Parathelphusa pantherina

I have just got 2 Leopard Crabs. At the moment they are in a 60L tank but will be tranferred into a bigger tank when they are full size. I have been struggling to find information on how to care for them - everything is in german or contradicting information. I want a setup they are comfortable in. I felt confident when i spoke to the shop keeper but now i am not sure i have it right.. These are the things i cant find the answer to online.. If anyone could help that would be great

Do they need a land area? I seen one climbing a tree a few times to stick his head out the water, one eye staring at me.

Do they need an oxygen pump? I have a filter that is supposed to create enough oxygen for the tank, but im not sure if bubbles would help.

Do they like to bury themselves? I have small black stones and large gem stones. Also caves made out of rock

What temperature to keep them? The shop was keeping them at 24/25, this is what i have it at but it varies online i think i might have to raise it but im not sure

Also what is their main food? I have crab cuisine and always have shrimp/bloodworm in.

How old do they get? The body size of mine are about 3cm

I feel very silly for this impulse buy without doing research. I thought i knew all the information i needed from the shopkeeper I seen them hiding behind the smallest piece of wood, huge leopard print legs coming out.


These are very very beaufitul crabs, i was told their temperment is nice. I havnt seen any territory issues yet, i am hoping the tank isnt too small for the moment.




Any help would be appreciated

Thanks

Hi Mannequin

Wondering how you were getting on with your Parathelphusa pantherina (Panther Crab/Leopard Crab)?

I have two new ones this weekend after not having much luck with Vampire crabs, and am experiencing similar to yourself in terms of the requirements for these. The shopkeeper where I bought them said that they liked water temp around 22, were generally hardy in terms of any kind of water hardness and PH, and they were fairly hidden all the time.

I currently have them a little warmer at 26, with fairly soft water due to having run out of additives, and am finding that during the day they hide wherever possible, seeming fairly skittish, yet come the night time they keep me awake with their running around the tank and trying to climb out! They seem to have no problem with coming out of the water for long periods, despite reports of them being fully aquatic - although they do prefer to stay in the water. In terms of temperament, they generally seem quite aggressive. At first, they were aggressive with each other but this has stopped - now they tend to just sit hiding at opposite ends of the tank but are happy to interact at night (I think they discuss the best ways to get out of the tank...). As soon as I make any movement within the tank, their pincers are up and ready so I daren't handle them in case of a nip! Too bad they're not like the Vampire crabs who were too small to nip.

I am also feeding them Hikari Crab Cuisine, which seems to be OK but they haven't touched any bloodworm which the shopkeeper said they would go crazy over.

Do you have any more recommendations from your experience?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

OOh sorry forgot to ask also - Are they burrowers? I have fine gravel which they seem to like to sit quite low in so was wondering whether to get some substrate for them...

nice crabs....never had the luck to keep any yet

Hey sorry for the late reply, I found they love to climb things and to be half in and out the water watching me with their eyes. They love to burry themselfs and make their caves even more hidden. Lots of hiding places is important and if you could have climbing objects that reach near the top of the water they would love that. Mine love to eat snails (though i didnt put them in as food to begin with :S) crab cuisine and bloodworm once they had settled in. It took a few months for them to gain trust from me, they would always be very scared and wave their claws at me in threatening ways lol. But the more slowly i moved and more coverage i gave them, they got used to me and were happy.
I only have one left now and she lives in one of my fish tanks. I had an accident where i put my two albino baby clawed frogs in with the two larger crabs. They got on perfect untill it was shed time (( Before this happened i found they both would want different caves but then hangout ontop of the water together.


She seems happy in my fish tank - no fish have been eaten but its still a huge concern. She has claimed a big cave and is only alive at night climbing up silk plants. I dont see her like when she was in a species only tank. So i don't adivse the way i am doing it at the moment, it is dangerous for the other fish. I would love to get another to make a pair again once i get her new home sorted out - I miss seeing her I had a problem with my snakehead fish so he is using the home my crabs were supposed to take

Also my boyfriend had a sharp cut from her when i asked him to make sure she hadnt escaped, so i wouldnt try to pick them up! They need fixed lids deffinatly.


I've not kept crabs before only crayfish but i found their needs similiar.

I have just reinstallled Vista so lost all my saved information about them >< I might have some on my backup harddrive.

How are they settling in? Congrats on getting them

Ah that's brilliant info cheers! Noticed that they like climbing - they wake me up at night climbing up the tank trying to get out! Luckily they're in a reptile tank so there's absolutely no way to get out. They do seem really scared so far but are getting better. I would have got some brilliant pictures of one the other day who was hanging sideways off the edge of the plant but my camera battery ran out Where did you get the snails from? They're completely ignoring the bloodworm. Crab cuisine is a big hit. They don't really like grape lol.

They're settling in quite well, it's great having almost fully aquatic crabs! So easy to keep the water at a constant temperature. I can't afford a thermostat for the outside yet and my vampires were more land based and had to be kept at a constant temperature. When my room heaters went wrong it was with fatal consequences! I'm finding that I have to change my water quite often though, they seem quite mucky. I may just have to get a more powerful filter. How come you only have one left if you don't mind me asking? Have you had a molt yet? If so, how did it go, and how long did it take?

My first molt was after a month ish on both of them. It went ok they were hidden for most of it i thought they were sick and was freaked out when i seen legs everywhere lol. I noticed them looking pale a few days before and i was really worried. so if off colour i think thats a sign they will shed soon.

After i added my frogs to the tank one crab had a second molt.. he must have been weak or tore himself as the frogs smelt fresh meat. It happened so fast i wasnt able to get in there in time.. Was really really horrible and i feel really bad about what happened Perfect tankmates untill then i didnt think it would ever happen.

I have snails in my other tanks and they breed all the time. Apple snails normally lay hundreds of eggs, more snails than i can keep. I love my snail collection but its a bit over populated lol.

Im glad you are gettign on well with yours