F/W Crabs for paludarium?

[Fat Homer]

Hey MFK,

Basically i'm in the process of converting my old 25G into a paludarium for some Pearl Danios, and possibly some Cherry Red Shrimp.

I was thinking of maybe adding 1 crab in there as well just for a bit of a laugh but was wondering if there are any true freshwater crabs suited for such an environment?

The whole base of the tank will have water about 5.5" - 7" deep, ADA soil with plants and a raised platform for dry land and terrestrial plants...

So MFK please let me know if there are any crabs that will work or if i should just stick with the fish and maybe some Cherry Reds?

 

[Blue Crab of PAIN!!!!]

There are true aquatic, freshwater crabs out there but you need to know where to look. I've gotten some before from www.franksaquarium.com. You'd probably have to register in the forums and then ask for them in the "looking for..." section.
From person experience I can tell you that crabs are VERY good at escaping and some can swim up to the surface by kicking their legs.

Some of them also like to sharpen their claws on plants. I'm a little worried about how they might interact with the danios and shrimp as well. Awesome pets otherwise

 

[Fat Homer]

^ That was in a way my main concern, i mean i wouldn't mind leaving CRS' out of the tank so that i could keep a single Crab specimen, since i've already in the past tried keeping Cherry Reds...

Anyway, i guess i should also ask, are Vampire Crabs a f/w species of crab (i know they are mainly terrestrial), but do they need brackish water, or is f/w fine for them? since what i find online is a little conflicting...

 

[Shaihulud]

Vampire crabs are freshwater, I had some sucess in keeping a pair, they even breed and now im keeing a second generation in a 10gallon tank. They are more terrestrial then aquatic however.

 

[Fat Homer]

thanks for the info...