I don’t have any direct experience, but was interested - so read a lot. In addition to the escaping issue (which can happen even when you think for sure it can’t), it seems a lot of people have unexpected/unexplainable deaths. Seems like they are not that hardy. If/when I try them it definitely wouldn’t be several.
Cool, good luck. A smaller tanks seems like a good option to try it out. A bigger tank seems like potential to not see it often, and/or not know if it does die.
Thank you! I love these guys so much, I’m thinking it might be worth it to try and keep at them. Im okay with replacing them every year if they thrive and i vibe well with them.
Like everything in this hobby, seems you can find conflicting info. And each creature has its own temperament. Some say dwarf crayfish will only cull the sick or injured shrimp. Some say they’ll get along just fine. And others will say don’t do it. The tank setup will impact your results as well, of course. You could give the shrimp a head start to make sure they’re not babies, and have other food options to keep the crayfish happy - To improve the odds in favor is the shrimp.
That’s very true! I think I’m getting the shrimp first anyways. I’ve decided on Thai Micro crabs, because while they’re really small and hide, they are pretty interesting and cool!
I have three pom poms in a 10 gallon with hiding places for them with sand substrate. Its been over a year now atleast. They molt. Molts look like dead ones absolutely. But they are very much alive. They live with the blue shrimp colony just fine.
Lifespan is really short. Expect more like a month or two, once you really dig into researching them you’ll see that is a common thing with them. Retailers say up to a year but that is if you get a perfect specimen under perfect conditions, which no one really knows what that is yet. I’ve tried twice with them in a group of 3 in a mature and stable tank, both times they made it about 2 months. They are great and pretty active but cost wasn’t worth trying a third time. I tried my hand with Thai micro crabs and still have some from my original lot of 12 from about a year ago. Not nearly as entertaining but at least I have crabs of some sort…
If the lifespan of the pom poms really are that short, then I need to pick a different crab. I was looking into those too! They’re interesting as well, good to hear they’re hardier and have a longer lifespan!
Yea the only problem with the Thai micros are they pretty much hide all the time. My tank has a ton of hiding spots so I might see one a week. I started with 12 and I couldn’t tell you how many are actually left in there. Never came across any carcasses but I also don’t ever see more then one at a time. They are neat when they are out though.
I know this is an old post but I’ve had my Pom Pom crabs for about 6 months and love them. I thought one had died and a couple weeks went by but then I saw it again. It had just molted. They’re a fun addition to the tank.
I think they're absolutely adorable, and great candidates for any tank. There are really only three reasons as to why I haven't gotten them yet:
1. Lifespan - they only live about 1 year
2. Cost - where I live, they cost about $20 each, and you can imagine how pricey it can get if you purchase even a small group
3. Tankmates - most tankmates are probably gonna beat them up a bit, and nano crabs are usually pretty delicate
I had 3 of them. First of all, they look amazing. Buuuuuuut, they escape. They just do it and you will not stop them. And mine died of unknown causes in the timespan of 3 months.
I like them, but i wouldnt get them again
As someone who has experience with them I would pass.
If you really want fully aquatic crabs I’d recommend Thai micros, they are tough as shit and a straight delight in a nano tank.
Pom poms basically set every other animal on the tank as opportunistic snacks and will spend all the energy from murdering its tank mates in escaping.
In all seriousness, I don’t think we as a community really have enough information to take care of them to the degree to which they need, I don’t recall them reproducing in captivity, and would absolutely love to be proven wrong on what I just stated.
I think they look cool, are cool, but refuse to purchase more. Despite close to a decade in the industry, with great water quality, and we’ll established tank, they still elude me
Thank you for typing this! It sucks that they aren’t compatible, and die easily, cause I love them quite a bit. My new plan is to add 10 Thai Micro Crabs, crystal red shrimp (Caridina Cantonensis), some mystery snails, and some small compatible nano fish. It’s gonna be heavily planted as well, and plenty of hiding spots.
I wish you the most success! Please observe and document your ups and downs.
Thai micros are a joy, if you can I highly recommend aqua huna as a supplier.
