# Other Aquarium Forums > Freshwater Fauna > Invertebrates >  Geosesarma sp

## joydiv

Some nice crabs. Anyone keeping them as well?



Geosesarma sp Emerald



Geosesarma sp Vampire

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## BEASTIEPENDENT

Hi there,

the first one is Metasesarma obesum (no Geosesarma). Living on marine shores (should get brackish water).

The second one is Geosesarma sp. "Vampire", sometimes called "Carnaval crab", a Geosesarma common since two or three years but scientifically not yet described so it has no scientific name yet. It's a semiterrestric freshwater crab which means it does not reproduce via larval stages in the sea but big eggs which develop directly to little mini-crabs.

EDIT: And yes, we keep both of these species.  :Wink:  We have an english species description with all important facts here: http://www.panzerwelten.de/forum/showthread.php?tid=711 (hope I may link that).

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## joydiv

Thanks for the information, currently both species in fresh water, 2 weeks plus. 
According to the LFS Metasesarma obesum lives in forested areas close to rivers and streams.
Thanks for the link.

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## BEASTIEPENDENT

Hiho  :Wink: 

That's incorrect. Metasesarma aubryi lives at fresh water streams in forested areas – M. obesum lives mostly at shores on islands around Borneo without fresh water, look here: http://www.mnhn.fr/publication/zoosyst/z03n3a4.pdf  :Wink:

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## joydiv

Thanks for the link. 
Too bad most of the information on crabs comes from German forums and are in German. Web translation tools are quite useless.
Perhaps you can share on the care of the Vampire crabs.

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## BEASTIEPENDENT

Hiho again  :Wink: 

I think the most basic informations are contained in the english species database I linked above (or did we miss something sepcial?). What questions do You have abut caring for the "Vampire crabs"? If You have specific questions I'll try to answer 'em.  :Wink:

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## joydiv

Any idea how to care for newly hatched crabs?

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## BEASTIEPENDENT

Hiho  :Wink: 

Sure. If You want as much as possible to survive separate them from the adults. The more space they have the faster they grow. As aquaterrarium any glass or plastic "dish" is suitable which is big enough – and of course it should be closed at the top (they'll climb the naked glass). As substrate the best is terrarium humus which prevents mold and rot the best, another possibility would be a mixture of sand and soil.

The substrate should be kept very moist. In the best case You have some "living humus", which contains some microorganisms already. You could take a part out of the keeping tank of the "Vampires" and mix it with "new" one.

The container should contain a little water dish – at best with some moss which helps the little crabs to clim in and out and gives them hiding places. You can feed fish flakes, little frozen food (like Cyclops) or something like that and disperse it over places the mini crabs are sighted.

What a coincidence. Just a few days ago I made some pics of our actual "breeding tank" for "Vampire" younglings:







In such a dish (right, above the stereo box) our Geosesarma sp. "blue" are kept. But in a dish just like that the "litle Vampires" were kept also some times before they got their little hexagon. Means, the form or looking isn't important, of course.

The little boxes above – they are used here for keeping live food like grasshoppers – contain particular specimen which have lost too many limbs and are kept there and until they regenerate with the next molting.

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## joydiv

More crab pictures.

Beastie, is your Vampire sp blue the same as this? Can you post a picture?



I got this as Geosesarma bogorensis. Pretty common in Java.

More pictures




Metasesarma obesum, this came with eggs, though I have little hope of getting any babies.

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## BEASTIEPENDENT

Yes, this is Geosesarma sp. "blue" and it is NOT G. bogorensis! That's a wrong information from the importeur (and we know this wrong identification). The "blue Vampire crab" is just like the (purple) "Vampire crab" an unknown or better: an undescribed species. We are in permanent contact with the crab scientists in Germany and Asia and both species are not identified yet – and they can't yet be described because the exact localities are kept hidden from the fishers who catch 'em, so they don't have a scientific name and won't get one for a while.

For both species there are meanwhile some pictures online where they were caught but it is not told where that is. You just can see the habitat what helps by "furnishing" tanks to keep them. It's in both cases a little stoney freshwater stream.

A whole lot of pictures You find on our main site, but here is one of the clearest photos:
.

The Metasesarma obesum is a typical Sesarmidae in that way that it does reproduce with larval stages (some Zoea and one Megalopa stage) and the larvae need brackish or marine water. So indeed You won't have any luck without a special brooding tank, 24h-lights and special food.

