If you’re looking for a standout crustacean for your tank, there’s no better choice than the Vampire Crab (Geosesarma dennerle). These aptly named creatures are incredibly mysterious and have a somewhat hazy history.
It’s believed that they have been around the aquarium trade for decades. The only problem was that no one really knew where they came from! That all changed in 2006 when they were officially “discovered.”
Scientifically referred to as Geosesarma Dennerle, these crabs come from small islands in the Indian Ocean. They have been found living in Java, Sulawesi, Riau, and Krakatau. However, they’ve also been distributed throughout Asia and the Western Pacific.
These are unique creatures that are relatively new to the aquarium world. Thus, there’s a lot of misinformation floating around (primarily due to their semi-terrestrial nature). These crabs have some unique care requirements that you must follow to a tee if you want them to stay healthy.
Lifespan
The typical Vampire Crab lifespan is around 2 years at most. This is the same when kept in captivity or in the wild.
As you would expect, their lifespan is determined by several factors. A poorly maintained environment can cause disease and shorten their life expectancy by quite a bit.
Appearance
The most interesting thing about Vampire Crabs is, without a doubt, their appearance! Their profile is similar to that of other small crabs. They have a total of ten legs! This includes their two big pinchers.
While most crabs have powerful claws that can do a lot of damage, that’s not the case with these critters. Their claws are quite small and don’t open up very wide. As a result, you can handle them without having to worry about pinching. That said, they can still harm other small creatures.
When it comes to coloration, Vampire Crabs are one of the most fascinating creatures to observe.
Their bodies are covered in dark purple. The color is brightest on their legs and claws. With some specimens, the claws take on a lighter pink hue.
Typically, the body is a bit darker. It may be brownish-purple or black. Creamy white spots often litter their carapace as well, creating a very stunning look.
That’s not the only interesting thing about these crabs!
On top of their heads, you’ll notice large bright yellow eyes! It’s believed that these crabs got their name due to the foreboding look their eyes and dark purple bodies create.
Males and females look very similar at first glance. However, there are some distinct differences that you can identify. Usually, males are slightly bigger than females. They also often have lighter-colored claws.
If you’re still unsure, you can flip the crab over and take a look at their abdominal flap. Males have thin and somewhat pointed abdominal flaps. Meanwhile, females have a wide oval-shaped flap.
Average Size
The average size of a Vampire Crab is about 2 inches wide. If you want to observe all their beauty you’ll have to get in close!
This measurement includes their leg span. The carapace, which is their main body, is only about an inch wide.
Author Note: Their small size is actually surprising to a lot of people. There’s something about the pictures of these crabs that make them look larger than they are!
Vampire Crab Care
Vampire Crab care doesn’t have to be challenging. Unfortunately, the lack of information about these critters has led to a lot of mistakes by owners.
This species can be quite hardy. But, that’s only true if you’re providing them with the right care.
Vampire Crabs need a perfectly crafted environment to truly thrive. You can’t expect the crabs to live healthy lives with basic decor and substandard water conditions. To help them truly thrive, you’ll need to follow some strict care guidelines.
Author Note: One of the most important things to know about Vampire Crab care is that you’ll be keeping them in a paludarium. We’ll go into that a bit more later on!
Tank Size
The ideal tank size for Vampire Crabs is about 10 gallons. This will offer plenty of room to roam and will allow you to keep half a dozen together without any issues.
You’ll see a lot of owners keeping them in tanks as small as 5 gallons (and care guides recommending this tank size as well). We disagree. Even though these crustacea are very small and don’t need much space, giving them little extra room goes a long way.
Water Parameters
Due to their unique tank setup requirements, there likely won’t be a lot of water for you to maintain (more on that in the section below).
But regardless of how much water you use, it’s still important to stay on top of quality. These crabs require tropical freshwater that’s slightly alkali and pretty warm.
Like many other invertebrates, Vampire Crabs are sensitive to extreme changes in water quality.
You’ll need to perform partial water changes every month. We recommend changing up to 40 percent of the water each time to keep ammonia and nitrate levels low.
To keep your crabs healthy, stick to these parameters:
Water temperature: 70°F to 82°F (somewhere in the middle is best)pH levels: 7.5 to 8.0Water hardness: 0 to 10 dKHTank Setup
The key to keeping Vampire Crabs healthy is to imitate their natural environment in the wild. This is true with all aquarium creatures. However, it’s pivotal for this species.
As we hinted at earlier, there’s something very different about Vampire Crabs. They are not purely aquatic creatures!
They’re actually considered semi-terrestrial. Because of this, these crabs need a paludarium setup rather than your typical aquarium.
These creatures spend about half of their time on land. So, you’ll need to provide a perch.
Many seasoned Vampire Crab owners recommend a land to water ratio of 80/20. Luckily, that’s not a lot of water in the tank to maintain!
In the wild, you can find these crabs living in dense forest rivers and lakes. Both the land and water portion needs to have a lot of plants.
In fact, these crabs are an excellent addition to terrascaping projects. They don’t eat live plants but will feed on dead ones!
Before you do anything, start with a base of fine sand. Vampire Crabs do like to burrow from time to time. Fine sand is easier to move and won’t cause any damage.
You can use the sand to create a natural elevation for the dry portion. Alternatively, you can use a floating perch or large platform to build the land. Many paludariums have integrated shelves to make this easier.
Plant live plants in both areas. Feel free to experiment with plant varieties as the crabs aren’t particularly fussy about cultivars. You should also introduce driftwood, rocks, and other forms of shelter in the water portion.
Good filtration is a must for the water part of the tank. You can get by with a standard hang-on-back canister filter. However, under-gravel systems do just fine, too.
Author Note: A tank heater and humidifier is a must. Many owners don’t see success with Vampire Crabs because they fail to maintain appropriate humidity levels for the land portion.
You should set your equipment to keep the humidity levels at a constant 75 percent.
Possible Diseases
Not much is known about the diseases that Vampire Crabs can get. They don’t suffer from common issues that fish do. For example, they aren’t affected by Ich (which is quite common). Though, they can carry it and affect your fish.
It’s believed that Vampire Crabs are susceptible to the same general ailments that other freshwater crabs are. This includes bacterial infections, fungal issues, and parasites. Luckily, no species-specific conditions have been identified yet.
The good news is that all of those issues can easily be avoided by just maintaining your tank. In most cases, stress from poor water and quality is the main culprit for diseases.
Food & Diet
Vampire crabs aren’t picky eaters at all. They’re natural omnivores that usually take what they can get.
Vampire crabs for sale UK.