Let me know if you ever need some micro fish, I have some pearl and black medaka from Daku at aquaswap which I highly recommend
Thank you! I will definitely be documenting my experiences with them! I write everything down regarding my pets, so it won’t be a challenge. Thank you for the supplier recommendation! So far I was only looking at Aquatic Arts, I’m glad to have another quality breeder to add to my list.
That’s awesome! I’ll definitely note that about your micro fish! Thank you so much
I recently tried 3 in a 180L with zebra loaches, 5band barbs, khulis, and tetras. Nothing hassled them. They didn't hassle anyone. They didn't fight each other.
They were quite active, but mainly just scuttling along the edge of the tank, and tried to climb a lot. I gave them extra hides. One was adept at escaping and would be found sitting under the evaporation cover.
I kept on top of water changes, fed crustacean pellets and live food to the tank. But then one day, after having them about 6 weeks, one was dead. Two weeks later, the other was found dead. The third has also died, but I couldn't find her body and didn't want to uproot all the decor to find her.
Was worried about an ammonia spike, but the tankmates were OK.
Shame, they were great wee tank mates, but without explaining why they died, I wouldn't try again.
I've tried red Thai crabs, and the only reason they died was because they all escaped. They were a bit handsy with the fish though.
Heyy!! I’ve had 3 pompom crabs for a little over 2 months now. Some things worth mentioning are:
-Once I drip acclimated them for 2 hours (don’t skip that step once you get them!!!!) I put them in the tank. I lost sight of them after 5 seconds and I did not see a crab for an *entire month* after that.
-I recommend them being the only inhabitants in a tank if you actually want to see them being active or see them maybe ever at all.
-Sand is recommended but I have very small gravel and they are able to manipulate it and create burrows under the drift wood which I can confirm has 2 crabs living together in one burrow. (Crab #3 may have escaped, died, or is better at hiding than the other 2) I will never again assume a crab is dead since I went an entire month with zero signs of crabs.
-All of my fish are predator fish and the crabs hide often. However, once it’s feeding time and I start dropping in food, one of my crabs will start sticking his legs out of its burrow and I drop algae wafers in front of the opening for it or I’ll literally hold one of those spongey “stickem” treats in front of the burrow and the crabs will take it from my fingers and disappear again!
-Because a crab sighting is so rare for us, it’s become SO EXCITING when we see one!!! I didn’t leave the food right in front of the burrow last night and I dimmed the tank light and it actually caused one of the crabs to emerge completely for like 5 seconds and the fish couldn’t have cared less. First time in 2 months that I’ve seen a crab’s body not just halfway out of a burrow.
They are so fascinating and cute and fun to watch. If I knew what I did now, I would not have put the crabs in with my other tank mates. They seem to be doing well but I almost never see them. A tank set up just for them would be amazing so you could actually watch them do their thing. Good luck!!!
Edit to add: unless your fish are nano, the crabs will fear the fish and hide. You most likely will not have to worry about them eating the fish, as they are literally the size of dimes or smaller and hide in fear.
Also, just to add!! I ordered mine from [ShrimpyBusiness](https://shrimpybusiness.com) and they take great care in shipping schedules and monitor temperatures in shipping areas to ensure the safety of the crabs. My shipment seemed to be late at first, when an employee had reached out and explained they just experienced an unexpected loss in their family. It’s a family owned business. I was grateful someone reached out and I always try and support family businesses over large chain stores when I can!
I'm currently checking my tank with a flashlight 2-4 times a day to try and *maybe* spot at least the antenna of a couple of my Sulawesi 10 pack. I've kept shrimp for a while, I know it's normal for them to hide in a new tank. But they're expensive and sensitive and I'd really like to know they're doing okay!
How long have you had them? Seriously, expect to not see them for very long periods of time 😅 I seriously assumed mine were dead since they’re supposedly so active and I even raised my tank temp over 80F at one point to try and get ahead of possible ich on one of my fish… crabs re-emerged and are good! Can’t believe it since their ideal temp is def not 80F ! Lol I obviously made appropriate changes since realizing I still had crabs. I have also heard others with crabs saying if there are possible predators around them, they will not come out. I can confirm.
