Woohooo! Two females with eggs! Update P.6! BABIES! (PPs)

[rane4102]

Gosh, this is just amazing. I find myself checking this forum four or five times a day to see if there is any new baby news. Thank you so much for constantly keeping us all updated. What an amazing experience we're all getting to witness!
And oh my god they are the cutest things ever. I don't think you could ever post too many pictures!

[Bridgitmac80]

OMG!!!! Congrats but OH SO SCARY !!! I wouldn't want to have to deal with that, I am only 2 weeks into the hermie life (give me a couple years I will prob change my tune! )
I really hope some of them make it to land stage. I have read and read about crabs and everything said they can't/won't lay eggs in captivity. You showed them hun! Can't wait to see more pics

[CrabbyMom33]

Keep up the pictures, we love them! Also, it's good you are documenting things like the ammonia levels, water change frequency, etc. in here. Given that so little has been done in trying to raise them anything you can do to document the process is wonderful.

[Skymall007]

More pictures and videos and updates the better! I think we are all loving it! It helps us be a part of it. If any of these guys survive I think I shall want to know how their whole life goes. =) It would be so cool to see them progress throughout their lives from eggs. I must note that they all look like they have very large noses. They look nerdy (in a cute way).

[parrothead]

dude! bump the post as much as you want! I think I speak for everyone when I say the more info/pics the better So exciting! I feel like I'm pacing the delivery room floor like a nervous parent waiting for a baby to be delivered

[Crabbielover1031]

^parrothead: ROTFL!!! I was thinking the same thing!!!

I gotta hand it to Cat and Big Mamma; could you imagine having THOUSABDS of babies all at one time?!?!? And carrying them ALL around on your hip for 3 months?!?!?!

[wolfnipplechips]

If I could release my babies in the ocean and be done with it, I would totally take carrying them on my hips for a month. Better than 9 months of pregnancy and then 18 or more years of programming just one human! Or so I gathered... I don't like kids.

The babies don't seem to be dying as fast as I expected. There looks like just as many as yesterday, and I can only see like three dead ones on the bottom (knock on wood). But here is something...when the light is on, the babies go up, but the brine shrimp go down. Their food doesn't like light! What do I do about that?! I was thinking I was going to starve them because I started seeing no brine shrimp, but when the lights go off, I see TONS. Do I make the light...dim? I just don't know.

@skymall They do look nerdy!! Aaha!

[Rocky]

That's so weird but they were getting them before right? Do they swim down to get them? I would try dimming the light and seeing if you get a cosy medium

[Skymall007]

Parrot is spot on!

That is so odd about the light....I will see if I can contact my marine bio professor. She raises crabs in the "Crab lab" none from eggs that I know of, but she might have some input on this light business. Worry not!

[wolfnipplechips]

I think some of them have figured out food is at the bottom. And I do see an occasional brine shrimp swimming in the middle. I'm not sure how to dim the hood light or if it's possible. I think since they have been fine so far, they will continue to be fine. I hope. Maybe I can get a filter like they use for spot lights that I can just put between the light and the glass to make it dimmer.

Oh, and I had another observation this morning. When their light first comes on, they don't eat right away. They ignore food for like 10-15 minutes (not sure how long I was watching). Maybe adjusting and getting their bearings.

[Nnnnnnnn]

Wow... That is AWESOME... more bumps every five seconds please.

[wolfnipplechips]

I have another question for you marine people. Do I need to add calcium? I don't have a substrate in there because I want to be able to vacuum the bottom scum to decrease ammonia as much as possible since Ive been experimenting with foods. No substrate means no extra minerals and stuff. My salt mix doesn't say what's in it, it basically just says. "it has everything, don't worry!" but does it? I know they make liquid calcium, but does that do anything and do I need it? My brand of salt is Instant Ocean. I want my babies to be able to grow skeletons. Kinda important. Do I need to add anything else to the water besides dechlor and salt?

[Rocky]

You could try adding an oyster shell or a chunk of cuttlebone maybe That way you can remove them when you're cleaning the water

[Happy Crabber]

Can you plug the hood into a dimmer?

Love the updates. Thanks!

[HaydenHermie]

They'll probably get the calcium from the brine shrimp.

The light thing is interesting. i wonder if they need UV light to grow. It could easily be a part of their diet, with them being as small and living how they are at the surface. All I know is animals that go towards light normally are sun-dependent animals. Or use it in some way to process, let's say, calcium and vitamin D.