Red Claw Crab and salt (LF educated opinions)

[DekuScrub]

I know this isnt chameleon related AT ALL. I just really don't know of any reliable aquarium communities. And a lot of you are teh smurts.

My dad put together an aquarium for my kid and i wanted a crab, well i wanted a blue crayfish but those were $25 and the crabs were $3 and they were equally as cool if not more so.

ANYWAY i did do research beforehand and i DID know brackish is preferential if not essential. Depending on who you ask. Well i got her anyway, as the petstore carrying them was keeping her in a cramped freshwater tank. So i justified putting her in my tank and opposed to the petstore or some ignorant owner.

Now, more to the point, i was sitting on the floor staring at her for a while and i noticed a bag of rock salt next to me. Being the weirdo i am i shoved some in my mouth and then thought maybe i can give the crab some.

So the question is, can i give some to the crab? Can i safely put a chunk on her rock and have her not die? It seems relatively safe and possibly beneficial to give her some to satisfy her dietary needs. But im no expert on crustaceans (though i do have a 17 year old hermit crab) Would this be a terrible idea? Do you think she would know to "lick" it? Could she "lick" too much and die? I figure she'd be fine since shes in the water most of the time.

thanks for any input

 

[chamfriend1]

with the experience you have im sure you know that brackish water is not freshwater, but not quite saltwater.. its pretty much in between the two.. with that said, the salt us as humans ingest or take in is actually different than the salt(s) used for aquariums.. there is a salt product put out for use in "freshwater" set ups.. just be sure not to exceed 3% salinity, which is actually the high side of brackish water tolerances... API puts out one of the best "aquarium salt" products I've ever used.. also (which you most likely know this too) the products out for creating true saltwater is not the same as "aquarium salt".. completely different product and materials...
salt is a great health benefit for all water creatures.. it helps with hygiene of the animal and aids in healing when needed.. in the case of crustations which molt from time to time its a great benefit...

 

[Socratic Monologue]

I just really don't know of any reliable aquarium communities.

Go to www.wetwebmedia.com. First search the archived Q&A; if you don't learn what you need to know, email the WWM crew.

 

[DekuScrub]

thanks for the response chamfriend1. My point was im not trying to set up a brackish environment its got freshwater fish in it. What i wanted to know was whether or not giving him rocksalt (the type used in water softeners) would be a viable option.

 

[chamfriend1]

my apologies... I misunderstood the "question".. but to answer the last post.. no.. like I put in my first response...the salts used for aquariums is actually a different kind and chemical composition of the salts we use and ingest..
sorry about the earlier confusion...