pair of pom pom crabs?

[RickySan]

could i keep a pair of pom pom crabs without having them fight?...i just love them!!

[demonsp]

Yea but with them on the ,with caution list that could be double trouble.

[carlos_fb]

This is the first time I hear that Pom Pom crabs cause trouble. Can you please be more specific?

[riley290]

I would also like a better explanation demonsp.

[Thinslis]

Pom Pom crabs are neat little buggers

[wizzbane15]

I keep an unknown quantity of pom pom crabs in my 125. I would say I have atleast 4 or 5 at the minimum and I have never had any problems with them nor have I ever found pieces of them like I have with other types of crabs when you have multiple ones together.

[RickySan]

so yes\no on keeping a pair....

[RickySan]

thanks wizzbane you disregard my last post...i guess we posted at the same time. Anyway any more advice or expirence would be of great help...thanks again for your help

[wizzbane15]

I would say go for it on getting 2. one thing though, if you get them with anemones in their claws they will eventually lose them and they don't have any source to get new ones once it happens. When ever i buy boxes of rock, they are a pretty common hitchhiker.

[riley290]

how long until they usually lose their nems? after their first molt?

[wizzbane15]

who knows on how lond till they lose their anemones. I seen some of mine have them for quite a while and some lose them in just a couple of weeks. They do not automatically lose them after they molt either. Not a really great answer.....

They are definately pretty cool, but don't plan on them being out in plain sight much. I only see one occasiionally cuz they live in my rocks.

[riley290]

cool, thanks for the answers.

[ahullsb]

I believe they drop them when they molt, so they have to pick them back up. If something prevents them from doing that, or they get blown away, no more pom poms?

[RickySan]

riley290 college station huh, are we an aggie fan? (whoop)


ok so they will pick the nem up after they drop it if they dont blow away?? alos if i get two and ine crab looses its claws\nem, will the other crab fight for them?

[superedge88]

I had pom pom crabs for over a year, and always chuckled at the thought of them putting down there little anemones carefully, then molting, then trying to remember where they put there little anemones. Beautiful little crabs, the only type that I personally consider completely reef safe, though I have read anecdotally that they can hurt other corals with there anemones, though I never witnessed this.

[smartang22]

I have had my pom pom crab for about two months now. He molted about two weeks ago and I saw the molt attached to a rock! The molt looks so much like the crab that I panicked to see there were no anemones in his claws. I looked closer to see that it wasn't him and when I finally found him he had both anemones. Now he looks like he has doubled in size and so have the anemones.

He mostly hides in a rock cave but he likes to annoy my goby and try and smack the hermits with his "pom poms." He was bratty at first but now he has mellowed. He is really cool. I have a small tank so I get to see him often.

[riley290]

yeah ricky, bout to head to medical school but did my undergrad work there. Thanks for the answers and experiences on this thread, think I'll have to try one of these little guys out now.

[RickySan]

thanks again for all your advice!