Freshwater Pom Pom Crab is a cute and unique species that many aquarists forget about.
These active little critters provide an entertaining alternative to more large freshwater crabs. They can also benefit your tank by eating algae and cleaning up food debris left behind.
They’re a blast to own because they are so active and can provide numerous benefits for the health of your tank.
The care requirements for these crabs are shrouded in mystery. In addition, because the practice of keeping them is so new, there’s a lot we don’t yet know about their habits.
That indicates that it is essential to get accustomed to what the aquarium community knows so far if you want them to flourish. So, to make everything simple for you, we have assembled all the information on Freshwater Pom Pom Crab and inserted it into this helpful guide.
Overview of Freshwater Pom Pom Crabs
The freshwater Pom Pom crab is also known as Ptychognathus barbatus, is a rare gem to have in your aquarium.
This freshwater-dwelling crustacean is a curiosity to many aquarists, as there are still many unknown facts about them.
The Pom Pom crab is a species of crustacean that inhabits freshwater springs and narrow streams throughout Africa, Asia, and Australia. The most prevalent locations for the crabs are in New Calcedonia, Madagascar, and Taiwan.
The Pom Pom crab has been called the friendliest, most outgoing crustacean out there.
The aquatic creature is a perfect addition to any size aquarium and takes full advantage of its environment with ease since it only needs water for survival!
This fully aquatic animal will thrive in an enclosed space as long as clean water is available.
Behavior of Freshwater Pom Pom Crab
They are an entirely aquatic crab species, signifying that they spend their entire lifecycle immersed in freshwater, from larvae to fully grown-up.
Pom Pom crabs are an excellent addition to freshwater aquariums, big or small. These fairly active creatures make for an excellent choice for your aquarium, making it easy to find the perfect living space for them.
They’re also relatively peaceable in nature to be kept with other fishes without any problems.
There are many crab species out there, but freshwater pom-poms might just be the most active. They can often be seen wandering around the tank to scavenge some food, and they will rarely stay in one place for long periods.
It would be best to tighten the tank with a secure lid to prevent them from escaping.
The process of molting is a natural one that all crustaceans go through in order to grow and develop. Therefore, the freshwater pom pom crabs also shed old exoskeletons for new ones when the time comes.
The new exoskeleton is going to take a couple of days to grow back, but until then our crabs are vulnerable and we need to be extra careful with them.
To decrease the chance of damage, they will possibly sneak away in caves or even burrow during the process.
The discarded exoskeletons of these crabs will slowly pile up in your tank, and nitrate levels can rise from the natural breakdown. Therefore, you must remove them.
Appearance
There are countless diverse species of crabs, but Pom-Pom Crabs are the smallest. They don’t get much bigger than an inch, plus they are adorable.
These delightful little guys never grow larger than an inch- making them perfect for keeping in the tank.
The foremost element that separates these crabs apart from their freshwater pom-pom size is how many claws they have. They’ve got a pair of pincers for digging and catching food (called chelae).
The claws are additionally used as tools to manually pick up food, remove debris, burrow, and attack.
These sneaky creatures are known for their yellow and brown speckled pattern. This helps them blend into the environment, making it difficult for predators to spot those looking out for a snack on this tiny creature.
The carapace of these creatures is so broad that it hides all their vital organs, making them quite durable. With ten legs total (including the pincers), this characteristic applies to every Decapod species and helps them to make efficient movement across land or water.
They possess a pair of delicate eyes which each stretch from the body via a stalk. This assists them in virtually viewing 360 degrees if required.
They have two pairs of antennas situated above their eyes. The longer antennae are used to feel the environment, while the shorter ones help it taste and smell.
There are numerous ways to identify the sex of crabs. For example, male crab’s undersides have a distinguishing V-shaped section, but females do not. Males also generally have more enormous claws than females.
Freshwater Pom Pom Crab Care
The freshwater Pom Pom crab is one of the newest additions to aquariums, and their lack of information about them makes it seem like they are impossible to care for. However, that isn’t true!
Dedicated owners have been working hard with these mysterious crabs in mind and uncovered necessities such as living space requirements or a water change schedule that any owner who wants this species in their home can follow.
Tank Size
Pom Pom crabs require a tank size of five gallons at minimum, but for an optimal experience with these active crustaceans, we recommend using 10-gallon aquariums.
The best part about owning your own Pom Poms is that they do not need significant habitats to thrive.
If you happen to have any old nano tanks lying around from past freshwater expeditions, it will be more than enough space for them and all their crabby needs.
Also Read: Temple Compacta – The Best Temple Compacta Care Guide
Water Requirements
It is crucial to identify that these crabs need freshwater habitats, and there is another saltwater species that have the same name. Though they share the same name, these two crabs could not be more different. One can only live in freshwater environments while this other live best in saltwater habitats because of their unique needs and capacities.
The freshwater crab spends most of its life in clean, freshwater streams near the coast and can enter brackish environments during the breeding season.
