How to Keep Sea Crabs? Detailed Guide to Sea Crab Farming Methods and Techniques
Sea crabs generally refer to Portunus trituberculatus (swimming crab), an important commercial crab species along the coast of China with rich nutritional value. So, how do you keep sea crabs you have bought?
1. Environment
Keeping crabs at home can be done in a concrete pond, a larger plastic basin, or a somewhat bigger fish tank. No matter which one you use, they can all work; here we focus on the fish tank. Put some stones and fine sand on the bottom of the tank, add tap water that has been left in the sun for one day, and make sure the water covers the crab shells. Then plant some aquatic plants in the tank, such as Hydrilla verticillata, Vallisneria natans, Elodea nuttallii, and so on, to create a good living environment for the crabs.
2. Adding the Crabs
Place the selected large or small crabs into the tank; they themselves must be free of disease and injury. Crabs are social animals, so several crabs can be kept together, which gives a relatively high survival rate, but they must be of the same size grade.
3. Food
Crabs are omnivorous animals and can be fed egg yolk, animal organs, small fish and shrimp, cabbage, dried tofu, pumpkin, potato, river snails, mussel meat, bloodworms, and so on; they are very easy to keep. Feed 1-2 times a day, with the amount based on what they can finish within half an hour.
4. Cleaning
Clean the crabs regularly. When cleaning, hold the crab steady with your hand, then use a toothbrush dipped in a little body wash or soap to scrub it, especially the hard-to-reach spots, pulling its legs out to brush them. After washing, rinse it clean with water. The fish tank should also be washed, and occasionally sprinkling in a little salt can help prevent infectious diseases.
5. Changing the Water
Change the water every three days, and after changing it, sprinkle an appropriate amount of quicklime to sterilize and disinfect.
Sea crabs are actually fairly simple to keep; you just need to pay attention to changing the water often, and this way of keeping them can also preserve the fresh flavor of sea crabs.