# Fiddler Crab/Nerites A-team?



## davrx (Feb 19, 2010)

I just got an email from Aquarium Plants.com advertising their new "A-team" consisting of a Fiddler Crab and Nerite snail which they guarantee will keep your tank algae free if using one of each per 5 gal. or your money back! I've never heard of Fiddlers being used to eradicate algae in a freshwater tank. Aquarium Plants.com stated that you can take before and after photos of your tank and if the A-team didn't rid the tank of all of its algae then they'll refund your money. Anyone ever use Fiddlers for algae control in their tank?


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## Fish4Fun (Jan 4, 2010)

i had fiddlers and never had algae grow in my tank... i give them an 'A'


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Don't they need terrestrial space though? I agree with the nerites though


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

I'm not sure they need terrestrial space, but need access to air.

I know some people with crabs will make a rope ladder to the surface. Like this link:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/40170-moss-rope-ladder.html

Keep in mind, fiddlers are fully capable of catching and eating any fish dumb enough to swim in front of them. Your tank may be algae free (probably mostly due to the nerites), but it might end up fish free as well, lol.


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## leviathan0 (Oct 6, 2007)

Not really sure of their algae-eating capabilities, they're mainly detrivores. They certainly do need terrestrial space though, they spend the majority of their time out of the water. They also need brackish water, not freshwater, on top of that.


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## davrx (Feb 19, 2010)

leviathan0 said:


> Not really sure of their algae-eating capabilities, they're mainly detrivores. They certainly do need terrestrial space though, they spend the majority of their time out of the water. They also need brackish water, not freshwater, on top of that.


The brackish water part may or may not be true. I have kept dragonfish aka violet goby's in R/O water for years and they supposedly require brackish water as well.


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## frogmanjared (Feb 21, 2008)

leviathan0 said:


> Not really sure of their algae-eating capabilities, they're mainly detrivores. They certainly do need terrestrial space though, they spend the majority of their time out of the water. They also need brackish water, not freshwater, on top of that.


 +1 on the brackish water if you want them to thrive, not just survive. It helps them during the molting process. As others have said, they need something to get out of the water on to fully breathe, and will eat other inhabitants.



davrx said:


> The brackish water part may or may not be true. I have kept dragonfish aka violet goby's in R/O water for years and they supposedly require brackish water as well.


Mollies are also supposed to be in brackish water, but do fine in regular. There are many examples of this, but with fiddlers, they need it to thrive and grow properly in order to live longer.


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## Sharkfood (May 2, 2010)

Don't fiddler crabs eat vegetation (I.E. plants)?


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## leviathan0 (Oct 6, 2007)

davrx said:


> The brackish water part may or may not be true. I have kept dragonfish aka violet goby's in R/O water for years and they supposedly require brackish water as well.





frogmanjared said:


> Mollies are also supposed to be in brackish water, but do fine in regular. There are many examples of this, but with fiddlers, they need it to thrive and grow properly in order to live longer.


To be fair, both Violet Gobies and Mollies are found in freshwater in the wild (as well as brackish and saltwater). The former does better in brackish for whatever reason - I'd assume it's something to do with the TDS and trace minerals the salt provides. Mollies I would consider primarily freshwater fish - the ones sold in stores have been bred and raised in freshwater for countless generations, even the wild-collected ones I've seen offered were collected from freshwater. AFAIK, Fiddler Crabs are only found next to brackish and saltwater.


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## The Rockster (Aug 2, 2007)

*Interesting Thread*

Hi.
I too got the same email. Not knowing anything about the 'A' team, I googled them, and found some interesting points:
1. ph under 7.0 (CO2 injection), the nerite snails' shell starts to deteriorate, the lower the ph the faster.
2. You have loads of snail eggs, some claim, they are only temporary.
3. Some Olive Nerite Snails can coexist with Loaches, their thick shells & tightly sealed trap doors help.
4. You can get the same effect of the 'A' team, using water changes, and weekly cleanings.


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## Dave-H (Jul 29, 2010)

Those nerite eggs are hardcore! I have had them for months and I removed the nerites (except 1) 3 months ago. They aren't even fading or dissolving at all!

Evidently Limnopilos naiyanetri is completely aquatic and doesn't need access to the land. They like to hang around in plants near the surface, but they don't actually need to get out of the water. So, if you want a crab that might be a good option!

The A-team email seemed like a bit of a cheap marketing trick to me.

Unfortunately there isn't that much clear information on them.


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

My limnopilos naiyanetri don't hang out in plants near the surface at all... They're always under a rock or burrowed into the gravel, or hiding at the base of a downoi or something.

They don't eat algae either though... meat only.


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## Dave-H (Jul 29, 2010)

They burrow?? I keep hearing different things about those little guys!


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## Noahma (Oct 18, 2009)

Those are the little crabs that my wife said she would leave me if I put in my tank, and my daughter said she would not come downstairs lol They look too much like spiders to them.


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## Dave-H (Jul 29, 2010)

I get mine on Thursday


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## Twimbo (Oct 10, 2009)

How are they working out? I just got some today. I forgot that I ordered them with my plants and wondering why I did. Seems like a risky experiment. Maybe I'll put them in a small tank by themselves. 

If I put them in my 75g (with quit a few plants) for a while, will I be able to catch them again?


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## wakewalking (Jan 18, 2010)

just got 10 nerite snails and 1 fiddler crab (to see what it does exactly) from them, don't really know what to expect.

I should have read up on the crabs before buying.I read they need brackish water or they will most likely die in less than six months and that they need a covered tank as they climb up anything. So I guess you won't see them in any nice tanks.
how well do nerites eat algae (what kinds) and how good are they at getting out of tanks? they leave behind feeding prints?


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

nerites eat algae really well and yes they leave behind feeding prints. You'll still have to clean your glass it'll just be easier since they've eaten most of it


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## Twimbo (Oct 10, 2009)

I got three crabs. Two of them are temporarily in a 5 gallon aquarium, waiting for me to decide where to keep them. I put the other in my heavily stocked and planted 75g aquarium. 

After introducing the fiddler to the aquarium, I drop a sinking algea wafer into the aquarium. After leaving the room for about 20 minutes, I came back to find the crab backed up against a piece of driftwood with the algea wafer in its claws, while a bunch of fish took turns biting at the wafer. 

This has to have been the funniest image I have ever seen in all my days of keeping aquariums.


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