Zoea *successful captive breeding & rearing of C. variabilis

[aussieJJDude]

Wow, they have grown!

[Nat_addicted to HC's]

Shell openings vary with the size of the crab, some are a lot smaller, some are huge, same crabitat & the same conditions the largest crab is in a 7mm opening shell!
I love looking back at all the pictures too ! Its time they get their own room lol it sounds like we have mice in the walls but alas its just the crabs next to my side of the bed giggle
Oh & the mass shell shop parties in the middle of the night is quite fascinating, if they hear someone in there its like a mass flock to check out what shell has been abandoned!

[Nat_addicted to HC's]

26 - 32 degrees (ambient)
75 - 85% humidity
100% sand
14 day 10 night
Constant access to fresh & ocean water deep enough to submerge completely
Fed same diet as my mature crabs daily
Not separated to molt ever
Not bathed
Constant access to spare shells

[KittyKatt]

AHHHHH!!! I loved this thread! I hope the babies are doing well!

[kuza]

Nat, do you have a guide written up? right now I'm just searching your posts on here, but currently my straw has dropped live babies already and has more eggs on the way. So I'm trying to get ready, I guess I have about 1 month to prepare!

[Nat_addicted to HC's]

Hi Kuza! No i have not made a guide sorry. make sure your salt water pool has a bubbler in it all times, You are going to have to have a kreisel type tank ready to go at the drop of a hat, ocean water (amount varies depending on kreisel size and cleaning frequency) made up in storage, keep an eye on the salinity of your saltwater too, something to transfer the zoea with, food for the zoea, start sourcing shells, find the references for your species (Perhaps wolf might be able to help with that??) so you know what to expect at what stage of development set up kriesel and get it stabalised when she looks close, investigate the climate in the areas these guys live and breed in the wild to get an idea on temps but I would say hotter than mine, and watch her like a hawk, she might not deposit them in the dish/pool. fingers crossed for you! oh and a light, get a light, I observed my zoea do some really cool stuff with light, they are attracted to it at night and by using a torch made it easier to catch when I was switching them in the jars. also if there was light they were active in still water but when the light went out they drifted to the bottom either way still water = death. I simulated day and night cycles.

[kuza]

thanks!! and how did you heat the water int he tank without hurting them? I have a lot of spare tanks and resources so if you were to do it from scratch, how would you set up the tanks?

[Nat_addicted to HC's]

Check out the beginning of the thread, my heater is inside the main tank & jars inside it, that way no one comes into contact with the heater

[kuza]

awesome thanks!

[Nat_addicted to HC's]

Theyre growing surprised on little one took a spiral shell!

[Rocky]

I can't believe how many babies you still have left! And my, they've grown like weeds! You must be one proud momma I will never stop loving this thread

[Careyenz]

This is my favorite by far. I love to look over the old pics! They are just adorable. The one in the long shell looks like he thinks he's a little viola! They're just too sweet for words!


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[aussieJJDude]

Wow, such cuties.... And to think you sharing your home with them and have access to look at them 24/7..... LUCKY!!
And love the pic of the aussie wanna be viola SO cute!!!

[Curlz]

@Kuza: a guide of c. variabilis won't help you, because they are one of the special species with a very very short development. And the only land hermit crab species where the larvae do not eat in the first stage, befor getting to megalopa stage.
A better guide will be of other species. Unfortunenately there is no documentation about perlatus. So you have to experience like Nat or me.
And have an eye on the development of other species (compressus for example)

buy enough salt (fishkeeping saltwater salt): (read manual to mix)
Because of the food , you have to clean up the tank very often, to keep the nitrite and nitrate values as low as possible. Therefor you should change water every day (to get off food and poo). I have changed nearly 50% of the water every day.
Buy brine shrimps (with a station to breed them). The larvae need freshly hateched brine shrimp. And that means they should not be older than 3 hours. All others do not have enough needed stuff. Older shrimps has to be catched out of the water. To keep the water clean. And the larvae will not eat bigger shrimps.
All other food (instant or fish pellets, flakes) are not enough. They need food to catch while swimming.

One additional option: freshly hatched brine shrimp in a jar (Ocean nutrion)

Nat already said it: put a Kreisel in an aquarium and keep the heater in this aquarium and not in the kreisel. Keep the temperature at 26°C (78.8°F).
And the water has to be in motion, always. That's why a kreisel or a round jar is the best way to keep the water in motion. With a bubbler or a flexible tube and a fishkeeping airpump.

[kuza]

Perfect thanks again!