# My two new Geosesarma sp.



## Deroplatys (Feb 14, 2011)

Got some red ones and some vampire ones yesterday, an amazing bargin 
Really hope i can get them breeding 
Their set ups still need some work, thinking of getting some UV lighting installed in each one. I've always wanted them but i was caught off guard when i saw the very rare crabs in a local fish shop 













Here's some pics of their set ups, im not too happy with the red ones set up yet, i ran out of stuff to make it look nice for now 
As i said im going to try and get some lighting installed soon for them both 

Reds on the left, purps on the right.







Inside, noticed one of the reds has dropped a leg for some reason in this photo 













Left and right side of the purples, note the also rare florida whip scorpions in the the last photo :whistle: 













And a video of one eating 

[YOUTUBE]bE09sQiaplo[/YOUTUBE]


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## Matt K (Feb 14, 2011)

Have those been captively bred? (I ask before doing a search on the web..)  I hope you can.  They are real beauties!


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## AbraxasComplex (Feb 14, 2011)

I've bred Geosesarma notophorum and others have bred the Geosesarma sp. Orchid/Vampire crabs (the purple ones).

Geosesarma notophorum does not need a water source to reproduce as the mothers carry the young on their back. The others do the same, but the young typically need a water source to survive for the first few weeks once the mother drops them.


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## xhexdx (Feb 14, 2011)

I've always wanted to try my hand at keeping crabs but have always been afraid of the care requirements being more than I'd care to invest my time and money in.

Considering I've never really put any research into them...how difficult would you say it is to keep them alive and happy?

Doesn't look like you're doing too much with those enclosures, but I don't see a filter so I assume the water will become stagnant?  Is this the case, and how much maintenance is involved with these?

Beautiful crabs, btw.  I love the pictures. 

--Joe


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## AbraxasComplex (Feb 14, 2011)

xhexdx said:


> I've always wanted to try my hand at keeping crabs but have always been afraid of the care requirements being more than I'd care to invest my time and money in.
> 
> Considering I've never really put any research into them...how difficult would you say it is to keep them alive and happy?
> 
> ...




I'd suggest Geosesarma notophorum (Mandarin Crabs) for you. They can be found in many petstores being sold as aquatic species even though they are completely terrestrial.

I kept them in really moist leaf litter and fed them 2-3 week old crickets (which they pounced on), high protein fish flakes/pellets with spiralina tablets, and a mix of carrots, strawberries, and other fruits and veggies every few days. Add a lot of wood or rocks with nooks/crannies as they like to have different hiding spots, are some what territorial, and will molt upright in the open if the humidity is high enough.

I did have an extremely shallow water dish, but I rarely saw them using it. I took it out and several weeks later I had a few mothers produce young.

My suggestion is to let a culture of springtails go in your enclosure. If you find they are thriving on the left overs and breeding it is humid enough for the crabs. Also keep them at temperatures of 72'F to about 82'F. 



And since you live in Florida and ever want to try something interesting, you could find some Phrynus marginemaculata and do a mixed tank. I've read that they can survive flooding conditions and willingly submerge themselves for up to 8 hours. So they would be fine in a semi-aquatic tank.

I'm not sure how well they would tolerate each other, but it would be an interesting experiment.


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## xhexdx (Feb 14, 2011)

I'll give it some consideration, and check some of the local shops to see what they have available.

Thanks.


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## AbraxasComplex (Feb 14, 2011)

Oh and for some interesting behavior from these crabs. If they have no where to run or hide when spooked they nerviously pick at the ground as if they are picking at something interesting and are trying to ignore you. They remind me of cubicle workers that have caught wind of the boss approaching and frantically start typing away on their keyboards feigning work.


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## Elytra and Antenna (Feb 14, 2011)

AbraxasComplex said:


> I'm not sure how well they would tolerate each other, but it would be an interesting experiment.


 The crabs will eat small crickets so they'd likely make short work of timid Phrynus.


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## AbraxasComplex (Feb 14, 2011)

Elytra and Antenna said:


> The crabs will eat small crickets so they'd likely make short work of timid Phrynus.




Hmmm, well I've never seen them take down a Phrynus sized cricket before, but I'm sure you may be correct on that part.


