My wife was trying to buy him, but I didn’t let her. If I get a Pom Pom I want one with anemones!
Thank you! I don't get really good pics very often. Thankfully he held the pose. Haha. Sometimes it's like playing "Where's Waldo" with this little guy (and my tank is only a 5g) but he comes out enough and for long enough that I have no regrets getting him!
The first couple days were stressful because my pistol didn't seem too happy but all is fine now. One thing I would say... If you're buying online then confirm the crab has at least one pom/nem (these guys can split the single nem into two) . One of the members here bought one and it came with no poms and the vendor was making it difficult to get a refund. I was fortunate that I got mine from my LFS.
Exactly... That's the point of keeping these crabs... The nems/poms!They had a Pom Pom crab at the Lfs I go to but he had no Pom poms!
I'm sure they make great little crabs on their own but stores should be discounting them if they don't have the nems! Afterall it's not like they magically grow them!
Thank you! I don't get really good pics very often. Thankfully he held the pose. Haha. Sometimes it's like playing "Where's Waldo" with this little guy (and my tank is only a 5g) but he comes out enough and for long enough that I have no regrets getting him!
Mine went into hiding for a few days and I thought for sure he died because I didn't think it possible to lose something in a 5g! Wrong! Haha. I eventually found him frozen to one of my rocks. I swear he had changed color to blend in. I still wasn't sure if he was alive but putting a little food in front of him confirmed there was life. Haha. Then he'd move overnight so the hunt was on the next day to make sure he was OK. Then he started to emerge but my pistol shrimp kept scaring him. Then I became concerned for my pistol when McCrabby started punching him in the head with his nems. It was kind of comical but at the same time I didn't want any deaths. Now they hang out on opposites sides of the tank and life is good and McCrabby is out all the time. I don't have a lot in my tank right now so that might help with his confidence. I'm sure yours will follow a similar pattern. Take pics when you get the opportunity.
Oh yes, sexy shrimp are on my list as well. I'm just going very slowly with my 5g to make sure each new addition fits in with the gang! I'm limited on space for a tank but now I wish I had made room for a 10g. LOL Too many cool things on my list that I know won't fit simply because the "allotted space per creature ratio". Haha.
Oh... So sad to hear about your tank! I hope you get another pom at some point! You're right about the zooplankton. I was feeding live pods to my Hi Fin goby and instantly saw McCrabby joining in on the hunt. Now I'm setting up a separate tank to culture pods. I also have a brine shrimp hatchery I have to get started. It's amazing how the tank comes to life when they have to hunt down their food!!
I don't have a pistol shrimp, but I do have a cleaner, peppermint and fire shrimp, and a couple emerald crabs. They all seem pretty peaceful so hopefully it stays that way, and the new one will slowly start to feel safe enough to come out.
I ordered one online but he came with 1 pom and either lost it or had it die in transit, so I went into my (semi)LFS and got another one with 2 poms... he got mugged for one about 4 hours after he was released into the tank and now they have 3 between them.They had a Pom Pom crab at the Lfs I go to but he had no Pom poms!
They'll split the nem themselves and make 2 again. Don't worry.
As @BanjoBandito said, the crab will split the single nem to make two and it's not unusual for a pom crab to mug another one for its nem.
This YT video shows a pom splitting a nem and another two fighting over a nem. The video has subtitles at the top so read those. Pom Pom Crabs Steal Anemones
