Blueberry, Indo & PP crabs

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Julsie
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Blueberry, Indo & PP crabs

Post by Julsie » Wed Feb 12, 2020 2:24 am

I was reading up on the different species of crabs in the forums on here and I was curious can blueberries and pp’s be kept together? I was interested in indo’s and blueberries and I currently own only pp’s. I wanted to add a lil flavor to my tank by adding some blueberries or indos or maybe even all 3 together! What is known about blueberries and indo’s interacting with pp’s or even all together? Would I be better off buying another tank and only keeping the same species in that one tank?


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Re: Blueberry, Indo & PP crabs

Post by aussieJJDude » Wed Feb 12, 2020 6:21 am

Many have had success with mixed tank, and to my knowledge all species can be kept in the same tano successfully. (Of course, some members have had issues with mixed species tanks, but adding any hermie, even the same species, is a gamble.)


Blueberries and Indos are exotics, and the only requirement they have is good conditions. Heat and humidity is a must, and they appreciate higher heat compared to PPs. They sensitive species, so you need to make sure they getting all their requirements. I reccomend crabbers having at least a year under their belt before they jump into exotics, but honestly the longer is better. Exotics have a terrible track record in captivity, where most dont make it past 3-5 years.


Blueberries and indos can be hard to source, particularly the true blueberries (from Japan) which is banned for export.

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Re: Blueberry, Indo & PP crabs

Post by Crabby7Crabber » Wed Feb 12, 2020 6:54 am

aussieJJDude wrote:
Wed Feb 12, 2020 6:21 am
Many have had success with mixed tank, and to my knowledge all species can be kept in the same tano successfully. (Of course, some members have had issues with mixed species tanks, but adding any hermie, even the same species, is a gamble.)


Blueberries and Indos are exotics, and the only requirement they have is good conditions. Heat and humidity is a must, and they appreciate higher heat compared to PPs. They sensitive species, so you need to make sure they getting all their requirements. I reccomend crabbers having at least a year under their belt before they jump into exotics, but honestly the longer is better. Exotics have a terrible track record in captivity, where most dont make it past 3-5 years.


Blueberries and indos can be hard to source, particularly the true blueberries (from Japan) which is banned for export.

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Re: Blueberry, Indo & PP crabs

Post by Motörcrab » Wed Feb 12, 2020 7:04 am

There usually aren't any issues with keeping different species together. Depending on each species they have special needs. Things like higher humidity, temperature and UV lighting. Generally if you make your tank to the higher heat and humidity it is fine for all species. Be sure you understand fully what each species needs before purchasing them. They will not survive very long without proper conditions.

We keep strawberries and purples together, and purples and Ecuadorians. It mainly depends on the individual crabs personalities because they can clash over being dominant.

With different species being from all over the world there is a possibility of introducing different germs and bacteria they are unable to fight. It is hard to say for sure.

Blueberries have not been available in the US for at least a decade or longer. If I recall they are only found in Japan and they banned them from being exported. Some people may still have them from years ago but they are extremely rare in the US. Purples can come in just about any color based on their diet. Chances are if an untrustworthy store got a shipment of blue colored purple pinchers they would label them as blueberries and charge double, or quadruple the price.

The other species are also available but a lot more difficult to find. Especially if you are looking to adopt rather than purchase.

I see AussieDude posted as I was typing this.
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Re: Blueberry, Indo & PP crabs

Post by Crabby7Crabber » Wed Feb 12, 2020 7:08 am

Motörcrab wrote:
Wed Feb 12, 2020 7:04 am
There usually aren't any issues with keeping different species together. Depending on each species they have special needs. Things like higher humidity, temperature and UV lighting. Generally if you make your tank to the higher heat and humidity it is fine for all species. Be sure you understand fully what each species needs before purchasing them. They will not survive very long without proper conditions.

We keep strawberries and purples together, and purples and Ecuadorians. It mainly depends on the individual crabs personalities because they can clash over being dominant.

With different species being from all over the world there is a possibility of introducing different germs and bacteria they are unable to fight. It is hard to say for sure.

Blueberries have not been available in the US for at least a decade or longer. If I recall they are only found in Japan and they banned them from being exported. Some people may still have them from years ago but they are extremely rare in the US. Purples can come in just about any color based on their diet. Chances are if an untrustworthy store got a shipment of blue colored purple pinchers they would label them as blueberries and charge double, or quadruple the price.

The other species are also available but a lot more difficult to find. Especially if you are looking to adopt rather than purchase.

I see AussieDude posted as I was typing this.
It's okay to keep PP's and an E together, right? Mine seem to love each other!
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Re: Blueberry, Indo & PP crabs

Post by Motörcrab » Wed Feb 12, 2020 7:25 am

It is, but sometimes their personalities clash when you get two that want to be dominant. We are currently keeping an eye on an E and purple we put recently put into our new 65 gallon. Everyone else has been getting along.
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Re: Blueberry, Indo & PP crabs

Post by aussieJJDude » Wed Feb 12, 2020 7:25 am

Crabby7Crabber wrote: It's okay to keep PP's and an E together, right? Mine seem to love each other!
Many have success with the mix, others dont! If its working currently, it should be fine.


I forgot to mention, false blueberries (they still labelled as blueberries as they are a rather 'recent' described species, or sometimes the Indonesian blueberry) is C. lila. They dont have the rich blue that C. purpureus has, but more of a violet/purple/lavender colouration.

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Blueberry, Indo & PP crabs

Post by Overmountain1 » Wed Feb 12, 2020 10:38 am

I have an Indo living with two other PPs, and prior to my adopting them also lived with some straws and several other PPs. So they can do fine, given the right conditions, as others have said. I have a straw with 2 tiny PPs in one tank, and I also have Es and PPs together in another tank (all to be combined soon I hope!)
But as someone else said, the main thing is just to keep an eye on them - especially during the introductory and initial phase of combining. I know we all worry about swapping the germs around between them, and the effect that could have.
Since all crabs have different quirks and personalities it can all vary widely. There is no tried and true formula (aside from proper care and crabitat) and plenty of issues can occur from any species, even when it’s just a single type in a tank. I love having the different kinds together like that though. They seem to do great, at least so far. If anything changes, I’m sure y’all will be the first to know, aside from @RiNiKy506 who I tell everything anyway.


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Re: Blueberry, Indo & PP crabs

Post by Motörcrab » Wed Feb 12, 2020 4:21 pm

I believe that strawberries are the most laid back, easiest going, passive crabs out there. I think they can get along with any species. That is just my experience though. Some of the Ecuadorians we have can be a bit feisty toward other crabs until they work out their rankings with other crabs.

If you get two crabs that think they should be the alpha crab you can have some issues until they sort things out. That's why it's always important to keep a close eye on them when you introduce new crabs.
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Re: Blueberry, Indo & PP crabs

Post by Julsie » Wed Feb 12, 2020 6:51 pm

Thank you all for the replies!


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Re: Blueberry, Indo & PP crabs

Post by wodesorel » Sun Feb 16, 2020 3:30 pm

Not quite a decade on the true blueberries. Lhc.com had them right before they shut down. There were also kiosks in the Western part of the United States that carried them for quite a while. Maybe 5 years ago.
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