Spotted Porcelain crab rearing?
- Thread starter natew
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No experience with them myself - so hopefully someone with experience will comment for you - but do you know the scientific/taxonomic name for your crabs? I’m curious what species it is, as the common name of “spotted porcelain crab” is applied to multiple species.
natew
New Member
Neopetrolisthes spp. Is what theyre saying bought them reef cleaners
Tavero
Well-Known Member
Can you give more information about your system? Size, filtration, feeding, stocking? There are some cases about emerald crabs reproducing on their own but i didn't hear that about porcelain crabs.
natew
New Member
300 gallon nothing fancy run a uv a pretty basic sump . Turn over is probably 15x
Dont dose or use treatments just do 50 gallon w/c every 10 days
Stock stripe damsels
Foxface
Pair of clowns
15x Chromis
Melarnus wrasse
Cleaner shrimp
Sailfin tangs
Convict tangs
Hippo tang
Goby
Couple other tangs cant remeber there names. And a cleaner shrimp
Coral is mainly zoas frogs,hammers,torchs and acans and duncans
Also have probably 40+ bta a few rfa and condys and mini carpets
DaJMasta
Well-Known Member
They won't be able to reproduce in your tank without very special conditions and basically no power heads, so you probably have hitch hikers.
If you do have crabs spawning, they will climb up on the rock work when the lights are mostly dim (mine usually spawn before complete lights out in low twilight) and basically shoot larvae out in bursts from the underside of their carapace. The larvae are very distinctive, they look like a small shrimp with a long, sometimes flexed, transparent "tusk" sticking out of their back and extending a couple times their body length in front of them.
The larvae are strong swimmers and probably benefit from open space and stronger currents (it's thought the tusk thing helps them navigate faster waters), and I've offered them phytoplankton and zooplankton but not kept any alive past about a week even in dedicated rearing vessels.
I want to reemphasize that the larvae generally don't stand a fraction of a percent chance of living for even an hour in a typical reef tank, so you certainly don't have larvae that fully developed in your tank on their own.
If you do have crabs spawning, they will climb up on the rock work when the lights are mostly dim (mine usually spawn before complete lights out in low twilight) and basically shoot larvae out in bursts from the underside of their carapace. The larvae are very distinctive, they look like a small shrimp with a long, sometimes flexed, transparent "tusk" sticking out of their back and extending a couple times their body length in front of them.
The larvae are strong swimmers and probably benefit from open space and stronger currents (it's thought the tusk thing helps them navigate faster waters), and I've offered them phytoplankton and zooplankton but not kept any alive past about a week even in dedicated rearing vessels.
I want to reemphasize that the larvae generally don't stand a fraction of a percent chance of living for even an hour in a typical reef tank, so you certainly don't have larvae that fully developed in your tank on their own.
natew
New Member
Well the hitch hikers is impossible all the rock was dry rock never used. And used bottled bacteria to start cycle. Frags were all dipped and all from one person who doesnt have this crab.
DaJMasta
Well-Known Member
Are you sure the id, current count, and initial count are all correct, then? Sounds like something isn't adding up, but I believe the odds of even one settling into a juvenile in your tank successfully on it's own is well under a million to one, and you've got 8 unaccounted for.
natew
New Member
Current count is correct and yes i know how many i purchased. My pumps from my sump make it 15x turn over roughly but i dont have any powerheads in display because nems and powerheads dont mix lol . Dont even run a skimmer. But i do find this odd. In am im gooing to try to round up as many as i can.
Tavero
Well-Known Member
Can you make a pic so we can identify the exact species?
No skimmer and no powerhead may create some rare circumstances.
My turbosnails also only multiply in a nano tank without powerhead.
natew
New Member
Yes when i try to catch in am gonna try to get some close ups. Lol everyone thinks im crazy no skimmer powerheads or dosing .
Well you change half your tank volume every month so your parameters are probably pretty consistent.
natew
New Member
Thats what im going for my buddy does it on his reef and his is amazing so i figured i would try it. Save on equipment spend more on salt lol
Buy it in bulk and you'll be doing well.
natew
New Member
Got any links jist been doing buckets and they dont last long
happyhourhero
Burner of the Tips
Please photo document this breakthrough! I don’t think there are any recorded cases of success, even in lab conditions.
Yeah, my understanding is the labs have gotten these crabs through to the megalopa stage, but they've never been able to get them to actually settle.
That looks like Neopetrolisthes maculatus to me.
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