transporting crabs for aquarium

[BlueCrabber]

I've been reading up a good bit on the topic of keeping crabs in a aquarium and I think I'm going to do it within the next 2 weeks.  I was wondering, being I live in PA.  How would I get the crabs from the bay to my house and into the tank without dying from something. 

The things that worry be are keeping the crabs in water from the bay in a container, then traveling back home.  I would think they might go into shock from the bumps and spashing back and forth.  Also how long would the oxygen last in a container about as half as big as a bushel basket??

Also

If I just take a few crabs out of the bushel basket and put in the tank.  Will they're lungs be dried out from being in the air for a while?

Thanks for the future responses!

[SeaMonkey]

I don't know! I know you wanted help, but I would love too do the same. I find crabs fascinating, I would love to have a aquarium with a blue crab in it. Catch a bushell, take e'm home throw them in the tank. If they die eat them, If they live watch em! Theirs  a learning curve in every situation. let me know how you made out.

[jack1747]

The crab will do just fine on the ride home.....  Put it in a bucket with just enough water to half cover him.  The water splashing around will help keep it aerated.  As long as a crab can keep its gills wet and get air, it will be fine.  I would recommend a crab less than 2 inches.  And only 1.  Cause in the end you will only have one.  The first one to shed will get eatten by the other hard crab.  Crabs love crab for dinner.  Take a water sample to a Saltwater aquarium store and ask them to recommend how to adjust the water in your tank to match the salinity of the water the crab came from.  Or take enough water home to fill the tank at least 3/4. After that you can just use un-chlorinated water to top off the tank.  The crab will acclimate to the change in the water chemistry.

The other day I had a Spotted Trout about 3-4 inches in one of my minnow traps.  I put in my 75 gallon Bay tank.  The 3 inch blue crab charged right out and killed the Trout.  I guess crabs love Trout as much as they love eatting other crabs and clams.... 

[BlueCrabber]

thanks for the help!  I will let you know how it all goes! 

[flounderpounder]

It will be just fine..as long as its cool. works for me..

[The-reel-diehl]

I agree with Jack1747.  I took home a small 2 1/2 inch crab without any claws that my kids insisted had to come home with them as a pet.  So we put in in a 10 gallon fresh water tank that had guppies in it.  The crab did just fine acclimating to the fresh water.  One morning about 2 weeks later during a full moon, my youngest daughter came yelling into the kitchen, "the crab had a baby, come look!"  Well,  the crab had molted and now we had a 4 inch crab with big claws trying to eat all the fish and a molted shell of a small crab that she thought was the baby!!!!!  Needless to say at that point the crab went back to the river to save anymore fish from getting eatin'... lol

[mrscharms]

This is interesting because I tried to keep a small crab in my fish tank, two years in a row.  In the end, they wound up dying, and I didn't do it for the past two years. I am liking all these tips, though, and I am tempted....how awesome to see the process of shedding.   I never saw that.

And I will tell you that "Little Jimmy" (that was his name), once got out of the tank, even with a cover on it.  I searched for Little Jimmy for two days and finally found him..live an kicking under the couch.  He lived for another six weeks and then he was gone. 

I would love to try this again this year...talk me into it, and give me lots of guidance.  Two crabs lost in two years is not a sign that I know what I'm doing

Janice

[jack1747]

This is interesting because I tried to keep a small crab in my fish tank, two years in a row.  In the end, they wound up dying, and I didn't do it for the past two years. I am liking all these tips, though, and I am tempted....how awesome to see the process of shedding.   I never saw that.

And I will tell you that "Little Jimmy" (that was his name), once got out of the tank, even with a cover on it.  I searched for Little Jimmy for two days and finally found him..live an kicking under the couch.  He lived for another six weeks and then he was gone. 

I would love to try this again this year...talk me into it, and give me lots of guidance.  Two crabs lost in two years is not a sign that I know what I'm doing

Janice

Try again Janice..  Start by filling the tank with water toted from the area you caught the crab in.  The drain 25% and refill the tank with collected water once a week. If you had a crab live over 6 weeks, one of two things killed it.  Ammonia build up (the water changes will fix that) or it starved to death. (Or maybe it was a really good crab and God wanted it.  ) Always keep a couple mini's or goldfish with the crab.  If your not feeding it enough it will kill the fish and eat them.  Let me know if you have any questions.  I been doing this for over half a century... 

[flounderpounder]

Try again Janice..  Start by filling the tank with water toted from the area you caught the crab in.  The drain 25% and refill the tank with collected water once a week. If you had a crab live over 6 weeks, one of two things killed it.  Ammonia build up (the water changes will fix that) or it starved to death. (Or maybe it was a really good crab and God wanted it.  ) Always keep a couple mini's or goldfish with the crab.  If your not feeding it enough it will kill the fish and eat them.  Let me know if you have any questions.  I been doing this for over half a century... 

tell her your non-iodized rock salt and tap water thingy.....works for me.   alot cleaner than water where I crab...lol