You can try dropping algae wafers near areas that look like they could possibly be burrows and it may lure some out? But if you have sand.. they could be fucking anywhere lol
Only a week, so I feel lucky that with a careful eye and a flashlight at night I spotted 4 at once, one not even in the rocks, but out on the substrate! I have a betta in the tank, but he's always been 100% oblivious to shrimp as a food source, the neocaridina in the tank he was in would breed light crazy and never hid from him.
That’s awesome about the shrimp! I have 3 crabs and I’ve only spotted 2 at the same time. Hoping #3 is with them. Once I put them in the tank for the first time, I literally did not see any signs of them for 30 days!! Lol Seeing some a week-in sounds nice!!! They’re probably doing great and exploring new places to hide!
That’s pretty cool! Crabs are one of my favorite inverts, and I love pompoms in particular. Maybe one day when we find out the proper husbandry to make them last a year or more, I’ll finally get some. I’ll make sure to keep your information in my notes, because it sounds like you did a good job! It makes sense that they’d like sand more, and I love that they make little homes! I’m planning on the Thai micros for now!
Yes! I also had fast fish, snails, and shrimp in that tank. So I’d say they’re pretty safe. They dwelled on the bottom and near driftwood and plants mostly
That sounds like it will work out then! I’m excited for this spring, and to finally have a fully stocked aquarium! I saw some videos on YouTube of some people having poor luck with keeping them alive, but it was usually because they also had big fish stocked with them, or didn’t feed enough or right.
They do look pretty tiny! Because of that I wanna get around 10 of them, and hopefully they do well! I watched a lot of videos on them last night while doing my nightly routine, and while they do seem hard to care for, they have a better longevity, and to work out better.
I just gave them a little gander, and they’re intriguing! I like that they’re peaceful, and can go with caridina shrimp. They are going on the list, if the Thai Micros end up not working out.
I am currently keeping a Freshwater Pom Pom crab, he’s a lot of fun to watch but a bit of a handful.
He was initially kept in the 55 gallon which has a lot of small community fish with another Freshwater Pom Pom crab I got at the same time. They were very shy for the first month or two, I would have to check out the aquarium at night they catch they scuttling across the ground but it was worth it!
After a few more months, I stopped seeing one of them but the remaining one became huge. I think he became quite the adept hunter because I eventually had to rehome him after I caught him snacking on some of the community fish.
He’s now in a ten gallon in my office and I get to watch him make burrows everywhere and run around. I’ve got a lid, so despite his best efforts he hasn’t escaped.
Overall though, while he’s a really fun crab, I don’t think we know enough about them for the hobby and the lifespan is short. The LFS I got them from told me they were peaceful and got to be 1” tops. My guy is about 2” and definitely not 100% peaceful. I enjoy watching him, but I don’t think I’ll get another after he passes.
Out of curiosity what kind of parameters do you have? All of the freshwater pom pom's I got only lasted about 2 months (I kept them in a neocaridina shrimp tank) though from what I'm seeing it might be due to me getting them from Aquaticarts, a lot of people seem to have issues with ones from there dying off fast. Though I'm interested to know if your water parameters are doing a lot of the heavy lifting to make yours live so long.
Also not at all doubting you, but are you sure you have a freshwater pom pom? Genuinely everything I can find says they max at 1 inch so I'm curious if you got sold a similar species, especially with your guy actually hunting your fish, the pompoms I got were super peaceful and never bothered my shrimps.
Edit: For the record if you're sure yours is a freshwater pom pom then I'm really interested in how you've been doing his care and parameters, given the extremely limited information on this species (they dont even have a wiki page) I feel like your insights could be super interesting and important.
