A couple weeks ago, my girlfriend and I purchased a trio of Vampire Crabs from a local pet store (Preuss Pets, for those in the Lansing area). They had a sale on 10 gallon aquariums for $10, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity. We had been discussing getting some type of crab for a while, as we wanted to set up a sweet aquarium landscape. Land crabs and brakish/saltwater crabs seemed like too much maintenance for us, but then we got lucky when we spotted these guys. The important thing is that we can now officially tell the world: we have crabs.
We were given a care sheet about them and did some internet homework about 'em here and here. They're fairly easy to care for and are pretty social guys. We decided to name ours after some of our favorite black metal icons (Euronymous, Quorthon, and Count Grishnackh). Plans are currently in the works to pick up another few of them, too.
Vampire crabs are brightly colored freshwater crabs that require a good mixture of shallow water and land. They're pretty small guys, only about an inch or two across, and stay pretty small. Although they're not very territorial (~6 can live the good life in a 10 gallon), I have witnessed a pair of them slap-fighting over a hiding spot. Kids are so cute at that age.
Speaking of which: they like hiding and are somewhat nocturnal. Although Vampire Crabs do come out during the day, they seem far more active in a warmer dusk setting. A nice LED lamp will help them feel at home. Ours have been doing fine at room temperature (around 75f).
Although scavengers, our crabs seem to be picky eaters. Meats and fish food pellets seem to be favorites. It's also worth noting that they do not hunt or bother most aquarium mates. Ammonia and nitrate levels in their water need to be kept low, however, so watch out for any rotting food they've tried to hide. Certain plants can help with this (cryptocoryne species, anubias, java ferns/moss), otherwise clean out the tank a bit every week or so.
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