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## joydiv

The supplier gave very vague description of where they are from.
Mostly from Sulawesi. Around the forest in lake areas.
Hopefully the species can be described soon.

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## silane

> 


BEASTIEPENDENT,

how big is the tank? How many crab can it hold?

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## BEASTIEPENDENT

Hi Silane,

ahm, it's about 30 cm in diameter. It's just for keeping the mini crabs until they get bigger. Right now it contains 14 "Vampire crabs" from ca. 3 to 6 mm carapax bredth. Adult crabs You could keep at maximum 1,2 in this tank (if You structure it in height).

Joydiv: As far as we know the "Vampires" are not from Sulawesi itself, but from an island close to it. Some habitat pictures (without exact location) are here: http://www.aristocratama.com/main_page/about.html

And here from Geosesarma sp. "blue": http://www.garfishindo.com/news2.html (also without exact location).

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## joydiv

YUp, I know some people who work with aristocratama. They give me very vague locations as well. They do not want other collectors to snatch their buisness. Btw, you have any idea of what the crab species are in my other post?

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## BEASTIEPENDENT

Sure  :Wink:  Wrote You there.  :Wink:

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## ZANE

Hey guys, I just got 2 pairs of G. sp. vampire/ carnival crab. Anyways I just noticed something cool/ unique about them I havent read anywhere yet. 2 of mine can change their orange color to beige/ offwhite color and back again. What prompts that reaction? Is that a sign of stress or something else? Ok later.

Z.

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## BEASTIEPENDENT

Hiho  :Wink: 

Nearly all crabs can change coloration under stress, before moulting, when getting older… We didn't notice yet great changes in Geosesarma but probably they can either. Our Cardisoma armatum can change parts of their carapax from blue to white in 20 minutes. Fiddler crabs usually change coloration in the night (darkness).

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## ZANE

Hey thats cool! I don't know if it should be of concern, but G. vampire changed carapice color in less than 5 minutes and back again. Are all G. vampire supposed to have normally orange carapieces? Because 2 of mine came orange and the other 2 came beige (but same purple claws, and orange eyes). The ornage colored ones changed colors back and forth, but the beige color ones haven't changed at all. Are they sick? Its been 1 night since they arrived at my place.

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## BEASTIEPENDENT

Hm, I would call the color on the back of their carapax a mixture between beige and orange – so I can't see an anormality here, but I don't "see" it really of course.  :Wink:

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## olarasu.marian

Hello, I recently found out that an online pet shop in my country(Romania) are selling Carnival Crabs (Geosesarma aristocratoensis). I've always been fascinated with inverts with claws since I was very young and I always wanted to have some crabs as pets. 
I've tried to do some research about this particular specie this pet shop is selling but without any luck, the more I looked into it seems that only the genus Geosesarma is somewhat described and I hope those caresheets on this genus apply to this specie aswell. Maybe some of you who have raised crabs or have any info about this particular specie can post it in here. I've already read BEASTIEPENDENT's caresheet on Geosesarma sp. and it was all very informative, but I still have a few questions left.

1. Would a 30x30x30 aquarium be ok for 2 crabs?
2. Does the water requier filtration or regular change(how often)?
3. Do they requier any special lighting, like UVB etc.
4. Can you crab owners post pictures with your crab tanks?

Thanks in advance!

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## BEASTIEPENDENT

Hello Marian  :Wink: 

Its' Geosesarma sp. "Vampire" until now. G. aristocratoensis is a fantasy name  the exporteur is named Aristocramata. They are scientifically not yet described and therefore have not a name yet, except the genus is clear: Geosesarma.




> 1. Would a 30x30x30 aquarium be ok for 2 crabs?


Would be a little small but possible. Better would be a bigger tank with more crabs. We think like most Sesarmids they are group animals and no solitaires.




> 2. Does the water requier filtration or regular change(how often)?


It depends. Since the water part in such tanks mostly is very small filtration gets difficult anyway. In our "Vampire tank" in the very beginning we filtered with a very little pump (for room fountains) and changed water regularly of course (about weekly). If the biological equilibrium has built up it is enough to fill up again when water has evaporated.




> 3. Do they requier any special lighting, like UVB etc.


No. 

#The only crabs requiring special light ist the groups of Ocypodidae, e.g. fiddler, ghost and soldier crabs.




> 4. Can you crab owners post pictures with your crab tanks?





Usual 60 cm/54 L tank.