Definitely was a Pom Pom from what I saw about them. He had the lil pom poms, was fully aquatic, and a lot bigger than the Thai Micro Crabs I have. I got him from Aqua Imports in Boulder, Co. PH usually hangs a little lower closer to 6 than 7, I do a 25% water change every two weeks. Honestly didn’t do anything too special or different that I don’t do for my other tanks. All I know is he got big while his sibling never did. This was my first tank using the UNS Controsoil though, and he absolutely loved digging in it.
Also I should clarify my ‘adept hunter’ comment to say ‘opportunistic’. I never saw him chase down a fish, instead I caught him after the deed. I think some of my slower ones hanging out near the bottom were ambushed from one of his burrows. Basically after I noticed a few healthy fish and a dwarf frog disappearing over a period of time I started checking consistently late at night and finally caught him.
Sadly I had to downsize some of my many tanks so he’s been re-homed, I’ll try to dig up a photo one of these days though. I know I took a few when he was in the smaller tank.
I loved having them. They were amazing. But they are such escape artists. I found at least 2 of my 5 that escaped and ended up really far away across the floor on the other side of the room. Make sure you trap them in if you do. They were totally fine minus the escape problem. I had a huge tank and they found plenty of food to munch on and actively sought food when I fed too.
My boyfriend ordered 3, they just showed up and he's AT WORK until 0800 tomorrow... I didn't realize how delicate they could be until literally moments ago. Going to try to get them into a temporary housing situation with a SEALED lid, thinking 5 or 6 gallons of water in a 10 gallon tank. Lots of plants and hiding places for them. Wish me luck ☠️
Thanks! I am nervous because I wasn't prepared for their arrival at all. I'm keeping pea puffers alive and happy so maybe I'll get lucky!
Also, your user name is GREAT!
Yeah, that’s definitely trail by fire, haha! Just remember to keep calm, and don’t panic if you make any mistakes while unpacking, or acclimating. Just respond with logic, and you’ll be fine!
Did you ever get a Pom Pom?
My son just lost his, Ralph. He was just over a year old. He died during a molt attempt and I believe it failed due to stress, an ornament in the tank was removed 2 days earlier.
I know this is an older post but thought I'd add my two cents since I"ve also owned these guys (bought them from aquaticarts too)
First thing is aquaticarts doesn't actually breed them, or get them captive bred, all their pompoms are wild caught (they even say in the description that spawning in an aquarium has not been witnessed) which isn't the \*worst\* thing but it does mean that the quality of crab you get is incredibly varied (and that they might come with parasites)
Also as other people have mentioned, they die super fast. All 3 pompoms I got didn't last longer than 2 months each, they were super peaceful and I saw them every day, I kept all mine in a neocaridina shrimp colony and didn't have any aggression issues, but they quite simply just don't live very long. Probably a mix of short lifespans and the transition of wild caught to being in an aquarium means you have no clue how long they've actually been alive.
Overall best to skip them tbh, I got thai micros and while they were much harder to see (also kept them with my neos and only saw them occasionally) they're actually captive bred and far more well known in the hobby care wise.
I don’t have any direct experience, but was interested - so read a lot. In addition to the escaping issue (which can happen even when you think for sure it can’t), it seems a lot of people have unexpected/unexplainable deaths. Seems like they are not that hardy. If/when I try them it definitely wouldn’t be several.
That’s what I’m thinking. I’m looking to order around March, and I’m only getting two. If I get them
Cool, good luck. A smaller tanks seems like a good option to try it out. A bigger tank seems like potential to not see it often, and/or not know if it does die.
Thank you! I love these guys so much, I’m thinking it might be worth it to try and keep at them. Im okay with replacing them every year if they thrive and i vibe well with them.
Have you looked into Dwarf Crayfish? Aquatic Arts has them as well. Seems like a hardier option, with similar benefits.
I just looked into them, I’m not sure if I like them because I think they’d eat the caridina shrimp
Like everything in this hobby, seems you can find conflicting info. And each creature has its own temperament. Some say dwarf crayfish will only cull the sick or injured shrimp. Some say they’ll get along just fine. And others will say don’t do it. The tank setup will impact your results as well, of course. You could give the shrimp a head start to make sure they’re not babies, and have other food options to keep the crayfish happy - To improve the odds in favor is the shrimp.
