Unknown red crab in my tank

[Tfrawley]

Recently got a red crab and haven't been able to figure out what it is. Anybody know? It has a kind of round shell and very small claws with a black mouth.

 

[triggreef]

Red mithrax? That would be similar to an emerald crab but red.

 

[Tfrawley]

It's claws are too small to be red mithrax, you can barely see them

 

[Tfrawley]

Unknown red crab in my tank

Here's a picture I got of it

 

[Tfrawley]

Still no clue what it is :/

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Can you get a better picture of the claws and shell shape, like from above it a bit? Claws and shell will be helpful in ID

 

[CheckeredPants]

Looks like a baby fiddler crab.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

That's a type of shore crab. They live in the sand at high tide and at low tide they come out of the sand to forage for food. They don't live long in reef tanks because they need access to dry land.

 

[Tfrawley]

Alright thanks guys, I got him off a friend who didn't know what he was but he said it was in an all water marine tank, I'll set up a separate tank with land for him. Guess sometimes pet stores don't know what they're doing lol.

 

[Betta132]

Any crab that stands up like that as opposed to being flat to the ground is a land crab.
A 10g with a few inches of water (maybe half full?) that's about half above-water sand will make a good home for him. He'll burrow in the wet sand. A sponge filter in the water is a good idea. They aren't very difficult to keep if your setup is right.

 

[Tfrawley]

Any crab that stands up like that as opposed to being flat to the ground is a land crab.
A 10g with a few inches of water (maybe half full?) that's about half above-water sand will make a good home for him. He'll burrow in the wet sand. A sponge filter in the water is a good idea. They aren't very difficult to keep if your setup is right.

I have him in a spare 5 I had for now with a little beach, would that be ok? Don't have much experience with land crabs

 

[Betta132]

A 5g is fine for now, sure. I'd suggest upgrading at some point, but as long as he can get out of the water at least half the time without having to just perch on a tiny bit of land, he'll be OK. Larger tank is to give him a bit of room in case he's a larger species, and increased water volume will help you keep his tank nice and clean.
Is he eating? If so, he might take pellets. If not, try frozen food.

 

[Tfrawley]

He's been eating in small amounts, but at least it's something. I've been giving him fish pellets.

 

[Tfrawley]

An emerald crab took off one of his legs so he's been acting a little strange but I've been keeping an eye on him

 

[badbreath]

Pic of his new digs?

 

[Calappidae]

Would like to see the setup.

A 5g would actually be fine for him long term. There is no better description than a "saltwater fiddler crab".. that's basically what they are... one of those little feeder crabs but saltwater instead of brackish.