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## Deroplatys (Feb 15, 2011)

Yeah these are one of the rare few that can be captive bred 
I wasnt expecting getting thme so those enclosures were the best i could do with what i had, i plan on setting them up a pallidarium over the half term (my first one )
As for the water i plan on changing it if it gets mank, but there are a few aquatic plants that might make it a bit cleaner maybe :/
I'll regularly change it anyways. I wouldnt reccomend keeping them with any other species other than their own. They are very territorial and can canabalise each other. They dont like it too hot either. Their current set up was made from what i knew about them and what i was reccomended by the shop, it was late at night and immidiatly in the morning i was off to school. I came back home after a day of reading up on them (wasnt much work to do anyways lol) and both enclosures were pretty hot, and 1 of the reds had died. Im not sure if it was just the heat but it was lying on the floor with both claws and most limbs pulled off, the other males seem to have pulled some legs of each other aswell 
Since then though they seem to have claimed their own little spots and i've given them plenty of food. Tried offering scraps of ham yesterday but it was ignored so i removed it this morning. Topped them up with some fish food flakes and defrosted blood worms 
Funnily enough i keep my Florida Phrynus to the right of the purple enclosure


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## zonbonzovi (Feb 15, 2011)

AbraxasComplex said:


> And since you live in Florida and ever want to try something interesting, you could find some Phrynus marginemaculata and do a mixed tank. I've read that they can survive flooding conditions and willingly submerge themselves for up to 8 hours.


Hey Abraxas, if you can remember the source or have an electronic copy that you can send, please PM me.  The area where I collected P. marginemaculata was in a seasonal flood plain.

Great photos as usual Dero


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## Obelisk (Feb 16, 2011)

The crabs in this genus (Geosesarma) don't need brackish water?


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## xhexdx (May 12, 2011)

How are these guys doing?


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## Entomancer (May 14, 2011)

Deroplatys said:


> Yeah these are one of the rare few that can be captive bred
> I wasnt expecting getting thme so those enclosures were the best i could do with what i had, i plan on setting them up a pallidarium over the half term (my first one )
> As for the water i plan on changing it if it gets mank, but there are a few aquatic plants that might make it a bit cleaner maybe :/
> I'll regularly change it anyways. I wouldnt reccomend keeping them with any other species other than their own. They are very territorial and can canabalise each other. They dont like it too hot either. Their current set up was made from what i knew about them and what i was reccomended by the shop, it was late at night and immidiatly in the morning i was off to school. I came back home after a day of reading up on them (wasnt much work to do anyways lol) and both enclosures were pretty hot, and 1 of the reds had died. Im not sure if it was just the heat but it was lying on the floor with both claws and most limbs pulled off, the other males seem to have pulled some legs of each other aswell
> ...


Just wanted to say, after seeing the pictures of all of your awesome inverts, I always look to see if you've posted a new thread; great photography and cool animals.

As for those crabs, mainly the ones with the paludarium-esque setup, I'd try a filter. Plants help, and emergent/"bog" plants are nice, but for many fish tanks/paludariums, they can't keep up with the animal/animals that live in it.

Traditional fishtank filters might not work too well, but there are filters around now that are made for the water/land and paludarium setups that are common with turtles and amphibians, respectively.

From what I can tell, you must live in Europe or the UK (exotic Orthopterans ), so I don't know if they have them there, but I like the Tetra "Repto-Filters". They are essentially fishtank filters that have suction cups on the back; they stick to the inside of the tank with the suction cups and filter the water (intake is in a small grate/vent on the front), and the cord trails out of the back of the unit, and out of the tank. I currently use them for a firebelly newt tank w/ some small fish, and it works very, very well.

They do require cartridges to replace the carbon every month or so, but as long as the tank you use them for isn't overstocked that guideline can be followed fairly well as for when to buy/change out cartridges.

As for some good live plants, most plants in the genus Anubias would work pretty well in there. A. Barteri and A. Afzelli are the two that come to mind; Anubias are great in paludariums/aquariums because they:

1) Don't need intense light

2) Don't need to be fully submerged, and actually do better when the leaves are above water

3) Can often be bought attached to driftwood or stones

4) Grow from a tuber/corm; this can be cut when it is long enough and attached to other objects in the tank, where it will re-root and grow into a new plant. 

