Freshwater Thai Micro Crab Limnopilos naiyanetri

[Totenkampf]

Bob's Tropical Fish recently has these:

http://www.bobstropicalplants.com/shop/en/shrimp/324-thai-micro-crabs.html

he suggests they are compatable with dwarf shrimps since they only attain 0.5" at adult size. anyone keep them with plants or microfish? they would be cool if not destructive

[eklikewhoa]

They seem to work according to the guys over on tpt and apc but cryptic.

[eklikewhoa]

there's some cheap offerings on those sites too.

[R_sustaita]

the site you recommended me also has them but cheaper.

[mnemenoi]

I have kept them and they are indeed interesting, as eklikewhoa said they are cryptic and very little information is available concerning their origins and natural habitat. They have been speculated to be from fresh water, but all breeding attempts have failed within a few days to a week. Females are getting berried with viable offspring and the young hatch in tanks, but are unable to survive longer then a week. Many have speculated that there is a distinct possibility they have some brackish part to their cycle or perhaps need a very odd planktonic food source in those first few days. Whoever is supplying these apparently knows something concerning it and has not chosen to depart that piece of information. From a few accounts I have read they are supposedly found in the thick roots of floating plants in thailand rivers, but again this seems odd given they have no access to brackish conditions and movement of that scale for such a tiny crab seems unlikely. I have read that there are a handful of German aquarists trying to discern what is missing and report back their findings...

[Totenkampf]

interesting, my next purchase from bobs or azgardens will include some of these for sure. gee i hope by then some enterprising person will have let them swim around in red dye for a few weeks first! or not. if i recall correctly the purple hermit crab that we see for sale in pet stores finds its home in mangrove swamps and migrates to brackish water for reproduction? tarantulas also migrate long distances. stranger things happen.

[Totenkampf]

the site you recommended me also has them but cheaper.

i couldnt find them on there, the algae eating crab that i found is in the fiddler family and i havent had good luck with those in planted tanks, or in herp tanks for that matter. evil little things

[Totenkampf]

if anyone wants some additional information about these, Frank Greco over at Franks Aquarium was kind enough to provide me with a PDF of a scientific paper that he has concerning taxonomy of Flase Spider Crabs. It was only a little helpful to me as an aquarist but i did like reading it. pm me your email addy and i will send it to you, it is 2MB so i dont want to attach it here.

[Totenkampf]

ANOTHER POTENTIALLY COOL DWARF SHRIMP TANKMATE, THE
FRESHWATER SQUAT LOBSTER:

http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/200217-aegla-species/

[eklikewhoa]

I seen this before my hiatus from the hobby over on one of the other forums I frequent, definitely a weird looking fella for sure!

[eklikewhoa]

These guys here... http://www.azgardens.com/p-2054-lobs...r-lobster.aspx actually seem much more interesting to me being that they are tiny replicas.

[eklikewhoa]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftBNnrteoP8

[Totenkampf]

yeah those look cool too but i was reading that the squat lobster doesnt molest plants or most fish. the only thing that you might worry about is smaller bottom dwelling fish. that apricot sure is an unusual color though, you cant get that in an aquarium often