Patriot Crabs

[lil cobe]

We were looking into getting some Patriot Crabs.

First question: Can they be very healthy and happy without live food?

Second question: Can anyone give advice of any kind?


Thank you

Mark

 

[ewok]

sorry, never heard of them. but this will put it on top of the list and hopefully someone else will have.

good luck

 

[Wippit Guud]

Man... 16 search engine, a gopher search, and about 10 newsgroups... people are asking, but no one is answering. What I did manage to find, is 3 people who think they're a rainbow crab

S 11355-4
Sci: Cardisoma Armatum
Common: Rainbow Land-crab
Origin: Brazil
Size: 20cm
Temp: 22-25C

Most pages seems to be in other languages...

It needs to be able to get out of the water, it's a burrower, and it can get 5" wide, 4" long. Don't know about claw and leg size for that, though.

Best I could find (used to be a web researcher, but this one wasn't easy to find)

 

[Serj]

Heh...

I saw some 'patriot crabs' by the register at a local pet store. At a mere glance, they looked like painted crabs and a cheap gimmick. Guess I was wrong

 

[Wippit Guud]

Well, I saw 4 or 5 different message boards with different people asking about them, don't think it's just a 'local' gimmick...

 

[mwood322]

It isn't a gimmick.

I've seen them for a few years with different names. Rainbow Crab, Patriot Crab, Red, White and Blue Crab and Soapdish Crab. cardiosoma armatum.

As far as I've been able to glean. They get to be about 4 inches, need a place to get out of the water, and eat just about anything. They are climbers like most crabs, amphibious, and can be kept in a terrarium with a large water dish no deeper than they are. They also like digging.

--Mia

 

[hawgdawg]

i have a patriot crab, they are also known as rainbow crabs. they will eat fish and should be kept alone. i also have been trying to get info on them, which isnt very easy. i will share any info i get.

 

[NikkO]

I had 4 or them in my 300. Somehow they always found a way out and into the stand. 3 of them died getting lost in the stand before I could notice that they werent in the tank at all because they did was hide themselves whenever they were in the tank during the day. The only one that didn't die in the stand was my biggest one(about 3 in.) but all he did while out of the tank was wander around the canopy and stay in the overflow. After a day or less he would automatically go back into the tank.
These crabs are nocturnal though unless they are hungry. Most of the time I've seen them from their hiding places was during evenings, nights and whenver they wanted food. They were never able to catch a fish though. Maybe it just depends on the tank size since my fish have plenty of room to get away.

 

[Crabpatty]

i LOVE MY PATRIOT CRAB

:headbang2:i REMEMBER THE FIRST DAY i SAW HIM, IT WAS AT A PET STORE AND HE WAS IN A 10 G. STANDING AT THE TOP OF A POINTY ROCK , LIKE KING KONG ON TOP OF THE TOWER, SUROUNDED BY LOTS OF BLACK AND WHITE GUPPIES , LIKE WHEN THE AIR PLANES WOULD BOMB KING KONG, SO THIER FOR THAT IS HIS NAME. i KEEP HIM IN A 75G. TANK WITH VARIOUSE OTHER FISH 2 DANIOS, 1 PUFFER, 1 RAINBOW SHARK, 3 TIGERBARBS, 5 DIFERENT CICHLADS, 1 CATFISH, 1 CLOWN LOACH, 1 LITTLE SILVER FISH WITH RED EYE(NOT SURE WHAT ITS CALLED)AND A SOMTHING NANO(LATEST FISH , CANT REMEMBER IT'S FULL NAME)
aNY WAY THEY ALL DO FINE TOGETHER, i FEAD THEM REGULAR FISH FOOD IN THE MORNING AND FROZEN BRINE SHRIMP AT KNIGHT. JUST AS LONG AS HE CAN CLIMB THE PLANTS TO THE TOP OF THE TANK( i TIDE THE PLANTS UP SO THEY WOULD NOT FALL WHEN CLIMBED) HE IS VERRY HAPPY . i TRYED TO PUT HIM IN A TANK ALL BY HIMSELF ( BYLEVAL) LIKE THE WEBSIGHT SAID, BUT HE FREAKED OUT FOR TWO WEAKS HE WOULD NOT MOVE OUT OF HIS SPOT OR EAT OR GO IN THE WATER i THOUGHT HE WA SGOING TO DIE, SO i PUT HIM BACK IN WITH THE FISH AND HE WAS :thm: AGAIN, HE HAS ONLY MOLTED ONCE CIENCE I GOT HIM.

 

[Dwarf Puffers]

:headbang2:i REMEMBER THE FIRST DAY i SAW HIM, IT WAS AT A PET STORE AND HE WAS IN A 10 G. STANDING AT THE TOP OF A POINTY ROCK , LIKE KING KONG ON TOP OF THE TOWER, SUROUNDED BY LOTS OF BLACK AND WHITE GUPPIES , LIKE WHEN THE AIR PLANES WOULD BOMB KING KONG, SO THIER FOR THAT IS HIS NAME. i KEEP HIM IN A 75G. TANK WITH VARIOUSE OTHER FISH 2 DANIOS, 1 PUFFER, 1 RAINBOW SHARK, 3 TIGERBARBS, 5 DIFERENT CICHLADS, 1 CATFISH, 1 CLOWN LOACH, 1 LITTLE SILVER FISH WITH RED EYE(NOT SURE WHAT ITS CALLED)AND A SOMTHING NANO(LATEST FISH , CANT REMEMBER IT'S FULL NAME)
aNY WAY THEY ALL DO FINE TOGETHER, i FEAD THEM REGULAR FISH FOOD IN THE MORNING AND FROZEN BRINE SHRIMP AT KNIGHT. JUST AS LONG AS HE CAN CLIMB THE PLANTS TO THE TOP OF THE TANK( i TIDE THE PLANTS UP SO THEY WOULD NOT FALL WHEN CLIMBED) HE IS VERRY HAPPY . i TRYED TO PUT HIM IN A TANK ALL BY HIMSELF ( BYLEVAL) LIKE THE WEBSIGHT SAID, BUT HE FREAKED OUT FOR TWO WEAKS HE WOULD NOT MOVE OUT OF HIS SPOT OR EAT OR GO IN THE WATER i THOUGHT HE WA SGOING TO DIE, SO i PUT HIM BACK IN WITH THE FISH AND HE WAS :thm: AGAIN, HE HAS ONLY MOLTED ONCE CIENCE I GOT HIM.

Err... Where's his other arm? Did one of the cichlads eat it?