Took me a while, but it's finally set up

[Zante]

Planted!

Two anubias, a barteri at the back and a petite in the middle.
Some Java moss under the water flow from the filter and some leftovers along the shore of the pond.
Some wendtii crypts here and there, two in the water and one on the shore between two stones. Hopefully the moss will grow around it.
I hope the two in the water set root quickly as there's just a thin layer of sand and they're likely to topple over. If push comes to shove I can pull them up and plant them in the soil, and get something else for the pond, maybe a java fern.

The shop didn't have any java fern when I went there, and I kinda would have preferred it to anubias, but not by much. I like the idea of anubias' wide leaves for the crabs to perch on (if they ever will)

In a corner a hygrometer has appeared. For the moment it's showing 90% humidity, which would be fine, if it wasn't that the tank has been open while I was working on it, and without the heating bulb, so the temperature dropped from 28 degrees to 23.
We'll see tomorrow morning a more meaningful reading

 

[Zante]

Finally stocked: one male and four females.

After less than ten minutes they started to move about. One of the females made a beeline (or a crabline since it was sideways ) for the water.

Now they're grazing on the soil and the rocks, ignoring the hairy mountain that is staring at them from beyond the glass, although they are aware of me, as i could clearly see one of them with the eye stalks pointed at me.
So far they've ignored the pond snails I've dropped in there.

One of the females has vanished, but with all the hideyholes I've put in there who knows where she is.

There is a chance she might be molting already. It's the one that ran for the water and was trying to find a hiding place between the stones. She has a different colour, without the bright spot on the back and slightly translucent. Could be signs of an upcoming molt.
I'm considering this possibility also taking into account the fact that they have been at the shop since Thursday and they disn't have access to water deep enough to molt.

Underwater, as part of the stone wall, there's one of those slate bristlenose caves i put there for that very reason. She could very well be in there.
We'll see if she turns up again.

 

[SeanTrollope]

Absolutely awesome

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[SnailPocalypse]

Beautiful crabs.

 

[NickAu]

Finally we can say " you got crabs" LOL

 

[Zante]

The crabs are now settled in, hiding most of the time.
I see one or two of them every now and then. The ones I do see are alert and feeding.

They probably will come out more once they have properly settled in, and realised the big hairy thing isn't a threat.

There is obviously room for more though. I'm debating whether to check into the shop and see if they still have the others or just wait and hope they breed, which could be many months from now if at all.

 

[Zante]

Got some crickets today, about 20. This way they'll have live food whenever they feel like it.
They've already been decimated, and I saw both a crab munching on one and another stalking one.

Looks like I'll be making regular trips to that shop.

This morning, when checking on them, I also saw something very small scurrying away. Half a hope that one of the females was carrying eggs and that she released crablets (if it's not a word it is now), but it's quite unlikely. It was quite larger than what I'd expect a newly born crab to be. More likely it was an insect that got in attracted by the heat and humidity, like the mosquito that was in there yesterday evening.

 

[SeanTrollope]

Hehe free food for the crabs.

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[Zante]

They do seem to prefer fresh meat. They will happily much on a piece of shrimp when given it, but any unfinished remains stay unfinished if there's a snail or a cricket to eat.
This morning one of them was cleaning off the shell of one of the snails I dropped in as live food with yesterday's piece of shrimp less than two inches away.

 

[thrujenseyes]

please post pics as soon as you get them im really looking forward to it.

me too! Can't wait to see!
I love all of the time and thought that's gone into this!

 

[Zante]

They've settled in nicely and I occasionally manage to see three at the same time, including the male, fortunately... They are still very timid, but more outgoing. I have ordered a few more, if they start breeding only one male isn't going to be good, genetically speaking. They'll probably be out and about more with more of them in the tank.

In the last couple of days I've seen a couple of them moult, which is good. If it works like with shrimps there's a chance the females that did moult will now be carrying eggs, and that might mean crablets in a few weeks. Not necessarily, but hey... one can hope

Got another lot of crickets for them, they're going to enjoy hunting them down. I've also started stunning flies that get into the house and dropping them in. They manage to hunt those too, even after the flies recover from stunning, which is impressive.

 

[thrujenseyes]

They've settled in nicely and I occasionally manage to see three at the same time, including the male, fortunately... They are still very timid, but more outgoing. I have ordered a few more, if they start breeding only one male isn't going to be good, genetically speaking. They'll probably be out and about more with more of them in the tank.

In the last couple of days I've seen a couple of them moult, which is good. If it works like with shrimps there's a chance the females that did moult will now be carrying eggs, and that might mean crablets in a few weeks. Not necessarily, but hey... one can hope

Got another lot of crickets for them, they're going to enjoy hunting them down. I've also started stunning flies that get into the house and dropping them in. They manage to hunt those too, even after the flies recover from stunning, which is impressive.

What fun, interesting, adorable little critters! You'll have to video them hunting some time! I'd love to see that!

 

[Zante]

I'd love to see them hunting too

I only managed to see one stalking (I think it was stalking) before it noticed me and froze.

 

[Zante]

A bit of an update:

I spotted a few days ago one of the crabs climbing up the filter pipe and sitting on the sucker, so I decided to give them some wood to climb on if they want. They are forest crabs, and they're likely to enjoy a bit more wood to climb.
Also, the way I've placed it, it will allow them to choose different humidity and temperature levels by climbing higher or lower, or closer or further from the heater.

I know the thermometer's fallen. I just can't seem to keep it on the glass, so it's staying there. I have the thermostat to read the air temperature off anyway.

The anubias didn't seem to be growing much, but today, what I thought was a leaft that was just refusing to unfurl, turned out to be the spathe. The anubias is flowering!

The leaf in the foreground is a bit damaged. I'm not sure whether it's because it is an underwater leaf that is suffering in the air or whether the air isn't humid enough. At that level humidity should be hovering between 80% and 90%, which should be enough, and if it was a case of the air not being humid enough it wouldn't be one leaf doing poorly.

The crypts are also doing fine. The leaves they came with are suffering and dying, but that was expected, as they're underwater leaves, but the new ones are doing just fine. Sorry, didn't think of taking a pic of them.

Now with the new layout the crabs seem to be out and about more. I see them more often, and while they're still quite skittish they're not so ready to dive for cover. If I open the lid of the tank they do vanish though (no surprise there )

Here are a couple of recent pics

The last one is a bit overexposed and blurry because it is rather dark under that piece of wood, and I thought you'd rather see the crab than the piece of wood.

I had ordered four more, but last week the ones delivered were very poor quality, and they died in the shop. The shop owner himself told me not to bother coming for this lot (they hadn't died yet at the time) and that he'd order a new batch. The puffer in the shop enjoyed them, I was told.
Unfortunately this week they weren't in the delivery. I told the shop owner to keep the order standing until they were delivered. Even if they should be delivered when I'm in London on business the winter timetable at Florence airport allows me to drive past the shop on my way from the airport at a time the shop is open.

 

[thrujenseyes]

funny little critters!
I didn't realize anubias can live in or out of water?!