Micro Crabs

[aquaponicpaw]

I basicly went through hell to get these guys. But I finally got them after almost 2 months of trying, And I am very happy to share them with you guys.






This is mostly an Invert tank at the moment. For those who don't know these are truly aquatic and freshwater crabs. 1 of, if not the only species for freshwater. The last pic is of a piece of cuttlebone that I have secured to a rock via a rubberband. for reference. The rubberband is the tiny black ones that will hamper blood flow if you keep it on your pinkie.

 

[Lepisosteus platyrhincus]

Sweet. Been wanting to try these little guys.

If ur in america, msjinkzd gets them in.

Let me know how these do with little shrimp. I wouldnt want to destroy me breeding army

Sent from my LS670 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App

 

[fishmamma]

I've been interested in these little guys myself... so neato! Congrats! Keep us updated on how they do..

 

[jstanley_06]

very cool. what is the species name so i can look them up to do some research

 

[aquaponicpaw]

Funny thing is when I first saw them it was through Ms. Jinkzs. Tried getting them through her, but at some point it didn't work out. So far they have been nice to my cherries. They have been paying attention to trumpet snails Though. I think they are picking the babies off.

 

[anarchir]

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=60

info page

 

[msjinkzd]

Limnopilos naiyanetri

I keep them in stock

 

[aquaponicpaw]

Limnopilos naiyanetri

I keep them in stock

So is there anything that you can tell us about these things? Life span? have they bred for you? Are they true scavengers or are they subject to predation?

 

[msjinkzd]

They seem to live about 18 months or so. They have carried larvae, but I don't know that I have reared them successfully. that being said, I have seen very small ones in my tank. There is some thought that they may predate on their larvael young, so it might require the berried female to be pulled, the larvae released, then return her to the tank and grow the larvae out seperately.
They are largely detrivores. They are VERY tiny, think pencil eraser diameter. They are shy, often being more outgoing in a tank lacking predation. I would only keep them with other invertebrates or with very small fish like Boraras. They are easy to feed, taking pellets or sinking small foods (even flake). I like to feed a gel diet.

Another thing to note is that these guys shoudl not be netted. Their legs are very fragile. I hand catch them all. While they do have claws, they are so small that they are no danger to us, or to shrimp, fry, etc. They like to hang out at the base of plants or hardscape. Dense plants like moss are really appreciated as they like to graze.

I have kept themin softwater and moderately hard tanks, with heaters (78ish) and down to low 70s unheated tanks. They are more active in warmer temps, but don't seem to be negatively effected by cooler temperatures. They have berried in soft and hardwater.

Hope that helps!

 

[aquaponicpaw]

Helps a million! Like to hear real people experience rather than what some website has gathered.