Fisker
Community Member
So, I've set up a 5.5 gallon freshwater community in the past month or so, and I came across a unique little invert in my LFS last week... a freshwater pom-pom crab.
I've seen these guys for sale online, but they've always been sold out or ridiculously pricey. This one was $11, and had all of his limbs - seemed active, too! I snatched him up quick, as I'd never kept any freshwater crabs, and had wanted to try one of these guys for a long while.
Lemme tell ya - this is probably my favorite invert I've ever kept, fresh, brackish, or saltwater. He hides most of the day, is super skittish, isn't all that colorful, has a dull pattern, and really doesn't do much other than scavenging, but he's SO cool! He moves a bit differently than most saltwater crabs I've seen, and his pom poms are constantly moving around in the current. I spend more time looking for him than I do staring at my endlers and ember tetras. Why aren't these guys more popular? I'm sure they can't be that difficult to feed, and I've read that they're pretty hardy online. Am I missing something that makes them non-desirable?
I hate the gravel, and will be replacing it with pool sand shortly, but this tank is almost as fun as my reef. Always tons of activity, tons of color, and best of all, maintenance takes like 10 minutes per week. Don't have to mix water, scrub algae (ramshorn snails do it for me), or siphon too much (the plants will appreciate the ferts...).
I've seen these guys for sale online, but they've always been sold out or ridiculously pricey. This one was $11, and had all of his limbs - seemed active, too! I snatched him up quick, as I'd never kept any freshwater crabs, and had wanted to try one of these guys for a long while.
Lemme tell ya - this is probably my favorite invert I've ever kept, fresh, brackish, or saltwater. He hides most of the day, is super skittish, isn't all that colorful, has a dull pattern, and really doesn't do much other than scavenging, but he's SO cool! He moves a bit differently than most saltwater crabs I've seen, and his pom poms are constantly moving around in the current. I spend more time looking for him than I do staring at my endlers and ember tetras. Why aren't these guys more popular? I'm sure they can't be that difficult to feed, and I've read that they're pretty hardy online. Am I missing something that makes them non-desirable?
I hate the gravel, and will be replacing it with pool sand shortly, but this tank is almost as fun as my reef. Always tons of activity, tons of color, and best of all, maintenance takes like 10 minutes per week. Don't have to mix water, scrub algae (ramshorn snails do it for me), or siphon too much (the plants will appreciate the ferts...).