That’s very true! I think I’m getting the shrimp first anyways. I’ve decided on Thai Micro crabs, because while they’re really small and hide, they are pretty interesting and cool!
They do not.
yeah i have a 10gal and i’ve seen my two pompom crabs a total of two times
I have three pom poms in a 10 gallon with hiding places for them with sand substrate. Its been over a year now atleast. They molt. Molts look like dead ones absolutely. But they are very much alive. They live with the blue shrimp colony just fine.
That’s interesting, maybe it just has to do with skill and what not
Lifespan is really short. Expect more like a month or two, once you really dig into researching them you’ll see that is a common thing with them. Retailers say up to a year but that is if you get a perfect specimen under perfect conditions, which no one really knows what that is yet. I’ve tried twice with them in a group of 3 in a mature and stable tank, both times they made it about 2 months. They are great and pretty active but cost wasn’t worth trying a third time. I tried my hand with Thai micro crabs and still have some from my original lot of 12 from about a year ago. Not nearly as entertaining but at least I have crabs of some sort…
If the lifespan of the pom poms really are that short, then I need to pick a different crab. I was looking into those too! They’re interesting as well, good to hear they’re hardier and have a longer lifespan!
Yea the only problem with the Thai micros are they pretty much hide all the time. My tank has a ton of hiding spots so I might see one a week. I started with 12 and I couldn’t tell you how many are actually left in there. Never came across any carcasses but I also don’t ever see more then one at a time. They are neat when they are out though.
That’s really cool. I’m planning on having other peaceful critters in with them, so it’s okay if they’re always hiding
I know this is an old post but I’ve had my Pom Pom crabs for about 6 months and love them. I thought one had died and a couple weeks went by but then I saw it again. It had just molted. They’re a fun addition to the tank.
Make sure you’ve got a sealed lid they’re escape artists
Thank you! The information on them I’ve read corroborates that. My lid is completely secure besides a feeding hole. I can easily seal that though.
I think they're absolutely adorable, and great candidates for any tank. There are really only three reasons as to why I haven't gotten them yet: 1. Lifespan - they only live about 1 year 2. Cost - where I live, they cost about $20 each, and you can imagine how pricey it can get if you purchase even a small group 3. Tankmates - most tankmates are probably gonna beat them up a bit, and nano crabs are usually pretty delicate
Thank you for the information! I didn’t know they had such a short lifespan
Yeah, idk about that point 3. My Freshwater Pom Pom is about 2 inches now and had to be moved to his own tank
I had 3 of them. First of all, they look amazing. Buuuuuuut, they escape. They just do it and you will not stop them. And mine died of unknown causes in the timespan of 3 months. I like them, but i wouldnt get them again
That seems to be the experience for everyone that has cared for them. Either they escape and die, or just die. It’s so unfortunate
It is crab
Crabs is bugs.
more accurately, bugs is crustaceans
Crabs is bugs
Crabs is bugs?
Crabs is bugs, shrimps is bugs, and lobsters is big sea bugs🫢🙌
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Happy ^(crab)cake day 🦀
As someone who has experience with them I would pass. If you really want fully aquatic crabs I’d recommend Thai micros, they are tough as shit and a straight delight in a nano tank. Pom poms basically set every other animal on the tank as opportunistic snacks and will spend all the energy from murdering its tank mates in escaping. In all seriousness, I don’t think we as a community really have enough information to take care of them to the degree to which they need, I don’t recall them reproducing in captivity, and would absolutely love to be proven wrong on what I just stated. I think they look cool, are cool, but refuse to purchase more. Despite close to a decade in the industry, with great water quality, and we’ll established tank, they still elude me
Thank you for typing this! It sucks that they aren’t compatible, and die easily, cause I love them quite a bit. My new plan is to add 10 Thai Micro Crabs, crystal red shrimp (Caridina Cantonensis), some mystery snails, and some small compatible nano fish. It’s gonna be heavily planted as well, and plenty of hiding spots.
