Ptychognathus Barbatus – Dwarf pom pom crab

Available in size M

It is a beautiful freshwater crab.

Peaceful and outgoing, the Pom Pom crab is an excellent addition to large and small freshwater aquariums. Plus, it's completely aquatic, so creating a suitable captive environment is a piece of cake.

INFORMATION:

Origin:

In the wild, the distribution of the Pom Pom crab is quite wide.

It lives in freshwater springs and narrow streams in Africa, Asia and Australia. The crustacean is most common in countries such as New Caledonia, Madagascar and Taiwan.

Its form is:

It owes its name to the strands of hair that come out of its arms. Hairs grow from the joint of the clips, making them look like they're holding cheerleader pom poms!

In males, the bristles are quite long and dense. In females, they are barely noticeable.

The crab's shell is quite wide for its size. Not only that, but the legs are long and thin.

Coloration: most specimens adopt a pale yellow or brown color. You can also see flecks of darker brown here and there.

How to differentiate between males and females?

You can look at the size of the hair on their claws. You can also look at the underside of the crab. Like all crabs, Pom Poms have a defined plate.

This plate, called the apron, differs in size and shape depending on the sex. Males have a thin, narrow apron, while females have a wide, curved apron.

Its size is:

Between 1 and 3 cm

Parameters required:

Temperature between 22 and 27°C

PH from 6.2 to 7.2

Feeding:

If the crabs share the aquarium with other fish, they will also feed on leftover food in the aquarium.

Behavior:

He is peaceful and outgoing, so creating a suitable captivity environment is easy.

These crabs do not eat or destroy living plants on purpose, but they can accidentally ruin shallow root systems when digging. This means you should stick to floating plants or those with more robust root systems to avoid problems.

This species of crab is particularly avid to climb, so it is important that the aquarium is well covered to prevent it from escaping. Provide a safe habitat with a safety lid to keep these little escape artists inside your aquarium.