You will agree with me that keeping an aquarium with animals is very enjoyable and amusing, but keeping a mixture of species is far more enjoyable. I have gotten several mails asking if they could be able to mix crabs and frogs in a tank. Although I understand how exciting and nice it would feel to do that, but the important question here is, can they coexist?. So i wrote this article to answer the question for every one that seeks to know.
Can crabs and frogs live together? No, having frogs and crabs in one tank is very risky. The crabs are very likely to kill the frogs, also the frogs might infect the crabs with diseases.
In all my articles, I always give one advise ‘it is very necessary to make proper research about the nature of the pet you’re about to get, so you won’t make unnecessary mistakes.
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Mixing crabs and frogs is a very great mistake to make.
It is not advisable to mix animals of different species and nature together, just because you want to catch fun.
I know it is fun, but trust me, it is not advisable to do so.
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Even different species of frog doesn’t live peacefully, hence they do fight and injure themselves, even to talk of keeping them with scavengers and hunters like crabs.
Although both crabs and frogs are hunters, but do you think that could make them coexist?, no they can’t! instead they will hurt themselves in one way or the other.
Apart from fighting and hurting themselves, naturally, their habitats are quite different.
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For instance, crabs live in water and in 80% moisture environment and can tolerate low temperature of 75-85°F, whereas frogs need a much more hot temperature and does not need to be in a high moisture environment etc.
So they can hardly stay together in a tank.
Insisting on keeping them together is very cruel because one of them must have to die due to the fact that the same environment cannot favor all of them at the same time.
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Even their required water parameters are very different.
There are some crabs that require staying in a brackish water (fiddler crab), and we all know that salt is very deadly to frogs and could kill them in a matter of hours.
So how do you get them together?
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You see, it’s impossible to do so, or one must have to die.
It’s a known fact that majority of crab species are completely amphibian and have no need for land, but frogs, although are amphibians too, but do require a land to stay and breath air.
Without this, they will get stressed underwater, which could lead to their death.
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Do you know that just one frog might infect all your crabs with diseases which could kill them?
Yes, it’s possible, especially frogs that were gotten from the wild.
Their poops may be diseased, which could make the crabs sick.
Also the crabs are at risk of being eaten by the frogs when they molt.
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At this time, the crabs will be vulnerable and weak, so the frog being a predator itself might begin to see them as possible prey.
Again crabs have the tendency to hurt and even kill your frogs with their pinch because the frog’s body is mainly made up of soft tissues or membranes.
So no specie of frog and crab can live together successfully without having any issues or deaths on the both sides.
Can Freshwater Crabs live with Frogs?
You might be wondering ‘ if it’s impossible to keep brackish water crabs with frogs because they detest salt, then is it possible to keep them with freshwater crabs?
Can freshwater crabs live with frogs? No, no specie of crab could get along with frogs. They will hurt each other.
While keeping frogs and saltwater crabs is impossible, it’s possible to keep them with freshwater crabs, but for a few hours.
Related: Can Fiddler Crab Share a tank with Crayfish?
But if you’re thinking of keeping them in freshwater crab tanks, then it’s a risky thing to do because they will get to each other and harm themselves etc.
Also the frogs might infect them with diseases from their poops and urines etc.
The fact is, their secretions might be very toxic to the crabs.
Also know this ” no specie of crab nor frog could be able to live together, be it hermit crabs, vampire crabs, king crabs nor fiddler crabs nor African dwarf frogs, tree frog etc could coexist.
Related: Do African dwarf frogs fight attack each other?
So trying to get them together for your personal amusement is cruel because they will harm themselves.
Do Freshwater Crabs Eat Frogs?
Although frog’s temperature requirement could match some of the Freshwater Crabs, but could that make them to become suitable tank mates?
All crabs could eat frogs if they have the chance to, including freshwater crabs.
Yes Freshwater Crabs can kill and eat frogs of anytype if they could kill it.
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Frog’s body is mainly made up of soft tissues which could be easily teared and be eaten by crabs.
Will Frogs eat Crabs?
Yes, a specie of frog (Fejervarya cancrivora) can eat crabs.
This specie of frog could eat any crab it comes across.
Part of their main meal is crab, that’s why they’re called ” the crab eating frogs.
Related: Can Tiger Barbs be kept with Guppies?
This type of frog is native to south East Asian countries like China, Philippian, Taiwan etc.
Conclusion
Keeping frogs and crabs in a tank is very risky, as both animals could hardly coexist, so they shouldn’t be kept together.