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## olarasu.marian

Thanks a lot for the reply. I figured the 30x30x30 terrarium was too small, unfortunately the only empty terrarium i have right now it's a 45x45x60(Lxlxh), I hope it will do atm. Space is a big problem for me since I'm keeping lots of scorpions and tarantulas too. 

I'm planning on buying only 2 crabs because I dont want to risk with more, the last thing I want is to have them die on me because I screw something up. 

I'll post pictures with the acvaterrarium as soon as I have it finished.

Can you give any more info about them, I would love to find some books or papers on them. Maybe you can direct me to some reading material.

Thanks again, 
Olarasu Marian

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## BEASTIEPENDENT

hi again  :Wink: 




> unfortunately the only empty terrarium i have right now it's a 45x45x60(Lxlxh), I hope it will do atm.


Of couzrse, the bigger the better. It unusual with that height for a crab tank but it doesn't matter. It's just wasted space in the height but it doesn't make anything bad.  :Wink: 




> I'm planning on buying only 2 crabs because I dont want to risk with more, the last thing I want is to have them die on me because I screw something up.


Okay, when they are stabile they will themselves ensure that it will become more.




> Can you give any more info about them, I would love to find some books or papers on them. Maybe you can direct me to some reading material.


There are no books, there are not even any scientific papers  since it is an undescribed species yet, as stated above. the only document I could advise is our own species database: http://www.panzerwelten.de/forum/thread-711.html

Thanks again, 
Olarasu Marian[/QUOTE]

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## olarasu.marian

My Geosesarma sp. setup. What do you think?

Sorry for the pics quality, low light and my camera was set to auto :P

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## BEASTIEPENDENT

Looking great!  :Wink:

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## olarasu.marian

Thanks!
It's not quite finished, still needs a little more detail like water plants, but it will do for now. The crabs will get here in about a week or more so I have time.

Edit: Any suggestions about what fish or snails can live with Geosesarma sp.? I'm mainly interested in some algae eaters.

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## Shaihulud

I kept mine with pond snails and cherry shrimps, never noticed them being diminished.

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## butterflychild

HI IM NEW HERE AND NEED HELP REAL BADLY FOR MY PURPLE VAMPIRE CRAB THAT I RESCUED FROM DEATH ROW PLEASE HELPPPP!!!!. THANK YOU.

I was needing some help please. I have a tank thats (17" X 9") i think is a 5 gal tank with a Purple Vampire Crab. Im needing to know what kind of home do i need for my crab and what other stuff do i need. Aswell do they need to live in a desert home, rainforest home or Invertebrate home. Im thinking of getting one of the Exo Terra kit homes but not sure what one or what i should even do. I dont know what other stuff i need for the crab to make it a proper home and a happy crab. I have the crab in the (17"X9") with gravel on bottom and some substract on the top but not real deep. And a few plastic plants in it with a Beta log and a bowl thats about 3-4 inches round. But i feel the crab needs a beter home then that. PLEASE HELP. Thank you.

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## Shaihulud

It sounds like you have provided a basic enviroment for them, with a land area, substrate for burrowing and water for them to dip in, it would help very much if you could provide a picture to show us your basic set-up. Crabs do not rquire a pretty enviroment to live in to thrive, I would not advise scaping the tank just after the crabs is bought, stress is a killer for vampire crabs. they would also require food, I advise a feeding of 2 a week with fishfood (only a tiny amount). remove food if it is uneaten.

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## butterflychild

Ok here the list of stuff im going to get for my new 40gal tank setup PLEASE let me know what i dont need and what i do need PLEASE Thank you. Here goes.
40gal tank, tank lid (not sure what kind to get. I was going to get a screen lid but then was told i need glass lid), tank stand, grapevine, tongs for feeding, terraruim pump, terrarium filter, heat wave forest, digital thermometer, digital hygrometer, light cycle unit, fogger ultrasonic fog generator, waterfall, coco husk, turtle pebbles small, plantation soil, styrofoam Aquarium background, tree fern tropical backgroun, terra monsoon RS400 high-pressure rainfall, white repti-sand, repti calcuim, hubba hut, therm under tank heater, differnt real plants for land and water but dont know what ones, MOSS (java, peat, terrarium and stagnum), 2 tubes of Silicone ( not sure were to get these from), plastic screen(to put inbetween gravel and sand) and coconut shells.

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## butterflychild

how often do you feed PVC

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