The preferred water condition for this species has been up-for-debate among experts recently; luckily, these resilient pom-pom crabs can adapt well to some extreme ranges of habitat–even those with high salinity levels necessary during mating season.
To keep your crustacean happy and healthy, you will need to maintain the following water parameters:
- Water Temperature: a temperature between 68°F and 78°F (ideally above 72 degrees),
- pH Levels: pH levels of 6.2-7.2
- Hardness of Water: Hardness no higher than 30 dKH
In addition to these requirements, feeding them every day is also essential.
What to Put In the Tank with Pom Pom Crabs?
Unlike other crab species, Pom Poms tend to be more active and enjoy having tanks with lots of decorations for them. To start off the process, use fine sand as your substrate; these critters are burrowers who will often push around the sand in their claws, looking for an excellent spot to lay down.
Next, add natural items like rocks or driftwood, which they will have fun playing on top of while also trying to dig underneath its surface where they can make themselves cozy little spots- this is when you should then introduce plenty of plants into your tank!
These crabs are not looking to ruin your garden, but they will accidentally knock down any live plants with shallow roots while digging. Use floating plants or ones with more robust root systems for a safer aquarium habitat, and always make sure you cover it up tightly! The pom-poms enjoy climbing, so be careful when installing filters in case they escape into other parts of your aquarium.
These tiny crustaceans do not want to cause trouble; however, by digging around their tank’s flooring, these crabs can end up destroying delicate plant life, so be careful.
Diet
One of the fascinating traits about Pom Pom crabs is their ability to scavenge. However, they are also opportunistic omnivores that will consume anything they can get their claws on, including microorganisms, different types of algae, and plant detritus.
It is common to think these crabs filter feed because their hair catches food every once in a while; however, it is not true.
You are not going to splurge a fortune in order to feed them. In fact, most aquarium owners let their pom pom crabs pick and choose from leftover foods or dry food pellets found at your local pet store. They have been known to enjoy any variety of protein-rich snacks like baby brine shrimp or worms that you may have laying around as well.
Care
The hardy nature of the freshwater pom pom crabs makes them relatively easy to care for, but you should always prioritize a healthy environment.
Long-term exposure to poor or deficient conditions can adversely affect your crabs’ health and living habits.
Regular water changes are vital in maintaining good aquarium hygiene; it removes excess algae and keeps their home clean!
Monitoring your aquarium for parameters is crucial to keeping it safe and healthy. Each week, make sure that you test the water in all areas of the tank so as not to neglect any potential problem area.
You are also encouraged to secure a tight-fitting lid on top of your freshwater pom pom crabs’ home because these climbers can climb up very high into their habitat and could escape from there!
To keep your Pom Poms healthy and happy, make sure to follow these guidelines when handling chemicals.
It is crucial that you not use copper-based products or chemicals because they can be toxic for crustaceans and may have lasting effects on the water chemistry levels.
When molting happens (which is a natural process), do everything possible to leave them alone, so they can finish this phase of development without being forced back into their old exoskeleton or risk damaging them in some way during this vulnerable time.
Once this process(molting) is over, you must eliminate or remove the old exoskeleton; otherwise, it will be crumbled down and alter the water chemistry.
Freshwater Pom Pom Crabs are a unique breed of crab that does not have much research done on them.
They can contract an illness like anything else you might keep in your tank, so be sure to quarantine the individual if they show any signs and do some research for common illnesses among crabs.
Breeding
Captive breeding of Pom Pom crabs is impossible due to the fact that they seem to be migratory and move from freshwater rivers in order to reproduce.
Researchers have been unable so far, however, to pinpoint exactly where these specific locations are located as many believe that this species moves between fresh water and brackish waters during reproduction.
This makes it difficult for any researcher to attempt captive breeding projects because they need to replicate an environment with a mix of saltwater and freshwater, which is impossible to do in captivity.
To put it all together, venturing to breed Pom Pom crabs is not worth the effort and preservation it requires.
Tank Mates
Pom Pom crabs are easy to care for freshwater crab that will not bother you or your other tank mates. They are very low-maintenance and just want to be left alone.
One great thing about them is their non-interfering attitude. They barely notice what anyone else in the tank is doing, as long as it does not interfere with them. That means they do well with the most peaceful fish and shrimp.
In addition, these crabs may do well if put together with other peaceful freshwater fish or another crab species that can comfortably coexist without any issues for a while before eventually attacking each other – like Cherry shrimp.
If you want to keep these crabs, the other tank mates(fish) must be peaceful. The smaller species will likely avoid eating or bothering your Pom Pom crab because they tend to stay in the upper part of the water column.
Conclusion
Care for freshwater pom-pom crab can be a little intimidating at first. There is so much that we do not know yet, and it seems like progress is slow.
Nevertheless, you are doing a great job!
The conditions and recommendations included in this guide have been working well with owners over the past few years; as more information becomes available about what these critters need, make sure to revisit us to update your care plan accordingly.
