Need help with baby's or really planktons. Pom Pom

Sir Chris · Nov 13, 2016

Ok so I picked up 2 Pom Pom crabs as they share poms and don't wanna lose them. They had 1 no poms told em 2 order me in and call fast as 3 days of stress and they'll shed there anemones for full claw use. Anyways. So I caught them fighting but not in the normal way (copulating). Now I have this full female and want 2 keep the baby's as many as possible. I understand out of 500 I'll get 10 but I want that. So any1 with crustacean breeding or brooding let me know. I'm rocking a 2 1/2g with a bubbler and some live rubble and just wait and what foods are best. Zoo or phyto. Or normal oyster feast will work? I love that product. Full spectrum feed

eatbreakfast · Nov 14, 2016

I got nothing on this. Maybe look into techniques for cleaner shrimp.

Bongo Shrimp · Nov 14, 2016

If you really wanted any shot at raising them you'd have to transfer the larvae into a kreisel style, non-filtered tank and feed the larvae some type of live, pelagic, copepod. The larvae of these crabs go through numerous molts and change shape over time, remaining pelagic for probably around 50-70 days. That means they would need to remain in the larval tank for that period and be provided with a constant supply of food. I am not fully sure if pom pom crabs have been successfully bred in captivity but I am pretty sure they haven't. Crabs with similar life history traits, such as emerald crabs, have been bred using a method like I described above.

In terms of the possibility of breeding them in your main tank with live rock, filtration, and other inhabitants, it's impossible. They will be a healthy, welcomed meal to the rest of your tank inhabitants.

Sir Chris · Nov 15, 2016

Ya I got my hospital tank as it with a bubbler in center and makes a good pull current. No dead spots. And feeding em like rotofeast b good or oysterfeast as I prefer oysterfeast. I just can't find the micron a plankton eats when that's what I feed my corals. My hospital is a 2 1/2 gal hex. So it's perfectly centered bubbler

Bongo Shrimp · Nov 15, 2016

The crab larvae won't eat non living foods. You would need to culture some copepods such as parvocalanus or another pelagic species.

Sir Chris · Dec 10, 2016

Ok so I couldn't find my female in time with work and life so let it go... so I figured since I'm HOB I pulled the filter after a few weeks after she released and put it into the tank as I thought well maybe some got trapped in it and BAM there was. And didn't notice em at all till 2night. There's about 100-200 almost mosquito looking larvae in and on top of the water as the water was still. And this is Almost a month after she released I believe. 1st I'm shocked and 2nd soooo glad I put he filter in the tank. Sooooo more 2 come of this and fingers crossed

Sir Chris · Dec 10, 2016

This is nuts as soon as I look into the water column with a flashlight it was as if they weren't happy with light and started 2 crawl on the side then tried 2 look from that side and they jolted away. So now it's food I'm wondering on. I put some small hunks 3 pukani bout 1/2 ur palm size for any forms of food it creates and have this 5 different liquid foods from soft freeze micro plankton 2 oyster magnifier 1 micron - 3000. As well as oysterfeast. So hope it does the trick as well as siphon the bottom of the tank very little tho as I don't want 2 suck any baby's up. Any1 with any crustacean rearing I know it's almost impossible but I love challanges like this

Bongo Shrimp · Dec 10, 2016

Lord Chris said:
This is nuts as soon as I look into the water column with a flashlight it was as if they weren't happy with light and started 2 crawl on the side then tried 2 look from that side and they jolted away. So now it's food I'm wondering on. I put some small hunks 3 pukani bout 1/2 ur palm size for any forms of food it creates and have this 5 different liquid foods from soft freeze micro plankton 2 oyster magnifier 1 micron - 3000. As well as oysterfeast. So hope it does the trick as well as siphon the bottom of the tank very little tho as I don't want 2 suck any baby's up. Any1 with any crustacean rearing I know it's almost impossible but I love challanges like this

What you almost certainly have here are mysids. Crab larvae wouldn't survive in a filter plain and simple.

Sir Chris · Jan 8, 2017

Ok my female is preggers again and saw the male last night and direct fed him was crazy fun. So I'm sure there fertile I didn't witness them copulating this time tho. So Ima try and catch her. She's quick tho and don't want 2 stress her. I wanna try again for babys. I swear I got 2 stage 2 of there cycle then died from no food as I didn't know what 2 feed.