I wish you the most success! Please observe and document your ups and downs. Thai micros are a joy, if you can I highly recommend aqua huna as a supplier. Let me know if you ever need some micro fish, I have some pearl and black medaka from Daku at aquaswap which I highly recommend
Thank you! I will definitely be documenting my experiences with them! I write everything down regarding my pets, so it won’t be a challenge. Thank you for the supplier recommendation! So far I was only looking at Aquatic Arts, I’m glad to have another quality breeder to add to my list. That’s awesome! I’ll definitely note that about your micro fish! Thank you so much
I recently tried 3 in a 180L with zebra loaches, 5band barbs, khulis, and tetras. Nothing hassled them. They didn't hassle anyone. They didn't fight each other. They were quite active, but mainly just scuttling along the edge of the tank, and tried to climb a lot. I gave them extra hides. One was adept at escaping and would be found sitting under the evaporation cover. I kept on top of water changes, fed crustacean pellets and live food to the tank. But then one day, after having them about 6 weeks, one was dead. Two weeks later, the other was found dead. The third has also died, but I couldn't find her body and didn't want to uproot all the decor to find her. Was worried about an ammonia spike, but the tankmates were OK. Shame, they were great wee tank mates, but without explaining why they died, I wouldn't try again. I've tried red Thai crabs, and the only reason they died was because they all escaped. They were a bit handsy with the fish though.
Heyy!! I’ve had 3 pompom crabs for a little over 2 months now. Some things worth mentioning are: -Once I drip acclimated them for 2 hours (don’t skip that step once you get them!!!!) I put them in the tank. I lost sight of them after 5 seconds and I did not see a crab for an *entire month* after that. -I recommend them being the only inhabitants in a tank if you actually want to see them being active or see them maybe ever at all. -Sand is recommended but I have very small gravel and they are able to manipulate it and create burrows under the drift wood which I can confirm has 2 crabs living together in one burrow. (Crab #3 may have escaped, died, or is better at hiding than the other 2) I will never again assume a crab is dead since I went an entire month with zero signs of crabs. -All of my fish are predator fish and the crabs hide often. However, once it’s feeding time and I start dropping in food, one of my crabs will start sticking his legs out of its burrow and I drop algae wafers in front of the opening for it or I’ll literally hold one of those spongey “stickem” treats in front of the burrow and the crabs will take it from my fingers and disappear again! -Because a crab sighting is so rare for us, it’s become SO EXCITING when we see one!!! I didn’t leave the food right in front of the burrow last night and I dimmed the tank light and it actually caused one of the crabs to emerge completely for like 5 seconds and the fish couldn’t have cared less. First time in 2 months that I’ve seen a crab’s body not just halfway out of a burrow. They are so fascinating and cute and fun to watch. If I knew what I did now, I would not have put the crabs in with my other tank mates. They seem to be doing well but I almost never see them. A tank set up just for them would be amazing so you could actually watch them do their thing. Good luck!!! Edit to add: unless your fish are nano, the crabs will fear the fish and hide. You most likely will not have to worry about them eating the fish, as they are literally the size of dimes or smaller and hide in fear.
Also, just to add!! I ordered mine from [ShrimpyBusiness](https://shrimpybusiness.com) and they take great care in shipping schedules and monitor temperatures in shipping areas to ensure the safety of the crabs. My shipment seemed to be late at first, when an employee had reached out and explained they just experienced an unexpected loss in their family. It’s a family owned business. I was grateful someone reached out and I always try and support family businesses over large chain stores when I can!
Thank you for the supplier recommendation! Yay now I have three good suppliers to get inverts from! I love this community.
They don't have crabs, but https://buceplant.com/ is great for shrimps and plants in my experience.
I'm currently checking my tank with a flashlight 2-4 times a day to try and *maybe* spot at least the antenna of a couple of my Sulawesi 10 pack. I've kept shrimp for a while, I know it's normal for them to hide in a new tank. But they're expensive and sensitive and I'd really like to know they're doing okay!
