Panther Crabs

[stanleo]

I wanted crabs for my new tank and there are very few that are fully aquatic and fewer that tolerate soft water. In fact the only one I found was the panther crab. A very cool species I found through Elite Inverts. The first 3 I ordered were DOA thanks to a blizzard that held up the shipment. I ordered 2 more and they came healthy. That was 3 weeks ago and I hadn't seen them since. I was still putting food in for them that is high in calcium just in case but I lost hope. Apparently they are very skiddish cause I found where one was living last week and just today the other one came out of hiding and they are eating and seem happy Though I wont be comfortable until I see them successfully shed. I still don't have pictures but will post if and when I get some.

Does anyone else have any experience with them? In my research they seem to be hit or miss.

 

[stanleo]

I’ve had these crabs for two months and they seem to be doing great. I have found one shed so far which is a good sign. They eat the shrimp pellets during the day and the crustacean rings I put in every night. They are more comfortable and explore the tank more but if you don’t like having an animal in your tank that you rarely see then I would not recommend getting these crabs. That might change when they get bigger but I’m not holding my breath.

 

[stanleo]

I finally got a good picture of one of these guys today. They are doing very well. I still have only seen the one shed but they are both noticeably bigger and the one that was missing a claw now has a small claw to replace the old one so I know they are growing and look very healthy.