Purple Vampire Crabs!!

[Welsh]

I went to my LFS today and came across some Vampire Crabs;that's what they were labelled as. I've wanted one for a while but from my knowledge, crabs are semi-aquatic and these one's were fully submersed; with nothing to climb on to for oxygen. The crabs were also in a tank with other fish; Betta's etc, which led me to believe they also had no salt in their water. Is this correct? my gut tells me its pretty wrong.

Thanks

 

[siva]

I just bought them in the same condition..came home and started acclimating them to my brackish tank..and realized they aren't brackish crabs at all. They are a true freshwater crab. And they are terrestrial. So they are more like a hermit crab than a fiddler crab. I'll find the threads for you just a sec.

 

[siva]

OK check out here http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/help-fast-vampire-crabs-brackish-or-fresh-147689.html and here http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/vampire-crabs-138469.html

 

[Welsh]

Thanks It was seem all the LFS are doing wrong, is not giving them anything to climb out on to. I really wish I had picked one up, I have a tank set up and cycled but they were £8 a pop, however you don't find these very often over here so i'm now kicking myself lol. How good are they are climbing out of the tank? I've heard horror stories about fiddler crabs doing that lol

 

[siva]

Yeah they typically do the same to fiddlers, keeping them trapped underwater, but with these guys it's even worse. They shouldn't be kept in an aquarium at all really...where as IME fiddlers can thrive more in a brackish aquarium type set up as long as they can get out of the water. So currently, until I get their new tank set up, my vampires are in the tank I had designed for fiddler (minus the salt) so it's about half full and has a peice of mongrove decor sticking up out of the water as well as a plant to climb up to a floating island. They spend most of their time on the mongrove and the plant, coming down to scavange for food. If not given access to air I'm sure they'd find a way out of the tank just like fiddlers do when they need to dry out. These crabs typically spend the majority of their time on land. I feel so bad for them...so many getting taken home and tossed into fish tanks..desperate for air

 

[Welsh]

Most of the research I have done on vampire crabs, tells me their suitable for aquariums, its sad. I was planning on buying one and putting it in with my betta;as he was with one in the LFS but the tank is a 5 gallon and it would mean I'd have to lower the water level, pretty significantly. I do have a spare tank, which i'm planning to setup and have raised gravel and some rocks,etc for it to bask. I'm excited, if they weren't so expensive i'd happily get two

 

[siva]

Nah they really don't want to be in water hardly at all. Proper set up is dirt with a bowl of water...like a hermit crab.

I paid $33 US for three of them!

 

[Welsh]

My boyfriend surprised me with one today and he's been hanging out on the plastic plant I got ever since, you see him dip his toes in to the water now again he's soo cute I definitely will be getting another I always wondered why crabs had bowls, haven't read anything about it yet though. The setup I have now, with gravel, a plant, rocks is that OK?

 

[siva]

I'm not sure...is it in an aquarium full of water?

 

[siva]

Metallic purple super delta tail?? Now that I need to see!

 

[siva]

The crabs are not suibtable for aquariums...only paludariums.

 

[Welsh]

No. Its about 3 inches full, the plant sticks well out of the water as does the ceramic pot, filter etc. I plan to make it mostly land.

 

[Welsh]

My betta is in my avatar pic

 

[siva]

I'm green with envy

 

[Welsh]

Haha. When I first saw him he was more of a brown colour, then he turned up with the postman and was a gorgeous purple. I weren't disappointed lol

Do you have any pictures of your crab setup??

 

[Welsh]

Edward the Vampire Crab!

I was thinking. As he is in with my betta, I'm wondering whether I could use some sewing mesh and suction cups to make a ledge for Edward to climb out on to. Would this be sufficient enough? I could then attach some Java moss to the mesh, if my 9watt PL bulb will actually grow it, or at the least keep it alive lol

 

[siva]

Well as I said the tank I have them in now is not designed properly for them, but it should be good enough to get them by for another week until their tank is set up. I'll post a pic of it though. It's hard to see on the top half because of all the condensation..I have a tight fitting hood on because they need the humidity.

Does this crab, at this time, have access to air? I can't tell if it's on that plant in or out of water. I hope so or he is going to die quickly. If he is being forced to stay in water for any amount of time it's crucial you run an air stone (which your betta may not like).

They really want to be in dirt and leaves for the majority of their lives so I don't think that is a long term solution, no. I mean these are terrestrial crabs...keeping them in a regular aquarum is kind of..well..cruel.

 

[Welsh]

Yeah he has access to air. I put him in my betta tank today, he can climb up a plant and then on to a ledge, when need be. I do have an air pump but the tank is fully cycled with a filter anyway but I do plan to setup another tank for him soon, I'm just trying to find the best sort of setup atm The betta tank is also very humid, I did read that on the net and as my betta tank is 80F;which is the same temp the crab needs? I thought it would be better than the temporary tank I first had him in.

Your tank looks good, I love that tree stump thing i've been trying to find one of those for a while lol

 

[siva]

Ok cool beans

Yes it's a mongrove root! I ordered it from www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com

 

[Welsh]

This is probably going to be a stupid question lol but the proper setup, with the bowl of water? What would you use to heat it? lol