A hermit crab's gills can continue to supply a hermit crab with oxygen, even out of the water, as long as they stay moist. Having a shorter lifespan automatically makes that not okay (stupid Petco employee - you would think they'd see the idiocy in that statement). No, they are not the land hermit crabs that you see at the store. crabs can live and thrive in fresh water provided that there is enogh calcium in the water (hard water) they can not reproduce in water less than 2/3 sea water. Mud crab has huge demand and price in international market. The mud crab and any other species of crabs are sold in live condition across the country to various customers including restaurants, hotels, end users, and exporters. I would return it or rehome it to someone else with a proper setup. i just came from beach and i got some crab and some snail crab i have a tank that fill with freshwater can i put it in with that water or do i need to add salt so they can live in my tank is 10 gall Hi all,My husband is doing his Master's thesis on freshwater crabs in Texas. However, most adults live in shallow areas below the low tide mark, where they bury themselves in the mud during the day. i just came from beach and i got some crab and some snail crab i have a tank that fill with freshwater can i put it in with that water or do i need to add salt so they can live in my tank is 10 gall Mud crabs are found in WA's north-west from Shark Bay to the Northern Territory border. Mud crab farming is very popular in some Asian countries like Bangladesh, India, Thailand, Philippine etc. The fiddler crab is a burrower, so you don't want to use gravel throughout the land area; he will sift through the sand to find bits of food. The crabs will take approximately 105 days to reach maturity, and so far the endeavor looks successful. 2008 ; Cumberlidge and Ng 2009 ). Some hermit crabs must stay in the water at all times, but most species live on moist, sandy beaches, even though they need water to breath. RE: Can salt water crab live in freshwater? Crabs are decapods crustaceans that live in the oceans, freshwater, and on land. As long as their gills stay moist, these crabs can spend their lives out of the water. there is one freshwater reproducing bull shark in central america, so anything is possible. Use coarse sand, such as aquarium sand, play sand or pool filter sand for the land. more likely than not, the crabs are coming from somewhere else. RE: Can salt water crab live in freshwater? Land Hermit Crabs cannot live under water. They all undergo direct development and complete their life cycle in freshwater ( Ng et al. Crabs live in water but also want to be set out of water for some time, you can provide them with a similar shore kind of area in the tank. This Site Might Help You. Many live in burrows where the land is exposed at low tide. Freshwater crabs live exclusively in freshwater or terrestrial habitats and never enter brackish or marine waters for reproduction (Cumberlidge and Ng 2009). Variety crab production by country for mud species is quite large. Freshwater crabs are found throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Or, you can use substrate to create a sloping surface, the substrate sloping into the water so the crab can get onto land. He has a list of lakes that have confirmed populations of these crabs (PK, Granbury, Whitney, for starters) but there are three lakes that have unconfirmed populations of them. Some crabs, like coconut crabs and land hermit crabs, are terrestrial and breathe well without water, although they still need to keep their gills moist. They like sheltered waters such as estuaries and mangrove areas. Crab is very tasty and many countries of the world import huge amount of crabs for consumption every year.