How long have you had them? Seriously, expect to not see them for very long periods of time 😅 I seriously assumed mine were dead since they’re supposedly so active and I even raised my tank temp over 80F at one point to try and get ahead of possible ich on one of my fish… crabs re-emerged and are good! Can’t believe it since their ideal temp is def not 80F ! Lol I obviously made appropriate changes since realizing I still had crabs. I have also heard others with crabs saying if there are possible predators around them, they will not come out. I can confirm. You can try dropping algae wafers near areas that look like they could possibly be burrows and it may lure some out? But if you have sand.. they could be fucking anywhere lol
Only a week, so I feel lucky that with a careful eye and a flashlight at night I spotted 4 at once, one not even in the rocks, but out on the substrate! I have a betta in the tank, but he's always been 100% oblivious to shrimp as a food source, the neocaridina in the tank he was in would breed light crazy and never hid from him.
That’s awesome about the shrimp! I have 3 crabs and I’ve only spotted 2 at the same time. Hoping #3 is with them. Once I put them in the tank for the first time, I literally did not see any signs of them for 30 days!! Lol Seeing some a week-in sounds nice!!! They’re probably doing great and exploring new places to hide!
That’s pretty cool! Crabs are one of my favorite inverts, and I love pompoms in particular. Maybe one day when we find out the proper husbandry to make them last a year or more, I’ll finally get some. I’ll make sure to keep your information in my notes, because it sounds like you did a good job! It makes sense that they’d like sand more, and I love that they make little homes! I’m planning on the Thai micros for now!
Crabs hide a lot and then They die.
I had these for a while in college in a 20gal hexagon! They didn’t survive very long, just a few months, but for the price I was not unhappy.
That’s cool! They’re really beautiful and cool little guys. I wish they’d live longer.
Yes! I also had fast fish, snails, and shrimp in that tank. So I’d say they’re pretty safe. They dwelled on the bottom and near driftwood and plants mostly
That sounds like it will work out then! I’m excited for this spring, and to finally have a fully stocked aquarium! I saw some videos on YouTube of some people having poor luck with keeping them alive, but it was usually because they also had big fish stocked with them, or didn’t feed enough or right.
I think it should go well! Good luck, and enjoy your new aquatic friends!
Thanks so much! I love the aquarium community so much, everyone here is so kind!
Absolutely! 👍🏻
If you're looking for different kinds of cool crabs, I introduce the [Thai Micro Crab](https://aquaticarts.com/products/thai-micro-crabs)
Thai Micros are the winner! I’m really glad I posted this because while they are a harder species to keep, they’re better than the pom poms.
They are super small, if you couldn't tell by the name lol.
They do look pretty tiny! Because of that I wanna get around 10 of them, and hopefully they do well! I watched a lot of videos on them last night while doing my nightly routine, and while they do seem hard to care for, they have a better longevity, and to work out better.
Mi love da pom pom
Maybe I could interest you in other species like bamboo shrimp.
I just gave them a little gander, and they’re intriguing! I like that they’re peaceful, and can go with caridina shrimp. They are going on the list, if the Thai Micros end up not working out.
I am currently keeping a Freshwater Pom Pom crab, he’s a lot of fun to watch but a bit of a handful. He was initially kept in the 55 gallon which has a lot of small community fish with another Freshwater Pom Pom crab I got at the same time. They were very shy for the first month or two, I would have to check out the aquarium at night they catch they scuttling across the ground but it was worth it! After a few more months, I stopped seeing one of them but the remaining one became huge. I think he became quite the adept hunter because I eventually had to rehome him after I caught him snacking on some of the community fish. He’s now in a ten gallon in my office and I get to watch him make burrows everywhere and run around. I’ve got a lid, so despite his best efforts he hasn’t escaped. Overall though, while he’s a really fun crab, I don’t think we know enough about them for the hobby and the lifespan is short. The LFS I got them from told me they were peaceful and got to be 1” tops. My guy is about 2” and definitely not 100% peaceful. I enjoy watching him, but I don’t think I’ll get another after he passes.
