Fiddler crabs are a type of brackish water crab commonly sold in freshwater. They sift through sand, looking for any tiny bits of organic material. When they eat, they grab food particles with their small claws and bring them up to their mouth parts. Oftentimes, this is why they appear to be aimlessly moving their claws up and down. They don't need fancy food, as they are scavengers, so this article will show you how to quickly make easily frozen food for these little creatures.
Steps
Method 1
Method 1 of 3:
Making Easy Vegetable Bites
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Gather a batch of soft vegetables like squash, zucchini, or several pieces of leaves of lettuce, spinach, or celery leaves. If you can, get organic veggies to reduce the possibility of feeding your crabs pesticides. If you are unable get organic, regular is still acceptable.
- Scraps of vegetables, if not contaminated with raw meat or other substances, are a great way to use otherwise trashed food. Just make sure they aren't rotting.
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Wash your veggies! Use special vegetable wash, not regular soap, or make your own. Combine a cup of tap water, a tablespoon of lemon juice, and two tablespoons of white vinegar to use as a soak or spray-on type of wash. [1] X Research source Soak for ten minutes, then rinse.
- Washing is especially important for those using non-organic food.
- Tougher types of vegetables can withstand scrubbing; but, some leaves are too soft for this.
- If you get pre-washed, organic vegetables, you can skip this step, unless you want to wash it.
- Non-organic vegetables with skin should be peeled and washed, as much of the pesticides are found on/in the surface.
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Shred your vegetables. For big vegetables like zucchini, dice up the flesh into tiny pieces. Each shred or piece should be no bigger than your pinky nail.
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Soften your vegetables. In a microwave safe container, microwave your vegetables in some purified drinking water for a minute. It is important not to use tap water so that chlorine or heavy metals aren't ingested by your crabs.
- Use small pieces of vegetable so that you don't have to microwave them for a long time.
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Let the vegetables cool down. You can drain the water off (be careful if it is hot), put the solids in a plastic bag, and stick it in the freezer for a maximum of fifteen minutes.
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Feed your crabs! Stick a few shreds into the water (you might have to stick them in the sand or in a bowl if the pieces float around) daily and replace daily. Freeze any extra for later, and thaw them by microwaving for thirty seconds.Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 3:
Making Frozen Vegetable Cubes
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Start out with washed produce: You can use leaves or soft fleshed vegetables.
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Put all of your vegetables in a blender. Add a cup of drinking water for about four cups of vegetables. Pulse on and off frequently to avoid making veggie soup. You should have visible shreds of vegetable floating in water.
- If you are using thick vegetables, you might want to cut them into smaller pieces before blending.
- If the ratio of water to vegetable shreds is high, take some liquid out and strain out the solids, then add the strained vegetables back into the blender.
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Freeze your vegetables. When you have blended up a nice, non-soupy mix, use ice cube trays to freeze small portions of this vegetable blend. Freeze for at least 12 hours.
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Use the cubes to feed as a time-released diet for your crabs. Splitting a cube in half for smaller tanks is good, so you don't waste food. Stick a cube in shallow sand daily; it will melt and the crabs will be able to sift through the sand to find the food.Advertisement
Method 3
Method 3 of 3:
Making Frozen Cubes Out of Fish Food
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Obtain fish flakes (any kind), pellets, dried bloodworms, or brine shrimp. Since fiddler crabs are omnivorous scavengers, any fish food will be good.
- If using, soak dried bloodworms, brine shrimp, or pellets in some tank water until softened.
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Combine your ingredients. It's best to use a combination of at least two foods to provide variety and nutrition. Mix with drinking water until you get a slightly thick soup.
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Pour your mixture into ice cube trays. Freeze for 12 hours. You might want to use smaller ice cube molds, because this method packs quite a lot of food into a cube.
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Feed! Using the same method as the vegetable cubes, putting cubes a bit under the sand and wait for them to melt. Crabs will be more attracted to this kind of food, as non-vegetable food sources give off more of a "there's food here" smell that crabs can track.Advertisement
Community Q&A
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QuestionCan I use dried flaked algae?CaeiiaTop AnswererYes, but be sure to alternate it with other foods (i.e. bloodworms) to provide proper nutrition.
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Tips
- Reserve an ice cube tray for your crabs. You won't want to share one!Thanks
- If you want to prepare a large amount of food to freeze for later, you can boil whole leaves or vegetables until soft and then chop them up afterwards.Thanks
- Pieces of uncooked, frozen shrimp are a good treat to give to your crabs (and when you don't want to make food!).Thanks
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Warnings
- If you do not have a heater for your crabs (which you should) in a cold or air conditioned room, but a little frozen food will not make your water very cold in a warmer environment.Thanks
- If you blend the vegetables too much, freeze them anyway but stick them completely into the sand to avoid tiny bits of matter floating around your tank.Thanks
- If you use food with a high protein content, do not leave it in the tank for more than a day. A water filter is also recommended to make sure a protein film doesn't form as quickly on the water and on the glass surface of your aquarium.Thanks
- While tasty to crabs, fatty foods like beef heart or salmon will cloud/dirty water very quickly.Thanks
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About this article
Article Summary
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To make your own fiddler crab food out of fish food, combine equal parts of at least 2 different types of fish food, like flakes, pellets, dried bloodworms, or brine shrimp. Add in a little drinking water until the mixture is thick and soupy, then pour the mixture into small ice cube trays. Freeze the fiddler crab food for at least 12 hours. To feed the crabs, put a cube under the sand and wait for it to melt. The crabs will be attracted to the scent and will eat the food as it thaws. To learn how to make fiddler crab food out of vegetables, keep reading!
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