Inquiring

afinkl1917 · Feb 1, 2024

Are these Candy Crabs for sale in the US ?

ISpeakForTheSeas · Feb 1, 2024

afinkl1917 said:
Are these Candy Crabs for sale in the US ?

Assuming you're meaning Hoplophrys oatesi, which is a commensal crab with Dendronephthya corals, then no, they're not available anywhere that I've seen in the US (and, honestly, given how tough it is at the moment to keep Dendronephthya corals, it'd probably be pretty irresponsible for companies to sell the crabs at this point).

ISpeakForTheSeas said:
Dr. Dendrostein is definitely the one to talk to for this (I haven't had time to read through the 132 page thread linked below, but I know it contains some good info for at least some Dendronephthya spp.) - that said, I do know that the care varies from one species to another with this genus; with most feeding on phyto of various sizes, but at least one I know (D. australis) feeding primarily and with great success on zooplankton (Artemia, Rotifers, and powdered zooplankton were all used successfully with this species).

So, if you can figure out the exact species you have there, you might be able to figure out a specific flow/substrate for it, and you might be able to figure out what size of food is appropriate for it (which may not help you save/grow it, but it would be a good starting point to try at least).

Edit: Forgot to add the link:

Dendronephthya & Scleronephthya aquaculture

Riddle me this: humble was the fish, a beautiful and humble fish.

www.reef2reef.com