If it's one thing I hate the most, it's feeling helpless. Another thing I can't handle is suffering critters.
Hi guys, new to this forum and hopefully I'll get an answer.
History on the issue.
Set-up a 5 gallon tank for my betta, to which I added 1 tablespoon API aquarium salt. Gravity was at right around 1.003-1.004
Bought a red clawed crab as a scavenger.
Local fish store guy sold it to me as freshwater crab from freshwater tank [also had fiddlers in there]
Found out red clawed crabs fare better in brackish
Googled info and spent an entire week reading and researching. I cannot come across any new articles now
Set-up a brackish environment with a gravity of 1.007
Water temp is right at 78*F constantly, maintained by a 50w Tetra water heater with thermostat
Water is cycled by a Tetra Whisper biofilter
Decor is just rocks and gravel previously used in my 75g tank that housed some coy temporarily, tank which has been dry for a year now. Some plastic plants and that's it
After having the crab with the betta for a week, moved him in his new brackish environment. She was alive and well with the betta. She would spend much of the day inside the filter but the following morning and throughout the day I would find her in various spots in the aquarium. I have seen her eat several times, once shuffling through the tiny rocks on the bottom and another time nibbling at my plant.
Why move her then? Because all the articles online seemed to agree that:
1) in the long term she will be better of in brackish
2) my betta, although very tolerant of her, would eventually end up peing nipped since he would sleep on the bottom
So I moved her in her new environment and trouble ensues
Crab has been in the tank for 3 days now
He barely moves. Doesn't even make an effort to hide anymore. I find him in the morning almost in the same spot as the night before
I have not seen him eat
I grow more desperate by the minute. Help!
I plan on replacing 1 gallon of the brackish with 1 gallon of freshwater to bring the salinity to about 1.005
What else can I do? I'm pretty sure I can vouch for the water quality, I barely dropped 6 little food pellets total. No, I did not cycle it. It is well water, I have used it for the betta as well and not had any problems with it. I used water conditioner for safe measure. I do have a test kit on the way [ordered online, Aquarium Pharmaceutical] but that won't be here for another 4 days AND I made the mistake of ordering one for freshwater. The readings should be pretty close I think.
Any help or ideas are more than welcome. Like I said, I'm feeling pretty desperate. Theoretically it's just a 2 dollar crab but to me it's much more than that. I feel responsible for it's well being as much as I do for my cat, dog and wife. By the way, the wife can't take much of my worring and shuffling
Help me help my critter