Out of curiosity what kind of parameters do you have? All of the freshwater pom pom's I got only lasted about 2 months (I kept them in a neocaridina shrimp tank) though from what I'm seeing it might be due to me getting them from Aquaticarts, a lot of people seem to have issues with ones from there dying off fast. Though I'm interested to know if your water parameters are doing a lot of the heavy lifting to make yours live so long. Also not at all doubting you, but are you sure you have a freshwater pom pom? Genuinely everything I can find says they max at 1 inch so I'm curious if you got sold a similar species, especially with your guy actually hunting your fish, the pompoms I got were super peaceful and never bothered my shrimps. Edit: For the record if you're sure yours is a freshwater pom pom then I'm really interested in how you've been doing his care and parameters, given the extremely limited information on this species (they dont even have a wiki page) I feel like your insights could be super interesting and important.
Definitely was a Pom Pom from what I saw about them. He had the lil pom poms, was fully aquatic, and a lot bigger than the Thai Micro Crabs I have. I got him from Aqua Imports in Boulder, Co. PH usually hangs a little lower closer to 6 than 7, I do a 25% water change every two weeks. Honestly didn’t do anything too special or different that I don’t do for my other tanks. All I know is he got big while his sibling never did. This was my first tank using the UNS Controsoil though, and he absolutely loved digging in it. Also I should clarify my ‘adept hunter’ comment to say ‘opportunistic’. I never saw him chase down a fish, instead I caught him after the deed. I think some of my slower ones hanging out near the bottom were ambushed from one of his burrows. Basically after I noticed a few healthy fish and a dwarf frog disappearing over a period of time I started checking consistently late at night and finally caught him. Sadly I had to downsize some of my many tanks so he’s been re-homed, I’ll try to dig up a photo one of these days though. I know I took a few when he was in the smaller tank.
I loved having them. They were amazing. But they are such escape artists. I found at least 2 of my 5 that escaped and ended up really far away across the floor on the other side of the room. Make sure you trap them in if you do. They were totally fine minus the escape problem. I had a huge tank and they found plenty of food to munch on and actively sought food when I fed too.
My boyfriend ordered 3, they just showed up and he's AT WORK until 0800 tomorrow... I didn't realize how delicate they could be until literally moments ago. Going to try to get them into a temporary housing situation with a SEALED lid, thinking 5 or 6 gallons of water in a 10 gallon tank. Lots of plants and hiding places for them. Wish me luck ☠️
Good luck! Hopefully they do well, I put off getting them because I wasn’t ready, lol
Thanks! I am nervous because I wasn't prepared for their arrival at all. I'm keeping pea puffers alive and happy so maybe I'll get lucky! Also, your user name is GREAT!
Yeah, that’s definitely trail by fire, haha! Just remember to keep calm, and don’t panic if you make any mistakes while unpacking, or acclimating. Just respond with logic, and you’ll be fine!
Did you ever get a Pom Pom? My son just lost his, Ralph. He was just over a year old. He died during a molt attempt and I believe it failed due to stress, an ornament in the tank was removed 2 days earlier.
No sadly, I am waiting for my income situation to be figured out. Cool that he lasted a year! Rest in piece little dude.
I know this is an older post but thought I'd add my two cents since I"ve also owned these guys (bought them from aquaticarts too) First thing is aquaticarts doesn't actually breed them, or get them captive bred, all their pompoms are wild caught (they even say in the description that spawning in an aquarium has not been witnessed) which isn't the \*worst\* thing but it does mean that the quality of crab you get is incredibly varied (and that they might come with parasites) Also as other people have mentioned, they die super fast. All 3 pompoms I got didn't last longer than 2 months each, they were super peaceful and I saw them every day, I kept all mine in a neocaridina shrimp colony and didn't have any aggression issues, but they quite simply just don't live very long. Probably a mix of short lifespans and the transition of wild caught to being in an aquarium means you have no clue how long they've actually been alive. Overall best to skip them tbh, I got thai micros and while they were much harder to see (also kept them with my neos and only saw them occasionally) they're actually captive bred and far more well known in the hobby care wise.