Vampire crabs, that is! I just started researching these neat little critters and they seem like they're really cool. What can you all tell me about them? As in, what details can you give me in regards to care, maintenance, feeding, and stuff?
I want to get crabs!
- Thread starter boosh96
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ShredderEmp
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I just learned that the zoo I work at over the summer got these and when I saw this I figured I might as well share my knowledge.
What I know is that they are not very big. I think they only get about 2 inches. They are land crabs so they need half land and and half brackish water. Give freshwater too just in case. They can eat pretty much anything because they are scavengers. They can be kept in multiples too.
Also, the thread nepenthes gave is pretty good too.
What I know is that they are not very big. I think they only get about 2 inches. They are land crabs so they need half land and and half brackish water. Give freshwater too just in case. They can eat pretty much anything because they are scavengers. They can be kept in multiples too.
Also, the thread nepenthes gave is pretty good too.
Toogledoo
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Hahaha I'm sorry, but the title made me laugh!
ShredderEmp
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I agree haha. I remember reading somewhere about someone who was looking for some Gecarcinus quadratus's and was telling people "I'm trying to get crabs."
Anonymity82
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I know a professional if you're willing to travel... She's notorious for her crabs.
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Vampire crabs are freshwater, offering brackish is not needed and may kill them. I've kept these a few generations and they're very easy to keep with very simple setups and they require very little water.
ShredderEmp
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Don't all crabs need some sort of salt?
Alright, now I'm putting a lot of consideration into getting a few shrimp as a Christmas present for my mom. I'm thinking about getting Fluval's 2.6-2.8 gallon tank or whatever and adding some plants to make the setup all nice and aquascape-y for the two or three cherry shrimp I plan on (maybe) getting. Can any experienced shrimpers help me out with this, maybe give me some tips and tricks and stuff? I want to make it really nice, but at the same time I don't want to spend a buttload of money on this. Any help would be GREAT!
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Im currently keeping 5 Geosesarma sp. "White claw". I've had them since October and so far havent lost one, i have 3 females and 2 males.
I've tried G.bicolour and Geosesarma sp. "Red devil" a fair while ago, although with those two species i didnt rear them right and i had mass losses straight away and they didnt last very long at all.
Before getting the white arms i started to get my set up together. Im not giving them additional heating so im keeping them cool, before with the reds and bicolours i had a heat matt, apparantly they really dont like hot temps. They have no lighting at the moment as the hood of the tank needs replacing, but they dont seem to mind, they are mostly active at night.
I have a small water filter with a bit of tube stuck down the end of it, it filters the water from the pool and pours it from the tubing i placed at the top. I have only ever seen them once in the water, they have moulting twice and each time on land.
Here is my set up.
The various types of mosses are doing ok and growing, and i would say the added leaf litter is vital, its the same mix of rotted oak leaf litter i give my beetle larvae, and the beetles regularly munch on bits. They also love to burrow, the sand leaked through the water barrier made of bits of bog wood and bark and made almost a cave system under the main chunk of bark on the land, the crabs have added to this and excavated their own tunnels which they stick to.
For feeding i have offered them bloodworms, small crickets and roaches along with freshly dead or mismoulted insects, i have also fed them on shrimp and crab pellets and flakes and also the leaf litter.
Here's one of the crabs.
The colouration varies on the individual, one of them has bright red legs, bright blue carapace, and the usual white claws. No sign of breeding yet which im really hoping for. The one male is massive and i think a bit old, but the other male is a couple of moults below, the females are all the same kind of size as the smaller male, fingers crossed. I haven't seen any fighting but i wouldn't recommend keeping any more in an enclosure my size.
I've tried G.bicolour and Geosesarma sp. "Red devil" a fair while ago, although with those two species i didnt rear them right and i had mass losses straight away and they didnt last very long at all.
Before getting the white arms i started to get my set up together. Im not giving them additional heating so im keeping them cool, before with the reds and bicolours i had a heat matt, apparantly they really dont like hot temps. They have no lighting at the moment as the hood of the tank needs replacing, but they dont seem to mind, they are mostly active at night.
I have a small water filter with a bit of tube stuck down the end of it, it filters the water from the pool and pours it from the tubing i placed at the top. I have only ever seen them once in the water, they have moulting twice and each time on land.
Here is my set up.
The various types of mosses are doing ok and growing, and i would say the added leaf litter is vital, its the same mix of rotted oak leaf litter i give my beetle larvae, and the beetles regularly munch on bits. They also love to burrow, the sand leaked through the water barrier made of bits of bog wood and bark and made almost a cave system under the main chunk of bark on the land, the crabs have added to this and excavated their own tunnels which they stick to.
For feeding i have offered them bloodworms, small crickets and roaches along with freshly dead or mismoulted insects, i have also fed them on shrimp and crab pellets and flakes and also the leaf litter.
Here's one of the crabs.
The colouration varies on the individual, one of them has bright red legs, bright blue carapace, and the usual white claws. No sign of breeding yet which im really hoping for. The one male is massive and i think a bit old, but the other male is a couple of moults below, the females are all the same kind of size as the smaller male, fingers crossed. I haven't seen any fighting but i wouldn't recommend keeping any more in an enclosure my size.