Tropical Fresh Water Cabs?

[raptorrex]

Geosesarma sp VAMPIR, Geosesarma sp MANDARIN, Geosesarma spec. Yellow Eye, and Geosesarma krathing are all relatively small, social species that are freshwater. They dont need brackish water, and will breed in a freshwater tank, with a land area, the young are easily reared in captivity, in a freshwater tank. None are common in the UK at the moment though, I have read of Maidenhead Aquatics selling sp VAMPIR as "Purple Crabs" before though.

intresting crabs, but there is no information on them except on a few German sights. even the latin name is unrecognised everywhere exept these few sites. so any information, must be taken with care. never come across a critter known only in one country, with an unrecognised latin name.

Ive read of a few people who'se bred the sp VAMPIR, and have been told about the others that are also freshwater, theres a lengthy thread about the sp VAMPIR on a German Crab forum, that has unfortunatly been down for a while [URL="http/www.suesswasserkrebse.de/wbb2/threa...p?threadid=2220"]http/www.suesswasserkrebse.de/wbb2/threa...p?threadid=2220[/URL]

The sp VAMPIR are from Sulawesi, and like the others Ive mentioned are definitly truely freshwater. Theres also a freshwater species from Malta in Europe, that is kept in captivity, but is so uncommon at the moment I choose not to mention it initially.

eschaton, thats amazing that Aegla are so expensive there, Im able to sell them in the UK for around £17 each, which I thought was overly expensive, when Ive managed to breed my ones the price will come down a lot.

indeed, i have been doing some reading on the genus in general. they do indeed seem to be freshwater, though there is a suggestion that some also live in brackish waters lower down the river. it seems you can get a lot from Germany, though these things rarely consistently, make it further. also there is little information on the conservation status of these guys. and in the UK i would be careful of the crustations you keep, many are illegal. still very interesting guys.

 

[Kevin_D]

Hopefully they can become established in the UK as captive bred then, so demand for them doesnt force the importers to buy more from the wild. I'll be getting some sp VAMPIR later this year, which would be captive bred, and may have some available when I do. Im thinking of also keeping some of the other freshwater species, but it would be dependant on space.

Im aware of the legality of Crustaceans in the UK, as far as I know only Crayfish of the families Astacidae, Cambaridae and Parastacidae (with the exception of Cherax quadricarinatus) are illegal without a license, which is never granted.

 

[raptorrex]

Im aware of the legality of Crustaceans in the UK, as far as I know only Crayfish of the families Astacidae, Cambaridae and Parastacidae (with the exception of Cherax quadricarinatus) are illegal without a license, which is never granted.

i am aware that the Chinese Mitten crab is on the prescribed list, not clear on any others though, waiting for information from DEFRA

 

[3ndl3r]

red clawed crabs in anything but species brackish tanks are pointless. they can and will catch and eat fish and destroy plants. If you are interested in keeping RC Crabs you will need atleast 5G per crab. the water will need to be brackish at an SG of 1.004. teh crabs themselves will only need 3-5 inches of water. Also they need a land area to crawl out onto. this could be a large piece of bogwood, floating cork, large rock or even just the top of the filter. make sure there is enough room for all of your crabs.

as for filtration, a small internal will do the job just fine. make sure there isnt too much water current. the water also needs to be heated.

they eat anything that settles to the bottom, pellets, fish, flakes, bloodworms, small earthworms etc etc.

so really they are not suitable for a planted community.

also there are many FW crabs. Rainbow crabs (cardisoma armatum) i had one last year and they are great pets

 

[Kevin_D]

Its understandable that Mitten Crabs would also be prohibited, because they are introduced, and causing lots of damage. Hopefully none of the cooler-tolerant species also become prohibited though, or any fall into the hands of careless keepers who would release them into the wild, and give reason for them to be banned. Its probably a stupid question, but ive wondered why there isnt any sort of restrictions on Goldfish, Asian Weather Loaches, and other cold water fish, that could equally be introduced into the wild here and cause damage?

 

[raptorrex]

red clawed crabs in anything but species brackish tanks are pointless. they can and will catch and eat fish and destroy plants. If you are interested in keeping RC Crabs you will need atleast 5G per crab. the water will need to be brackish at an SG of 1.004. teh crabs themselves will only need 3-5 inches of water. Also they need a land area to crawl out onto. this could be a large piece of bogwood, floating cork, large rock or even just the top of the filter. make sure there is enough room for all of your crabs.

as for filtration, a small internal will do the job just fine. make sure there isnt too much water current. the water also needs to be heated.

they eat anything that settles to the bottom, pellets, fish, flakes, bloodworms, small earthworms etc etc.

so really they are not suitable for a planted community.

also there are many FW crabs. Rainbow crabs (cardisoma armatum) i had one last year and they are great pets

i must admit i have heard Redclaw take fish, though i have never seen it or had anyone report it here. being mainly veggie, they will destroy plants. though when young they like their meat, it drops off after maturity. Rainbow Crabs are neat critters, but they get big 6 inches across, and are, for the most part, destructive. plus they really need to be kept on their own. they get quite drab when they age as their colour fades.

Its understandable that Mitten Crabs would also be prohibited, because they are introduced, and causing lots of damage. Hopefully none of the cooler-tolerant species also become prohibited though, or any fall into the hands of careless keepers who would release them into the wild, and give reason for them to be banned. Its probably a stupid question, but ive wondered why there isnt any sort of restrictions on Goldfish, Asian Weather Loaches, and other cold water fish, that could equally be introduced into the wild here and cause damage?

you have a good point there! it is often to do with the carrying of disease. their ability to cause depletion of existing native stock seems to be tied in too.