So I never thought to check the E tank for babies...

[wodesorel]

I've been so obsessed about checking the PPs for babies, that it never occurred to me to check the E tank. I've got a salt water bowl filled with little dead babies. I am so upset! I usually got a few days without changing out their water, so I missed the window of trying to raise them completely.

I'm going to get photos here in a minute - I was just so excited and thrilled and upset at the same time.

And if anyone is wondering what the secret is - there isn't any. They've been in a barebones 55 gallon for the last year - a couple of cocohuts, a moss pit and a shell shop from corner shower caddies, and an oak ramp up to the second level where the water dishes are. I throw food in a few times a week (they get the same diet as the roaches since they're upstairs, so not much variety and I haven't really been caring if they seem to eat or not.) On a substrate of peat moss, playsand and all-purpose sand, about 12 inches deep. Temp was around 80-90 all winter and since summer came they've been 63 at night and 95 during the day. (No heating since it's been so warm.) I've been so embarrassed of how empty the tank looks that I don't even bother posting photos. So totally not embarrassed by the tank or the way I've been keeping them now!

And they have to have been conceived in the tank, as the most recent addition was sometime last fall.

[kuza]

doh, bitter sweet news there but it's great to know they are keeping themselves.... Busy.

[wodesorel]

Oh - wanted to add that they're in a room that I rarely ever go in - just poke my head in a few times a day to check in them and the roaches and the scorpions. It may be the quiet that made them comfortable enough. They're also directly beneath the window, so they always have fresh air in warm weather.

And I never bother to actually measure their salt water. I just dump in what looks like the right amount. I figure they're used to tide pools in nature, and they vary in salinity throughout the day and the season.

Oh, and they might have mites. I caught some bright red mites in their discarded shells in the past, but never saw any obvious ones on the crabs, and they never seemed uncomfortable, so I never worried about it.

(Gosh, this whole coming clean thing about conditions feels really good. They had babies. They can't be suffering, so I know that whatever I'm doing or not doing isn't hurting them.)

Anyway, baby pictures, even if they are heartbreaking.






Their tank, the way it has been for the last year:







Possibly mom:



I was able to get three of the ones on the surface to come out for me - one was male, the other two were females, and both this one and the other one had visibly swollen pleopods. I don't know if this means they recently released eggs, or if they're going to form more eggs, or what.



I will be checking the water bowl three times a day for little ones as I do very much want to try raising them, since Es have an abbreviated larval stage and have been rather easily raised in the laboratory. I don't know much about their breeding season, but I hope to have either another pregnant female somewhere in there, or that (maybe) they might have two broods a year.

If anyone is curious as to how I spotted them in a dirty water bowl, this it what it looked like when I picked it up and moved it. The white babies were extremely noticeable, even though they were dead:
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7 ... directlink

[CrabbyMom33]

Very cool that they had babies! Hopefully they will have some more for you if you are willing to try to raise them.

[parrothead]

WODE! WOW- so bitter sweet I am so glad they are doing good in the fact that they are mating. Sad you missed the window of opportunity though There will be other times- btw, they momma is beautiful! I love my E"s

[kuza]

I do notice a lot of people with crab attack emergencies in the spring and up until now, maybe it's because of mating season.

[wolfnipplechips]

So sad.

But on the other hand, BABIES!!!! That means next year you gotta check that tank like every day!! You're totally qualified to try and raise them, too with your knowledge of aquarium type things.

[SoulLonely]

wow that is sooooo exciting! atleast you will know for next time!

[Craftycrabber]

I feel really bad now. about 6 months ago I noticed that one of my crabs had eggs. I had seen a picture on this site or it might have been utube. Anyway, I did nothing about it though there was instant ocean in the tank always, as well as pure water and food. If I ever notice this again, what should I do and how could you go about trying to raise them? What do you do?