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Downtown Crabville

  • Thread starter swords
  • Start date
See how many Geosesarma sp. "Sulawesi Red Vampire" crabs you can spot there are 11 in this 40 gallon...

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Here are a few shots of the ones I can find:
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Gosh, they're RED! Since the youngsters come out as fully-formed little crabs, let me know if you ever have too many. ;)
 
ADORABLE. WANT.
Awesome find dude - what an appropriately bizarre terrarium specimen.
~Joe
 
Gah, lost one in just 12 hours of arrival! Face down in the pool like a dead rockstar. :(

Reading a google translated German terrarium site apparently losses can be up to 60% on new Geosesarma imports. This "Red Vampire" species is so new there's only a few cursory pics of them in a couple of places over the entire web. I thought these were CB but apparently only the "common" bi-color purple Vampire crabs are only rarely CB and not in large quantities, most are WC. The rarer colors are always WC. I hope I don't loose any more. I will document everything on trying to keep & breed them. I will make some CB babies available if I am successful with them. Supposedly CB babies are hardier than their parents.

At least some have eaten, I added crushed dry shrimps, fruit flies, dusted tiny crickets, some fish flakes and crabby bites scattered very lightly about since they like to wander and taste little bites of everything, the stomach contents in wild crabs is apparently 77% substrate that they are found on. They seem to enjoy eating any orange isopods that come too close as well.

Here is a depressing post in English about their mortality rate - wish me luck!
http://www.petshrimp.com/discussions/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2987
http://www.petshrimp.com/discussions/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2987&start=45
 
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Wow! Those are awesome! I would love some if i could find one. Do you think if there was a freshwater pool and a brackish pool RCC and RVC would live together?
 
That's a really nice crabitat. Good luck, they're pretty :-D
 
That is an EXTREMELY nice crabitat! You should do that for a living! Maybe the interior decorator for a zoo...
 
Thanks I like this setup too but I'm now beginning to wonder if they might have to be kept in pairs or trios M/F/F instead of communally that much of the scant literature on them indicates which says they like company. Because today I am seeing lots of chasing which I assume are the males. There are lots of levels and plants and branches to break the line of sight but they run very fast and seem quite adept at spotting each other. I dug a few burrows this morning so they have a few more bolt holes.

My email from the seller this morning says he looses a good 25-30% of each order but claims that once a breeding group is going they become self sustaining... Let's hope so!
 
Man I must be blind. Except for the closups in the last couple pics, I couldn't see a single one!
 
  • #10
Just remember, crabs are omnivores. They could potentially eat just about anything, including your nepenthes and including each other. But I hope it works out because it is a really cool setup.

-Hermes.
 
  • #11
I am so jealous. That is a phenomenal set up! I love crabbies ^-^
 
  • #12
Is that one hiding in the shade of that leaf in the foreground of the fifth picture?

Great looking terrarium. Get some video of the little guys scampering around for us!
 
  • #13
hermes. most crabs are but his were labled as carnovores. he said it in his first crab thread.
 
  • #14
They are carnivores but autopsies on the stomach contents of wild Geosesarma crabs found that almost 77% of their gut contents consisted of the substrate they were found on. Those on peat were full of peat, those on moss were full of moss so just don't keep them on gravel cos they can't eat that.

They come out for fish flakes though, the smell must be tempting. They also like the orange Isopods I put in for soil maintenance. I may have to keep adding those to ensure there are enough to get established and keep the soil clean.

I found a claw laying on some wood so the males have been definitely been fighting. :(
I don't see the one with a missing claw but in the morning I will get a couple cork tubes and cut them in half the long way so there are more obstacles/line of sight divisions between the territories. Supposedly they only fight at maturity so there is a mature male in there hopefully also a mature female so before too long some babies will appear. After they separate from momma I will put them in their own tiny tank so I can properly document and care for them "from birth". I have a feeling that with the adults' gusto for Isopods and soil organisms the babies probably feed on springtails, firebrats and small Isopods. I've got cultures started of these soil organisms for my tanks so if/when any babies show up I can feed them from the culture bins.

Yes Tom that's one up against the front glass, he or she is making a burrow under the Selaginella it's much deeper today so you can only see the very top of the carapace now.

I think a video taken from a tripod would be the best solution for getting images of these guys because they come out and look around when the TV is off and I'm across the room at my desk looking at the tank. If I get up and go near it they disappear very quickly. Hopefully the first captive bred generation will not be so stressed and frightened.
 
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