank at night so he may be coming out then...

[mtc1966]

not familiar with them but they name seems to suggest that's what they do

[hinesassociates]

Yea that is what I figured, but it seems like he should come out every once in a while...

[BEASTIEPENDENT]

What kind of crab is it You mean with that trivia name? A fiddler crab, a land crab? These are the first ones that come up on Google when I search for "Red Burrowing Crab" and these all are land crabs that would drown in a usual aquarium. Fiddler crabs live in salt marshes, mangroves and on beaches but they dig in when the flood comes and emerge only during low tide for foraging. Some fiddler crabs have evolved their gills to lungs and therefor can drown. Normal fiddler crabs have still gills but these must be moist only, they may survive some drowning but it is not their natural way.

They are animals living in colonies so it is hard to give them adequate conditions anyway, in a reef tank it is impossible.

[hinesassociates]

http://www.bluezooaquatics.com/productdetailcc.asp?did=11&cid=360&pid=11147

I realize this doesnt have much information on the page and the latin name is generic. However I have only ever seen these sold as water only. I think they are somewhat related to the fiddler, but not exactly the same obviously. Wish I had more info but everytime I ask the people in lfs they always say they are called red crabs and are pretty common...

Oh I just found another link... that has a little more info...

http://aqualifeaquarium.com/archives/584

[BEASTIEPENDENT]

Hi there, yes these are fiddler crabs, Uca sp. It then is nothing for a reef tank as explained.

Shops selling those crabs for reefers that is the same as selling crocodiles for desert terrariums. Don't know how they can do that. :(

[hinesassociates]

That sucks. Anyway thanks for the info!

[mgraf]

Maybe he is under a rock, playing a fiddle!

[hinesassociates]

Haha... well i finally saw him yesterday. He poked out from in between the rocks. He seemed to be doing fine, and he has come out a couple times, but never fully out of the rocks...

[bently23]

keep us posted on how its doing ive been looking into these

[hinesassociates]

Saw him again today. I purchased him on 12/12 so i guess its only been a few weeks. Supposedly they eat algae, excess food, and detritus. He may come out at night, but I think he pretty much lives inside one of my rocks. From what I can tell they like to do that...

[SushiGirl]

A pic would be great, I'm interested in really knowing what kind it is rather than guessing!

[hinesassociates]

Here is a pic of him before I put him in my tank. http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q154/hinesassociates/photo.jpg

Ill try to get one of him inside my tank, but he really doesnt come out from inside the rocks. So it will only be a partial pic of him probably/.

[SushiGirl]

Doesn't look like a fiddler...
Must be a female fiddler. All I can find, like you, is red burrowing crab which some people are also calling a fiddler.
Keep us updated on how it does!

[hinesassociates]

I agree that it doesnt look like a fiddler. It maybe female, but all the ones I have seen look like this. At the store I got it they said it was a "red crab" and I have seen it at one other store sold as fiddler crab. But after doing some digging it looks just like the red burrowing crab and not like a fiddler. Also everyone ive talked to at the stores (including knowledgeable customers) say that they dont require outside air to breathe which most fiddlers do. Ill try to keep you guys updates on it.

[BEASTIEPENDENT]

That's a female Uca sp. for sure.

Unfortunately the main identification feature is the male main claw, and the locality is important too, so an ID is improbable. Carapace form and front are hints too but not alone.

Sure it's a red crab, but what's that a name or description for? That fits some hundred species of marine crabs. Fiddlers dig, too, of course. It says nothing – and as said there are fiddler crabs who may survive underwater, others would drown. There is all between.

Sadly from fiddler crabs often only females OR only males are imported, which is kind of idiotic since they are very social animals.

[colesreef]

i had a strawberry crab that looked like that.
A pink colored emerald look-a-like..it didnt last long in my tank..put him in and he disappeared..i've never seen another one for sale.

[SushiGirl]

This is a strawberry crab (Neoliomera pubescens). Oval body, black claws, eyes not on long stalks.
171968
Stawberry crab (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strawberry_crab)

This is a "red emerald" (Mithrax ruber), emerald crab shaped body, short eyestalks. Note the red inside the elbow joints. Some stores (like Petco), misidentify them as Strawberry crabs, but they are not. When my boyfriend came home with this one, he said the guy called it a strawberry crab, so, misidentified.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5208/5380834155_6c1e0e967d.jpg
Mitrax ruber (http://sealifeinc.net/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=39&products_id=85)