5) They are epiphytic plants, so they obtain all of their nutrients directly from the water; this makes them excellent at keeping the water in enclosures with messy eaters cleaner, as they absorb all the nitrogenous compounds that result from rotting food and such. 

The two species I mentioned are a bit different; Afzelli tend to grow taller and has long, narrow leaves, and Barteri grows more like a shrub and has rounder leaves.

Finally, these would be great plants especially for crabs, because they are so tough; the leaves are really strong and leathery, and non-toxic, so herbivorous animals can munch on them occasionally without harming the plant much and without harming themselves. 

As long as you make sure that the bottom portion of the plant (the roots) remain wet/moist (the amount of water you want varies by species), and not buried, but exposed in the water column, they should do well.


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## SandDeku (May 14, 2011)

xhexdx said:


> I've always wanted to try my hand at keeping crabs but have always been afraid of the care requirements being more than I'd care to invest my time and money in.
> 
> Considering I've never really put any research into them...how difficult would you say it is to keep them alive and happy?
> 
> ...


Pfft. lol Joe I think you would do quite a good job caring for crabs. Their care is very very simple indeed. Sure some can be delicate. But with a little research on which one you want you can find one that suits what you like. For example. I'm a fan of saltwater crabs(blue legged crabs-- where I come from we call em "hueyes"), as well as "Rainbow" crabs aka patriot/moon crabs because they look sorta like a saltwater crab(I used to go crab fishing when I used to live back in puertorico alot). 

So say a rainbow crab is a solitary species that is extremely aggressive and territorial. But they get quite big(5inches) and have nice colorations. They have 2 adults for sale at a petstore I used to work at. I'd get some. But I have no room for them right now. lol.

Anywho crab care is pretty straight foward. Money is not that big of a problem. If going for small fresh water crabs filters are not that big of a deal. Just get a good 40gallon or up tetra whisper INTANK filter(the one that you can put inside the tank. lol) and voila. There' ya go. Exchange the cartridge for some filter pads. Cycle the tank first before putting any crabs. I mean you could plop em right in... But its better to cycle the tank first. Try using a fishless cycle method for that. 

I could tell you more if you like. 

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Obelisk said:


> The crabs in this genus (Geosesarma) don't need brackish water?


No. Those are fully freshwater crabs. Vampire crabs are small community crabs that prefer aquatic freshwater set ups(semi aquatic tbh). But they're quite pricey to begin with and hard to find. lol. But a good "catch" should you ever come across some for sale.


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## xhexdx (May 14, 2011)

SandDeku said:


> I could tell you more if you like.


What I'd like to know most, actually, is what species would work well in a vivarium.  I'm going to PM AbraxasComplex and send him back this way to see if he has any input as well.


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## AbraxasComplex (May 14, 2011)

Still have to say Geosesarma notophorum.They are one of the only purely terrestrial crabs for their entire lifespan. I used them once and they did quite well. They do not need a water source to reproduce as long as it is quite humid.  

I even set up a Tropical Pitcher plant vase with Geosesarma notophorum for a customer as one Geosesarma sp. is found living and reproducing in the pitchers of tropical pitcher plants. Geosesarma notophorum of course are not that species, but I bred them with out a water source and they had no trouble molting or being active.

They may not be as colourful or stunning as the other species, but would make a great addition if you decide not to try a water feature.

If you do manage to set up a vivarium with a drainage layer that feeds into a water feature a filter is not needed IF you have marginal and semi-aquatic plants. As suggested before Anubias species work wonders, as do Java ferns (low light), Bacopa (though needs more light), Hygro sp. (more light as well), and the odd Cryptocoryne sp. (low light). If you use enough plants and they all start to grow they will filter the water and remove any nutrients that can be toxic to many organisms at higher levels (Nitrite, Phosphate, etc.). I have used all in marginal tanks or vivariums with water features with no filters and raised aquatic crabs, freshwater shrimp, and even fire bellied newts that reproduced successfully in said environment.


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